Why Does She Have To Choose?” Mom Makes A Photoshoot Of ‘Girly’ Girls With Athletic Elements And The Result Is Badass
“Are you a sporty girl, or a girly girl?” “Tara is always playing soccer, she’s such a tomboy…” “Erica doesn’t do sports, she’s too much of a princess for that.” We’ve all heard conversations like these, putting little girls firmly into boxes before they’ve even had a chance to find out for themselves what kind of person they are. Who’s to say that girls can’t be anything and everything that they want to be?
More info: Facebook
Image credits: HMP Couture Imagery
Alabama-based photographer and mom Heather Mitchell had a lightbulb moment recently while chatting to another mom at her daughter’s softball practice. “My youngest daughter is 8 and she is trying softball this year for the first time,” Heather told Bored Panda.
“We were at practice a few weeks ago and I was talking with the other moms. I was saying that I hoped Paislee learned to love the game because she was athletic. One of the moms told me that she was not athletic that she was a girly girl. I couldn’t sleep that night. All I could think was, ‘why does she have to choose?’”
Image credits: HMP Couture Imagery
“I played every sport my school offered and wore lipstick to every game,” Heather continued. “So the next day, we went to the studio and created her shot. I seriously only spent about three minutes shooting because I knew exactly what I wanted.”
“I posted them to my personal Facebook and had tons of requests so we added two days to our schedule and they sold out in one hour. So I added two more days and they sold out too. These photos were my daughter and some of the girls from the first day of shoots. I have three more days next month!”
Image credits: HMP Couture Imagery
The resulting shoots have since gone viral, being shared almost 200,000 times, as the world has discovered that these girls can truly “do it all.”
Image credits: HMP Couture Imagery
“Our daughters do not have to choose,” Heather said. “My parents taught me that I could be anything I wanted growing up. I didn’t realize until I was much older that everyone is not that blessed.”
Image credits: HMP Couture Imagery
“It is important for girls to know that there is no box. They can be girly and athletic. Artsy and smart. Whatever they dream, they can achieve. ”
Image credits: HMP Couture Imagery
What do you think? Did you have to ‘choose’ when you were a child? Do we subconscious put our kids in unnecessary boxes sometimes? Let us know in the comments!
Image credits: Kancis Collins Smith
Here’s what people had to say about the meaningful photoshoot
173Kviews
Share on FacebookI was born in 1956. Girls usually wore dresses. My dad was a bulldozer operator and on some weekends he would take me with him. One of my best memories is riding up on that catterpillar with him, plowing through walls of brush dressed in a cute little sun dress and frilly white socks. I came home filthy and so happy. I wanted to do what he did, be a "cat skinner" so when I got older he said he would contact the union and see if I could get into a school. He died not long after that. My sister had terminal cancer at the time so I never followed up. My dad was born in 1910, old school. But he never put limits on us. Pretty progressive for his age. He and my mom raised 3 girls and 1 boy, I came along in their 40s. I still love to watch bulldozers work.
you could always totally rock it out and go get your licence now! :D :D (And yes, your dad was very cool indeed.)
Load More Replies...6th comment down by Sara Corcoran (the girls should smile) is tone deaf and completely misses the point. The girls all have their game faces on. The one smile we can see in this post looks natural and in keeping with the shoot. Any pretty-princess smile would negate the effect Heather was going for.
I think it's an allusion to this dispute around Captain Marvel film. There was one man who said the main actress would be prettier if she would smiling more. He was smashed in comments and now "she should smiling" is kind of irony-based meme. So, nothing wrong with this comment.
Load More Replies...I have never heard anyone say that girls should not do sports. Maybe that was a common attitude until the 1960s or so. Not nowadays. It's a strawman argument that makes for a nice photo shoot.
Load More Replies...YES! Finally, some attention for this subject! I'm half girly-girl and half-tomboy and people always say I need to pick one or the other. I pick both, deal with it!
You are neither a tomboy, nor a girly-girl. I hate these terms. Why is a girl called a tomBOY? You are just who you are :-). Same for boys being called girly or princesses. Though I had not heard princess for a boy, but maybe this isn't just used as much in my country.
Load More Replies...My son loved dressing up when he was younger, and still loves anything fashion -- he's fifteen now. He likes wearing nail polish and loves to have little spa days with me, where we do masks and mani-pedi's. He's thinking of becoming either a fashion photographer, or a barber. And no, he's not gay. Actually, because he's usually the only guy interested in these things, the girls all adore him -- which is obviously fine by him ;)
Good he can share interest with the girls and not have to be stereotypied as gay.
