Charlize Theron and Misty Copeland came together Thursday night at the reopening of Breitling’s New York flagship store to talk about the philanthropic work that have been hallmarks of their careers.
The actress and ballet dancer, respectively, are part of the Swiss watch brand’s Spotlight Squad, its initiative to connect with more women. Breitling tapped the two women for the initiative last year when it introduced its first range of women’s watches.
“Whenever I have an opportunity to be alongside incredibly accomplished and powerful women who really care about the work they’re doing and what’s to come,” Copeland said about joining the brand’s initiative. “I’m definitely careful about the brands that I partner with and the messages they’re sending out, and Breitling is just so aligned with what I stand for, and that’s empowering women. Empowering young women and creating better opportunities for them.”
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Theron also echoed this sentiment, stating she’s drawn to initiatives that promote female empowerment and diversity.
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“Being born in South Africa and coming from a place with so much turmoil, it’s kind of like in my bones to fight injustices,” she explained. “There is a way to live your life in a way that your actions are putting forth what you believe verbally, and I have always believed that we need more representation. Whenever I can be a part of something like that, that’s a good message to send out there. I’ve got two young girls who are both African American and I want them to see people who look like them and I want them to be inspired.”
Both women spoke about their philanthropic work at Breitling’s store reopening, with Theron talking about her work with her Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, which the actress launched in 2007 to support African youth and keep them safe from HIV/AIDS. Theron’s organization has recently pivoted to promoting COVID-19 vaccine equity for the continent.
“We’re working with a two-prong approach in advocacy and getting misinformation deleted in communities where we know it’s prevalent and also supporting grassroots organizations who have access to vaccines,” Theron said. “That’s been a realty big program especially on the continent of Africa. I think we’re at less than six percent of Africans have been vaccinated. I think that the work we’ve done over the almost two decades in HIV/AIDS prevention has really made us aware that when these viruses and global crises happen, it’s always the marginalized communities that are the most vulnerable and get hit the hardest. We’re trying to be a part of the conversation that’s more about why can’t we resolve these issues and that’s a bigger systemic thing we have to look at.”
Copeland, who made history in 2015 when she became the first Black woman to serve as a principal ballerina at the American Ballet Theatre, talked about her work further promoting diversity and inclusion in the dance world. The ballerina released her latest book, “Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy,” earlier this month and spoke about the impact it’s made.
“It’s reaching more than what it seems like with the title, ‘Black Ballerinas,’” she said. “It’s not just for Black girls, but it’s really showing the power behind when you really put in the work and do the research to learn about how you fit into a larger picture. That’s been my experience as a Black dancer, like how do I fit into this bigger world and how can I be a part of it and make it better. Telling our history as Black dancers, I think it will empower other people to know more about their own history or add to this list of Black dancers.”
Breitling’s New York flagship is located at 575 Madison Avenue and is open now.
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