Misty Copeland, who made history as the first African-American female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, is now the newest face of Estée Lauder’s Modern Muse fragrance.
The beauty brand announced that Copeland, 34, will front the campaign across digital, TV and print starting August 2017 in a press release Monday, July 31.
“I am so honored to represent Estée Lauder Modern Muse,” the dancer said in the release. “My two passions are dance and giving back, and I love passing on knowledge to the next generation. I also have a strong connection to the scents I wear when I perform. The Modern Muse campaign is the perfect way to see another side of my story.”
The new Muse also sat down with Estée Lauder to share what beauty means to her in a new interview. “Uniqueness,” she explained, is how she defines the term. “Being different, not fitting into the mold, all of these things — not being able to compare yourself to someone else and say, ‘Oh, I’m just like them.’ Being different makes me beautiful.”
Copeland also shared an anecdote about what the Modern Muse fragrance means to her: “My first memories of fragrance are definitely connected to my mother. As someone who was very aware of what she looked like when she left the house, she always had something that had a vanilla scent, and then a bright red lip.”
She continued, “I over-use fragrance now. Usually when I put on fragrance, it’s before I step onto the stage. So I definitely have this strong connection to performing and being onstage with the scents that I wear. It kind of puts me in my zone and in the mood, and just feeling really beautiful, feminine and ready to perform. I’ve learned to apply a little bit on the inside of my wrist, a little behind the ear, and just a dab on the neck—but I spray it all over my body.”
