Britt Stewart thought she wasn't 'beautiful enough' to be a professional dancer. Now, she's on 'Dancing With the Stars.'

It Figures is Yahoo Life's body image series, delving into the journeys of influential and inspiring figures as they explore what body confidence, body neutrality and self-love mean to them.

As a child, dancing was the center of Britt Stewart's world.

"I started dancing when I was 3, and it was my whole life," the Dancing With the Stars pro tells Yahoo Life.

This passion would set the stage for what would be a barrier-breaking career in the world of dance, with Stewart eventually becoming the first Black professional dancer on the reality series.

Her journey, however, was not without challenges. And nearly two decades into her career, she can still recall the first time she felt discrimination in the dance community.

"I had a very strict ballet teacher who told me that I would never be a professional dancer, because of my muscle structure," says Stewart, 33.

She was often the only Black girl in her ballet classes, she adds, noting that it left her vulnerable to repeated and unwarranted comments about her appearance.

When she was just 8 years old, the teacher told her "I had a swayback, and my butt went out too much," Stewart recalls, adding that, thankfully, her parents instilled in her the confidence to have resilience in these spaces.

"I was raised by a very strong Black woman," explains Stewart, adding that while her dad was also instrumental in her successes, her mom taught her the popular adage that helped her form a sense of self. "She told me, 'You have to work three times harder. You are not only Black, but you're a Black woman in this world,'" she recalls.

Even today, it still serves as a reminder to remain authentic, she says.

"I'm grateful that my mom taught me these things and gave me these words of encouragement because it really allowed me to persevere and stay true to myself," says Stewart. Affirmations were also a big part of her upbringing as she explains her mother "always put that messaging in me that I am a beautiful Black woman — and even though I'm having to work 10 times harder, I will make it."

Eventually, Stewart moved on to another studio and says her experiences were much better, leading her to begin dancing professionally at just 13.

The critiques didn’t stop completely — but this time, they were coming from Stewart herself.

"You grow up not only looking at yourself in a mirror 24/7, but you're also taught to criticize yourself," she explains. And as she hit puberty, Stewart quickly found herself forming harsh opinions of herself.

"I felt like I wasn't thin enough," she says — and that, coupled with the fact of often being one of the only Black girls in any production, led to a pileup of feelings of inadequacy. "And then, being in the entertainment industry so young, I always felt like the Black girl never had the lead role. And so that gave me the feeling of, 'OK, maybe I'm not thin enough. And maybe I'm not beautiful enough," says Stewart.

But she was always able to rely on the support of her parents, which empowered her to take her talents to the next level — which has meant dancing for some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Rihanna, Florence and the Machine and Janet Jackson.

Becoming the first Black pro dancer on Dancing With The Stars in 2020 was an honor she describes as a "rollercoaster of emotions."

"I was in shock," she says. "I was extremely excited. I was terrified."

The fear came as a result of the pressure Stewart says she put on herself in the wake of breaking a significant color barrier on the show.

"I remember about an hour before the first live show, I went into the parking lot, called my mom and started bawling, crying," she says. "I was like, 'I am this representation. I have to show up in a way that makes other Black women proud.'"

Once she got the hang of it, she's been able to channel that high-pressure energy into something positive.

"I use it as fuel into my nonprofit and to really say, 'OK, I don't want to be the only [Black person] in this space any longer," says Stewart, referring to Share the Movement, which works actively to diversify the dance world by providing educational, financial and inspirational support for aspiring dancers.

"I am honored and so grateful that I can foster an environment that creates more representation," says Stewart, who has also recently partnered with BAND-AID® Brand OURTONE®, offering bandages in an inclusive shade range — something she's glad the next generation will get to experience.

"Being 13 on a set or onstage, I really got to see the lack of evolution and progression when it comes to diversity and representation and inclusivity," says Stewart. "So to see that start to change, I feel really inspired by that."

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