Welcome to Unstyled. I'm your host, Christine Barberick, co-founder and global editor-in-chief of Refinery 29.

Each week, I invite a notable person to come in and talk with us as we explore the funny, inspiring, sometimes heartbreaking tales of life, work, and love, as told through the things that we wear.

Misty Copeland's story is pretty much the stuff of legend.

She's been called the Jackie Robinson of Ballet, while others describe her as a real-life Cinderella.

The truth is, she's both,

but a whole lot more, too. Misty didn't come from a traditional dance background. She was 13

the first time she took a free ballet class at a local boys and girls club. Until then, her only

training was inventing dance routines while listening to Mariah Carey in her bedroom.

Her childhood home was chaotic and crowded. As one of six children in a single-parent household,

the family was living in a motel, and there simply wasn't time or money for things like formal dance training. But from that very first class, it was obvious that Misty had a serious dance destiny.

The teacher, Cynthia Bradley, was astonished by her natural talent, and took it upon herself to help her train.

Soon, Misty was dancing in regional productions and drawing huge crowds.

And yet, for all the buzz building up, there were also a lot of whispers.

From the beginning, Misty faced constant criticism for her so-called look.

Her muscular body, her difficult hair, and of course her brown skin.

Was the conservative and very white dance world ready to embrace a black ballerina?

Misty pushed ahead, eventually joining ABT, the prestigious American ballet theater.

For years, she was the only black woman in the company, and as her star continued to rise,

Misty felt a growing sense of purpose.

She was determined to succeed, not only for herself,

but for other young dancers of color being told they weren't the right type for ballet.

In 2015, Misty made history when she became the company's first black principal dancer.

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