Subscribe
Hellobeautiful Featured Video
CLOSE

Misty Copeland hasn’t been facing much rejection lately. The inspirational ballet dancer has broken barriers against race and body-type to flourish into the successful dancer she is today. After facing lots of rejection over her body type and struggling with a difficult home life, and even physical setbacks (delayed puberty leading to a vertebral fracture that required time off from dance) she has blossomed into a successful athlete and as of late, cover model.

From partnering with Under Armour to becoming the first African-American performer to be appointed as an American Ballet Theatre principal dancer, Copeland is tenacious, successful, and inspiring. It’s no surprise that with such rich background of triumph that she has been selected as the cover model for Variety’s April 2016 issue titled: Power of Women. She is one of two covers, the other cover being the uber talented and dynamic Lupita Nyong’o.

I love her cover because it illustrates her strength and beauty in an atypical “cover model” pose. Misty Copeland is a woman who is talented, humble, wise beyond her years and represents a beauty that you don’t see in mainstream media…and I’m here for it. In addition to slaying for Variety, she also has a beautiful editorial in Essence, rocking Herve Leger and Beyoncé-esque hair. In this editorial, it’s almost as if Misty is channeling a young Diana Ross.

Misty Copeland is a force and is long overdue for all the shine she been receiving in recent years. May she continue to inspire, to aspire, and to slay.

DON’T MISS:

An Amazon In Africa: Meet The 29 Year Old Nigerian Woman Breaking E-Commerce Boundaries

Misty Copeland Inspires Muslim Teen To Be The First Professional Ballerina In A Hijab

#SayHerName: Family Says Their Daughter Did Not Commit Suicide In Her LA Jail Cell

 

For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.