Load More Replies...haha Are you kidding? I am in the military and wore makeup every single day in Afghanistan! The desert glare is actually really cut in half when you wear eyeliner and mascara. Who knew? Cleopatra probably. I dont remember anyone telling me no to me wanting to play a sport or ride a skateboard, wear dresses and heels, shoot a gun. I am whatever I say I am. The world doesn't tell me nothing! I reject labels for a living.
Contrast this to a boy wearing a dress. The fanatical right would be all bent out of shape. Double-standard :(
I think most women never chooses one or the other. They already know what they're capable of doing. I wasn't a Tom boy as they say, I just did what I wanted to do. Climb trees, ride bikes, baseball, play hot wheels w my brother, or dress up in my frilly little dress and gloves and hat for church.
The comments are mostly great, except for someone falling back on the trite "why don't you smile more" meme. Many of us that are now "ladies of a certain age" were tomboys AND fashionistas. When the scolds would tell me in my most tomboyish-field scientist mode to "be a lady!", I'd think, "Yeah! Like Marie Curie and Amelia Earhart!" But I also idolized sexy Sophia Loren and elegant Audrey ("Life is a party. Dress for it!") Hepburn. There is no reason girls can't enjoy a wide variety of activities. No one used to look askance at the boy that played football and also played the violin. Why was there ever a trend to deprive females of the full spectrum of their interests?
Jamie Palmer's comment shows that he still thinks sports are for boys.
I coached little league in Chicago for a long time and through the years some of my best players have been girls. Also even though those pictures are great they are still limited by only posting that image that girls can only play softball 🥎 they can also do whatever sport they want to do just because they are females there should never ever be limitations.
"Why does she have to choose?" She doesn't. The real question is...why keep making a big deal about the fact that she doesn't have to choose...? Stop begging for attention & just be.
Just wondering how shed feel if her son did the same thing..we want to give girls freedom/ not define them...yet we then do the opposite for boys..a boy that wants to play baseball and likes to dress up is labeled gay or transgendered
News flash, there is nothing wrong with that label, just the way it's used in a pejorative manner.
Load More Replies...I played cars with my brother and he played with my Barbies. No dramas about it in our house....until we started fighting over the toys
100 years ago, there were no boys and girls cloths for babies and toddlers. Everyone wore the same thing. Thank advertising and marketing for the image issues we have now.
“Tara is always playing soccer, she’s such a tomboy…” “Erica doesn’t do sports, she’s too much of a princess for that.” We’ve all heard conversations like these, putting little girls firmly into boxes..." Those actually sound like parental observations of a child's behavior and nothing more.
I loved the photos! Showing women have a soft, feminine side as well as one as tuff as nails! So glad some parents can see this is how it should be if the young ladies want it. If they haven't found that feminine side yet, they will.
Reminds me of my niece when she was about 8 -- in a party dress, seeing her older brother and cousin wrestling on the floor -- then running to take a flying leap onto the boy pile and joining in the fun.
This is what I've been wondering about! I always had pink dresses because I liked them. The frillier the better. Didn't stop me from riding a bike or climbing (and falling from) trees. Still hasn't changed.
This is the most wholesome and amazing thing I've ever seen, its sad how most men objectify women and it needs to stop.
Yawn. The world does not need more jocks, the world needs wives and mommies.
Ah yeah. The comment by Sarah Corcoran... Forced smile is what we needed in this thread...
Brava to this!!!! My youngest was a fairy dress wearing and firehose toting kid!!! Let 'em be who they are <3
Several things wrong with your assertion: 1. You're comparing kid clothes to adult clothes. 2. Women's jeans/slacks are the only pieces with pocket issues. 3. Most dresses/skirts for all ages do have decent pockets.
Load More Replies...I was born in 1956. Girls usually wore dresses. My dad was a bulldozer operator and on some weekends he would take me with him. One of my best memories is riding up on that catterpillar with him, plowing through walls of brush dressed in a cute little sun dress and frilly white socks. I came home filthy and so happy. I wanted to do what he did, be a "cat skinner" so when I got older he said he would contact the union and see if I could get into a school. He died not long after that. My sister had terminal cancer at the time so I never followed up. My dad was born in 1910, old school. But he never put limits on us. Pretty progressive for his age. He and my mom raised 3 girls and 1 boy, I came along in their 40s. I still love to watch bulldozers work.
you could always totally rock it out and go get your licence now! :D :D (And yes, your dad was very cool indeed.)
Load More Replies...6th comment down by Sara Corcoran (the girls should smile) is tone deaf and completely misses the point. The girls all have their game faces on. The one smile we can see in this post looks natural and in keeping with the shoot. Any pretty-princess smile would negate the effect Heather was going for.
I think it's an allusion to this dispute around Captain Marvel film. There was one man who said the main actress would be prettier if she would smiling more. He was smashed in comments and now "she should smiling" is kind of irony-based meme. So, nothing wrong with this comment.
