Teen Ballerina Slams Body Stereotypes

Think of a ballerina. Admit it, a white girl weighing no more than 100lbs came to mind. That’s not your fault, that’s what we’ve been conditioned to believe a ballerina is due to pop culture shoving that image into our heads for years! Well there are a couple of women in recent years that have proven that what we believe a ballerina is all wrong because anyone can be a graceful dancer, including Lizzy Howell.

It was late in the year in 2016 when the 15-year-old dancer decided to post a video of her in her regular ballet class on Instagram. She garnered some likes from people she knew, but in recent weeks that post has gone viral, and people are absolutely loving her for breaking down what a ballerina is supposed to be. While some have referred to her as a “plus size” dancer, Howell isn’t about that label. She told BuzzFeed, “If I can do everything that anyone else can, why should I be in a separate category?”

Preach girl, preach! But the truth is that Howell does look different than the image of a ballerina we are used to. Luckily though, now we have proof that Swan Lake doesn’t have to be a sea of Natalie Portman’s and Mila Kunis’. Not expecting the attention, Howell was surprised but did note that she’s happy her video is showcasing a sense of diversity in the dance community. The dancing teen was also happy her posts got some attention to bring awareness to pseudotumor cerebri. She suffers from the condition that increases pressure in the skull, which she says dancing has helped immensely with.

Howell isn’t the only dancer in recent years who’s made us rethink the ballerina game. In 2015 Misty Copeland wasn’t the first black woman to take on ballet, but she was the first one to be promoted to principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre’s 75 year history.

So the next time someone asks you to imagine a ballerina, hopefully you’ll have some variety that pops up thanks to not only Howell, but Copeland as well!