Misty Copeland’s letter to the judged

In her second season as principal dancer for the American Ballet Theater (the first African-American woman to achieve that rank), Misty Copeland, 35, took on the classics Giselle and Don Quixote, imbuing the roles with individuality and exceeding expectations. “A Giselle for these times,” praised the Financial Times, while noting the ‘Misty effect’ on the diversity and size of the audiences that had come to see her perform. With her celebrated backstory of talent outshining a turbulent and impoverished childhood, the Kansas City-born dancer has earned a visibility and international draw far beyond the ballet house: in 2017, she published her third title, a health and fitness book called Ballerina Body, ahead of making her film debut in Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, set for a November 2018 release.

But even a woman as accomplished as Copeland has felt the sting of self-doubt. So, she wrote this letter for PORTER and for everyone who has felt less than worthy.

To every woman who has ever felt like she is not good enough, beautiful enough or strong enough,

I hear you. I see you. I am you. We all have those moments when we look in the mirror and we don’t like what we see. What’s more, there have been moments, probably far too many, when people try to make us feel badly about ourselves, only reinforcing everything we view as negative.

As a ballerina, my entire career revolves around what people see and think of me on the stage. My body is my instrument. So, I am keenly aware of how it feels to be under a microscope and to have many doubts about my self-worth.

Here’s my approach. Each day is a new day. Try to block out negative judgment from yourself and from others. Do I feel great every day? Am I always at my best? Absolutely not. There are days when I don’t have the performance I’d hoped for. There are days when I’d love to stay in bed rather than go to ballet class and rehearse all day. There are also days when I’m frustrated and not in a good place emotionally. I’m sure you’ve had those days as well. Yet, what I’ve learned to appreciate is that today is not the end, and tomorrow is always another day to start over and be better.

When I think of today’s society and how we communicate, social media has certainly turned up the volume of both the positive and negative voices. I’ve found that judgment usually comes from a negative place. On the other hand, I know that the critiques I receive daily in my career come from a place of love and support, whether from the artistic staff of my company or my family and team. I choose to live my life surrounded by and listening to people I trust and respect, who I know want me to be the best dancer and person I can be.

So trust me, my fearless, wonderful, gorgeous girlfriend: you’ve got this! Life is a journey that we’re all on. Let’s help each other and push each other to accept ourselves for the incredible women we are and to celebrate the uniqueness that each of us is.

Misty Copeland