They got their tights in a twist.
Critics slammed star ballerina Misty Copeland, who started a petition to add more inclusive colors to the traditional pink Apple ballet shoe emoji.
Copeland, 41, the first black woman to become a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, posted about the initiative to her 1.8 million Instagram followers on September 21, explaining that ballet began in 15th-century Italy for the white elite and the shoes were pink to match fair skin tones.
Critics say the famous dancer sees racism where it doesn’t exist, posting comments like, “It’s an emoji, good grief” and “Pink is not a skin color.”
Another didn’t dance on the issue, writing: “You’re creating a pseudo racial problem.”
“I think this is going too far,” wrote Abby Marie Johnson, who said Copeland’s supporters pressured her to delete her comments.
Critics slammed ballerina Misty Copeland, who started a petition to add more inclusive colors to the pink Apple ballet shoe emoji. LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS – stock.adobe.com Copeland is the first black woman to be a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. EPA Copeland is asking for the pointe emoji to be more inclusive. emojipedia.com
“People lash out saying I’m a special white girl who doesn’t get it, when in reality, I’m adopted, thrown from home to home, and most of my adopted siblings are colored,” Johnson, 28- Resident of Norfolk, Virginia , a year old, told The Post.
“I just think it’s ridiculous. When I see ballet slippers, I just think ballerina. There is no color attached to it,” he added.
“It’s not about race for me, I think it’s annoying to add more emojis to make everyone in the world feel good. They are emojis. They don’t stick to who we are.”
Virginian Abby Marie Johnson commented on Copeland’s post with “I think this is going too far,” and had to delete it.
Copeland, who is married to attorney Olu Evans, a cousin of actor Taye Diggs, and lives in an Upper West Side condo that cost more than $3 million — also sparked comments like, “a clear sign of a first-world privilege problem.”
Daphney Hewitt, who is black and has been dancing for nearly a decade, sees nothing wrong with the pink pointe shoes, which are “meant to fit the original dancer.”
“The world doesn’t have to always conform or conform to black American politics,” he commented on Copeland’s post about the petition, which now has more than 22,000 signatures.
NJ resident Fola Walker defended Copeland’s campaign. Amy Donner
Franklin Park, NJ resident Fola Walker defended Copeland, citing “something as simple as changing an emoji and a bunch of white people telling her to shut up.”
“I was surprised that people were upset over something so small,” Walker, 30, who is on the dance team at Rutgers University, told The Post. “It’s so ridiculous.”
Fábio Mariano, who founded the social media platform Blacks in Ballet, said opponents were unaware of the importance of this seemingly trivial step.
Co-founder of the Blacks in Ballet social media platform, Fábio Mariano, says people may not realize the importance of such seemingly small steps. Courtesy of Fábio Mariano Apple has yet to comment on Copeland’s petition.Future Publishing via Getty Images
“It’s like when little brown kids go to the store and they only see white Barbies. It doesn’t hurt them directly,” Mariano, a professional dancer who lives in Memphis, Tenn., told The Post.
“But when they see that chocolate Barbie, it makes a huge difference. And it’s the same thing now, they don’t see it, so it’s not a big deal, but when they see it, they’ll realize how important those little things are.”
Copeland and Apple declined to comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
