Tired of seeing overly posed, styled and photoshopped images of young girls, photographer Kate T. Parker, who’s also a mom of two daughters, set out to challenge that with a collection of photos of girls age 5 to 18. Compiled in a book titled Strong Is The New Pretty: A Celebration Of Girls Being Themselves, the photos show young girls taking part in their favorite sports, classes, clubs and activities, accompanied by smart, inspiring, cute, and just plain hilarious captions. In the introduction, Parker writes:
I wanted to show my girls that beauty isn’t about being a certain size, or having your hair done (or even brushed, in their cases), or wearing a fancy outfit. I wanted to combat the message the media sends to women every day. I wanted my girls to know that being themselves is beautiful, and that being beautiful is about being strong. […] It’s my goal with these images to inspire girls and women to be their best selves, to challenge and test their limits. We are all constantly bombarded with societal messages about how women and girls should act or look and be, and processing them in a healthy way can be hard even for a 40-year-old mother of two who knows better. I worry about what my girls and their friends are exposed to and how their opinions of their bodies and selves are being shaped by the internet and TV and magazines. I want these images to combat those negative voices that tell us we’re not good enough or thin enough or whatever enough. Because we are far more than enough! I wanted these girls to be able to hear their own voices through these images, and to inspire them to use them and continue to use them. Loudly.
We’re excited to share a few of our favorite photos from the book below:
Kekai, age 12: ‘I love the speed when I skate. I feel very alive and present — feeling fluid and going fast is fun.’
Sabrina, age 6: ‘I love water polo and I can lift just one eyebrow and I speak Farsi and play tennis and I can make people laugh by making funny faces. And I taught my little sister, Penny, to read when she was 3.’
Syd, age 8: ‘I tried to bulldoze my little brother, but my mom said no.’
Jane F., age 6: ‘Did you know that this dinosaur ate only plants? ROAR!’
Kami, age 11: ‘Some people don’t think dance is a real sport, but it takes a lot of strength to master the technique, it takes time to make improvements, and it takes passion and dedication to reach your goal.’
Isabel, age 8: ‘The best part of being on a roller derby team is finding your inner strong.’
Emme, age 7: ‘I have juvenile arthritis, and I don’t like when I need to use my wheelchair. But when I do, I’m in control and don’t need anyone to push me.’
on the cover is Emme, age 9: ‘I was really scared for my first triathlon. my mom took this shot of me the night before and told me that even though I was afraid to race, to try to look tough and fearless. I did, and when my mom showed me this shot, it made me believe I could be as tough as I look.’
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