Little Girl and Mother Recreate Photos of Inspiring African American Women

Little girls love to play dress up—especially when it comes to emulating their older sisters and mothers. St. Louis-based writer Chauncia Boyd Rogers transformed her five-year-old daughter Ava Noelle’s propensity for costumes into an empowering educational opportunity by having her dress up as some of the most influential African American women in history. From media mogul Oprah Winfrey (with the same stunning red lip) to First Lady Michelle Obama (with the matching elegant chignon) to political activist Angela Davis (with the statement afro), this month-long project is a testament to how far little girls can dream—and how powerful having role models can be.

“To engage Ava and help her get into the project, I decided to have her dress up and ‘recreate’ a photo featuring each figure. One of the greatest lessons I wanted Ava to learn is that there are women who look like her that have accomplished great things. And because they have paved the way, her dreams can be realities,” Rogers captioned the Facebook album, aptly titled “Ava Noelle Rogers Is…” She told Yahoo Beauty: “When Ava dressed as each character, she didn’t really reenact them. I would say that she embodied each character and tried to mimic their expressions and even features down to the subtle nuances. Mimicking the facial expressions actually encouraged Ava to ask more questions about each figure.” The entire dress up process took up to 30 minutes to complete, with costumes made from household items and clothes found around the house.

African American women’s history occupies spaces in two marginalized groups of people: black Americans and women. As noted by the National Women’s History Museum, “[B]lack women have fought racism, sexism, classism and other obstacles in seeking to establish their humanity, womanhood and citizenship. Their story is a multi-layered tale of travail and triumph.” This project may have just started out as a fun way to teach her daughter about history, but Rogers’ photo series is now educating the general public about these groundbreaking women, all of whom are worthy role models to all boys and girls, men and women, African American or not.

Ava Noelle Rogers is Oprah Winfrey. (Photo: Chauncia Boyd Rogers)

Ava Noelle Rogers is Michelle Obama. (Photo: Chauncia Boyd Rogers)

Ava Noelle Rogers is Tyra Banks. (Photo: Chauncia Boyd Rogers)

Ava Noelle Rogers is Loretta Lynch. (Photo: Chauncia Boyd Rogers)

Ava Noelle Rogers is Ella Fitzgerald. ( Photo: Chauncia Boyd Rogers)

Ava Noelle Rogers is Misty Copeland. ( Photo: Chauncia Boyd Rogers)

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