Load More Replies...I have never heard anyone say that girls should not do sports. Maybe that was a common attitude until the 1960s or so. Not nowadays. It's a strawman argument that makes for a nice photo shoot.
Load More Replies...YES! Finally, some attention for this subject! I'm half girly-girl and half-tomboy and people always say I need to pick one or the other. I pick both, deal with it!
You are neither a tomboy, nor a girly-girl. I hate these terms. Why is a girl called a tomBOY? You are just who you are :-). Same for boys being called girly or princesses. Though I had not heard princess for a boy, but maybe this isn't just used as much in my country.
Load More Replies...My son loved dressing up when he was younger, and still loves anything fashion -- he's fifteen now. He likes wearing nail polish and loves to have little spa days with me, where we do masks and mani-pedi's. He's thinking of becoming either a fashion photographer, or a barber. And no, he's not gay. Actually, because he's usually the only guy interested in these things, the girls all adore him -- which is obviously fine by him ;)
Good he can share interest with the girls and not have to be stereotypied as gay.
Load More Replies...haha Are you kidding? I am in the military and wore makeup every single day in Afghanistan! The desert glare is actually really cut in half when you wear eyeliner and mascara. Who knew? Cleopatra probably. I dont remember anyone telling me no to me wanting to play a sport or ride a skateboard, wear dresses and heels, shoot a gun. I am whatever I say I am. The world doesn't tell me nothing! I reject labels for a living.
Contrast this to a boy wearing a dress. The fanatical right would be all bent out of shape. Double-standard :(
I think most women never chooses one or the other. They already know what they're capable of doing. I wasn't a Tom boy as they say, I just did what I wanted to do. Climb trees, ride bikes, baseball, play hot wheels w my brother, or dress up in my frilly little dress and gloves and hat for church.
The comments are mostly great, except for someone falling back on the trite "why don't you smile more" meme. Many of us that are now "ladies of a certain age" were tomboys AND fashionistas. When the scolds would tell me in my most tomboyish-field scientist mode to "be a lady!", I'd think, "Yeah! Like Marie Curie and Amelia Earhart!" But I also idolized sexy Sophia Loren and elegant Audrey ("Life is a party. Dress for it!") Hepburn. There is no reason girls can't enjoy a wide variety of activities. No one used to look askance at the boy that played football and also played the violin. Why was there ever a trend to deprive females of the full spectrum of their interests?
Jamie Palmer's comment shows that he still thinks sports are for boys.
I coached little league in Chicago for a long time and through the years some of my best players have been girls. Also even though those pictures are great they are still limited by only posting that image that girls can only play softball 🥎 they can also do whatever sport they want to do just because they are females there should never ever be limitations.
"Why does she have to choose?" She doesn't. The real question is...why keep making a big deal about the fact that she doesn't have to choose...? Stop begging for attention & just be.
Just wondering how shed feel if her son did the same thing..we want to give girls freedom/ not define them...yet we then do the opposite for boys..a boy that wants to play baseball and likes to dress up is labeled gay or transgendered
News flash, there is nothing wrong with that label, just the way it's used in a pejorative manner.
Load More Replies...I played cars with my brother and he played with my Barbies. No dramas about it in our house....until we started fighting over the toys
100 years ago, there were no boys and girls cloths for babies and toddlers. Everyone wore the same thing. Thank advertising and marketing for the image issues we have now.
“Tara is always playing soccer, she’s such a tomboy…” “Erica doesn’t do sports, she’s too much of a princess for that.” We’ve all heard conversations like these, putting little girls firmly into boxes..." Those actually sound like parental observations of a child's behavior and nothing more.
I loved the photos! Showing women have a soft, feminine side as well as one as tuff as nails! So glad some parents can see this is how it should be if the young ladies want it. If they haven't found that feminine side yet, they will.
Reminds me of my niece when she was about 8 -- in a party dress, seeing her older brother and cousin wrestling on the floor -- then running to take a flying leap onto the boy pile and joining in the fun.
This is what I've been wondering about! I always had pink dresses because I liked them. The frillier the better. Didn't stop me from riding a bike or climbing (and falling from) trees. Still hasn't changed.
This is the most wholesome and amazing thing I've ever seen, its sad how most men objectify women and it needs to stop.
Yawn. The world does not need more jocks, the world needs wives and mommies.
Ah yeah. The comment by Sarah Corcoran... Forced smile is what we needed in this thread...
Brava to this!!!! My youngest was a fairy dress wearing and firehose toting kid!!! Let 'em be who they are <3
Several things wrong with your assertion: 1. You're comparing kid clothes to adult clothes. 2. Women's jeans/slacks are the only pieces with pocket issues. 3. Most dresses/skirts for all ages do have decent pockets.
Load More Replies...
342
62