Girls don't have to choose between sports and sparkles.
It's been a long, slow climb, but women's sports are finally getting the respect they deserve, thanks in no small part to superstar athletes like Coco Gauff, Caitlin Clark, and Simone Biles. And as more and more young girls see themselves competing at the highest levels, the more women's sports will continue to thrive.
But there are still some hurdles to overcome. Girls in sports have long been subjected to double standards that men don't have to think about, like being seen as too "pretty" to be taken seriously as athletes, as well as being constantly criticized and underestimated. (All the while, being too muscular or "manly" opens up athletes to a whole different kind of scrutiny.)
Serious Simone Biles GIF by Team USA Giphy
For too long, girls have been sent the message that they have to be either/or. You're either a girly-girl or a tomboy. You're either into sparkly princesses or sports practices. From a young age, girls need to know that they don't have to choose between feeling beautiful and being badass, that we can be both at the same time.
Perhaps that's why a portrait shoot shared by HMP Couture Imagery showing girls dressed up in fancy dresses and sports equipment went insanely viral.
The shoot is called "Because you can do it all," and since its posting in 2019, it has been shared over 200,000 times.
Heather Mitchell, the photographer from Alabama who ran HMP Couture Imagery, told Upworthy how the portrait shoot came about.
"My youngest daughter is 8 and she is trying softball this year for the first time," said Mitchell. "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."
Baller in a ballgownHMP Couture Imagery/Facebook
"I couldn't sleep that night," Mitchell continued. "All I could think was, 'Why does she have to choose?' I played every sport my school offered and wore lipstick to every game. So the next day we went to the studio and created her shot."
Mitchell said she only spent about three minutes shooting because she knew exactly what she wanted to create. After she posted the photos of Paislee to her personal Facebook page, she got a ton of requests from other parents for the same kind of shoot. After adding two days to the schedule, they sold out in an hour, and the requests just kept on coming.
The sparkly-sporty shoots became one of Mitchell's most popular bookings.
Mitchell hoped that girls would see these photos and realize that they don't have to choose one identity.
The idea that crinoline and cleats can't exist in the same mental space is silly, but common. Girls (and boys for that matter) can love pretty things and kick butt at sports. They don't have to be one thing or the other.
You really can do it all. HMP Couture Imagery/Facebook
"My parents taught me that I could be anything I wanted growing up," Mitchell told Upworthy. "I didn't realize till I was much older that everyone is not that blessed."
The photos going viral was not only good for Mitchell's photography business but it helped spread the message far and wide. These images are an excellent reminder to question our assumptions and not place unnecessary limits on anyone—and an empowering example for girls who don't fit neatly into a socially constructed box. After all, even someone like Caitlin Clark likes to wear a fancy dress every now and then. And her athleticism and impact on the sport is not up for debate because of it.
"I hope that every little girl that sees this series can see that there is no box," said Mitchell. "Whatever their dreams are they can achieve."
Mitchell retired from her photography business in 2023 to focus on her health after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly, her husband announced her passing in 2024 in a tribute, writing, "To know her was to love her. What you saw, was what you got 24/7. What I loved most was that if you knew her, you were constantly inspired and challenged every day in every way to become a better person than you were the day before. She believed in kindness, forgiveness, honesty and valor. That is the ultimate legacy and impact she left on everybody she touched."
Thank you, Heather Mitchell, for helping girls feel freer to be their sparkly, sporty selves as part of that legacy.
This article originally appeared six years ago. It had been updated.