Freedom
What's more inspiring than seeing two girls experiencing the world around them just as they are — intelligent, beautiful, and strong? It's a message Kate Parker shares with the world through photographs of her daughters Ella, 9, and Alice, 6, for her project "Strong Is the New Pretty."
Image via Kate T. Parker Photography
Dog Wash
Parker, who lives in Atlanta with her husband and two daughters, wants to change expectations that women should look and act a certain way to be beautiful.
"Being pretty and perfect is not important," she told mom.me. "Being who they are is."
Image via Kate T. Parker Photography
Submerged
Parker's project started with an urge that many moms share — a desire to take lots and lots of pictures of her kids. Parker took it a step further, however, recognizing that the most powerful images were the ones that most accurately represented her daughters' personalities.
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Image via Kate T. Parker Photography
Adventurous
She's been challenging the misconceptions of female beauty by catching her daughters in their toughest moments. Whether it's playing football against the boys, playing with worms or skateboarding, there's no denying that these girls are a force to be reckoned with!
Image via Kate T. Parker Photography
Brave Face
"I took one of my favorite photos just before Ella's first triathlon," Parker told the "Today" show. "She was really nervous, so I said, 'Hey, let me see how brave you can look.' When I showed her the photo, she said, 'Aw, yeah!' Pretending to be strong gave her the confidence to say, 'Wait a minute. I really am that way.'"
Image via Kate T. Parker Photography
Daredevils
Parker argues that we should accept our daughters, regardless of who they are or what they like, saying that there's nothing wrong with having stereotypical feminine interests or liking the color pink. The crucial piece of information is that they have the choice.
Image via Kate T. Parker Photography
Confidence
"There's a lot of pressure for girls (and women) to look a certain way, act in certain manner, and I wanted to let my daughters know that who they naturally are is enough," Parker tells mom.me.
MORE: 9 Awesome Girls Who Are Changing the World
Image via Kate T. Parker Photography
Athletic Expression
An athlete herself, Parker played soccer in college, completed an Ironman Triathlon in 2007, and fell in love with her husband while training for a marathon. Her participation in sports has taught her daughters the power and confidence that can come from athletics.
Image via Kate T. Parker Photography
Determination
Parker's campaign gained national attention when the "Today" show displayed her work on its Facebook page. She told the news program that her kids are "athletic and strong and dirty and loud and crazy. That's what I'm trying to celebrate. But I encourage everyone to document their own kids the way they see them."
Parents have since begun posting pictures of their own kids embracing themselves — just as they are — at #strongisthenewpretty.
Image via Kate T. Parker Photography
Strength
The message Parker conveys through her photography seems to be effective. The beauty in her images isn't based on the appearance of her subjects, but rather what they are doing and how they are experiencing it.
Image via Kate T. Parker Photography
