Misty Copeland responds to Photoshop rumors
The first black principal ballerina for the American Ballet Theater found herself facing a bit of controversy over Gregg Delman’s coffee table book Misty.
Yes, Misty Copeland really does look like that.
Recently, the first black principal ballerina for the American Ballet Theater found herself facing a bit of controversy over Gregg Delman’s coffee table book Misty, which contains several iconic images of Copeland.
One image in particular shows Copeland twisted slightly toward the camera wearing a white leotard. In the image, her waist looks unnaturally small, and many accused her of using Photoshop to achieve the look.
In response, Copeland posted both the original image and the retouched version, pointing out that the only changes made were to smooth out her leotard, so no changes were made to her actual body.
“I’m so proud of this wonderful book that @greggdelmanphoto made. The positive body image that is shown throughout is a healthy one and what I stand for. The image on the left was photoshopped to smooth out my leotard. No altering was done to my body. I’m happy and proud of my body and would never participate in changing it,” she wrote on Instagram.
Copeland is no stranger to controversy over her body, as she is not only the first black principal ballerina but is also built differently to most ballerinas, with more curves and more of a bust than normal. But she’s proving yet again that she’s not about to let the haters keep her from being amazing!
