Barbie is honoring American ballet dancer Misty Copeland with a new doll.
Copeland is part of Barbie’s Sheroes program that is honoring women who are breaking boundaries and inspiring girls everywhere. Other women that are part of this collection include Ava DuVernay, Emmy Rossum, Eva Chen, Kristin Chenoweth, Sydney "Mayhem" Keiser, Trisha Yearwood and Zendaya.
Copeland is no stranger in breaking down barriers as she became the first African-American female principal dancer for the American Ballet Theater (ABT).
"I always dreamed of becoming an ABT ballerina and through Barbie I was able to play out those dreams early on," said Copeland. "It's an honor to be able to inspire the next generation of kids with my very own Barbie doll."
Copeland worked with Barbie’s design team on the design of her doll, which is inspired by her Firebird costume from her first principal role at the American Ballet Theatre. She will reprise that role in two performances later in May.
"Misty Copeland is at the center of a cultural conversation around how women continue to break boundaries," said Lisa McKnight, Barbie’s general manager and senior vice president. "As a brand, we want to honor women, like Misty, who are inspiring the next generation of girls to live out their dreams. We know role play often leads to real 'play' in life and we're thrilled to celebrate Misty with her very own doll."
Outside of the theater, Copeland is involved with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America as well as Project Plié, an initiative to increase racial and ethnic representation in ballet and diversify America's ballet companies. She is also part of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. The ballet dancer was also named one of Time’s Most Influential People of 2015.
The doll is available for $29.95 at retailers nationwide.