Strong is the new pretty

"My girls know that who they are is just perfect.
Their silly, adventureous, frustrated, happy, LOUD, athletic, fierce, funny selves.
Being themselves is enough for us. And ultimately, for them, too…that’s the goal, at least.
They don’t need to have their hair done, clothes matching, or even be clean to be loved or accepted.
We love them as they are, loud, dirty, competitive…just like my parents loved me for being um, the exact same way. I wanted this series of images to show their boldness, their strength and the beauty in them, as they are.
Strong is the new pretty."
Kate T. Parker, photographer and mother



"I started to see patterns and recognize that the images where the girls were authentically captured were the strongest images. The images that showed the girls as they genuinely are were my favorites. After seeing this, I started to shoot with that in mind."
Kate T. Parker



"The project became about capturing my girls and their friends as they truly are and how that is OK. Not only OK, but worthy of celebration. 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."
Kate T. Parker



"I grew up playing sports and hanging out with athletic, strong, confident girls. My teammates and friends weren’t concerned as much with how they looked as how they played. They didn’t find their worth in how their body looked, rather what it could do. Regardless of whether or not my girls even wanted to play sports, I wanted them to have that same sensibility, that same confidence. We all get these messages to be thin, perfectly groomed, complacent and smiling to be considered beautiful. I simply don’t believe that. The most beautiful girls and women are the ones who are confident to be true to themselves. Girls on the Run’s mission and message perfectly aligns with this. I was so thankful to be able to work on campaign that I 100% completely believed in and felt like I 'knew'."
Kate T. Parker



"My goal with this project was to showcase my girls and their friends, to tell their story. That there is beauty in confident, strong, fierce, messy, silly young girls. I hope that other girls see this and recognize that whatever they love, whatever makes them unique and special is beautiful and worthy of celebration, too."
Kate T. Parker




photographs by Kate T. Parker via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via and  via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via and via