Shelby Flowers

Shelby Flowers

            African American, not pencil thin, and over 30.  That is the description of Misty Copeland according to this article.  She was named as the first African American female principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre in July of this year.  What an honor and yet a demanding position to be in.  She reached fame status early in her career as a victim of a child custody case when her biological mother wanted her to stop dancing and return home.  She was granted her independence and was able to continue her dance training.  She has become a social media frenzy of hot gossip and new searches.  Her story is even more interesting as she is not the poster child for a normal looking ballerina.  She is not pencil thin, she is not European, and she is not under 24.   Misty is 32 years old and that is not the norm for a principal ballerina.  She also started training when she was 13 years old and that is not part of the norm either.  With all the odds of success stacked against her, Misty Copeland has become a stand out ballerina and made history as well.

Analysis: 

This article appeared on the website of News Discovery in July of 2015.  Joel Stevens as a research point of view wrote it with a slant towards his personal preference.  It is factual based and full of interesting information. His use of comparisons of African Americans and Europeans might have the reader think that he is of European decent.  He tends to lend the idea that African American women are usually not thin and rarely have a shot in the ballet world. 

I have seen some of my friends who are African American and are ballet dancers and they do not fit his stereotype of the African American female. 

As informational as this article is, it has a slight undertone of demeaning innuendoes of what the average African American woman looks like.  I find offense to it and I am Caucasian.   Stereotyping of people has become a norm in the world today.   Much of is has been brought on by terrorism, fear, and the craziness of our lives as well as the unknown. 

I feel that this article stands out because of the unrest that has been taking place in our country with racism.  As much as Misty Copeland should be revered for making it as a older dancer with training that started so late in her life, and the fact that she is not the typical pencil thin ballet dancer, but instead it headlines with the first paragraph as her making as the first black female principal dancer. I feel that her thunder was stolen from her accomplishments because she is black and not because she is talented. 

Article link: 

http://news.discovery.com/human/life/ballerina-misty-copeland-makes-history-150701.htm