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Thursday, July 1, 2021

Boys Can Be Princesses Too

 

This project was founded by a Chicago photographer and former owner of Princesscapades Princess Parties, in early 2019



When I ran my company, it was on the belief that ANYONE can enjoy the magic, beauty & empowerment of a fairy tale princess. Unfortunately I noticed that wasn't always the case.

During my time as a princess performer, company owner, and preschool assistant, I have seen boys being told that princesses are "just for girls" or that liking princesses and especially dressing as one somehow makes them weak, inferior or not boys. They're told it's not manly, or macho, or normal. This leads boys to feel ashamed of their interests, confused, sad, and lonely. 
 
Putting on a princess dress doesn't make a boy a girl anymore than putting on a shell makes them a real ninja turtle. When I say "can be a princess," I mean they can be a princess when they play the same way they can be a superhero when they play, even though neither is literally possible by definition. I simply feel that a child's imagination should not be limited by their gender. 
 

That's why I have decided to produce a series of photos showing little boys dressed as their favorite princess, together WITH their favorite princess! I know there are little boys out there that love these fairy tale characters just as much as the little girls we meet doing princess parties. Our interactions with them have been, for whatever reasons, few and far between, but we see these boys, we know them, and we love them!

Therefore, our goal here is to show these boys and world that it is perfectly acceptable for boys to admire and even dress like princesses. I want to show them it's ok for boys to dress up as their heroes, even if that means they're twirling around in a ball gown. Overall, I want everyone to see it's ok to be who you are and like what you like!

No child should feel ashamed of the things that bring them joy.

 Kitty







4 comments:

  1. This got me thinking that there are probably many more boys who would want to portray princesses than those who would want to be princes. After all, the character of the prince in the fairy tales is a secondary role.

    I'm not sure what this says about me, but, as a child, I was infatuated by the queen in Disney's Snow White. The scene where she describes beauty in the "arch of the brow" resonates with me today. She is pretty, even if not the "fairest of them all." ;-)

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  2. Wow, I wish I could of had that experience as a child. It could have made a world of difference for me.

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  3. This resonates with me a lot. I'd always wanted to be a princess, so a couple years ago, I did. For my 40th Halloween, I dressed as Princess Buttercup from THE PRINCESS BRIDE. ​and my friend dressed as The Man in Black. I had a great time.

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  4. I... I wasn't prepared for this to resonate the way it did.

    A colleague of mine has a boy child who absolutely adores Elsa and my colleague has been supportive of this so that their sone attended several public scenes, a birthday (princesses and pirates theme) and a 'dress like a hero day' at school for example, dressed as Elsa. That son is very well adjusted, bit of a maths genius, and just... well, a lovely lad.

    It's good that people are opening spaces for this to happen.

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