Photos Show Little Boys Doing "Girly" Things
The idea that there are certain things that are "girly" and other things that are "just for boys" is extremely dumb and antiquated. Girls can do anything boys can do, boys can do anything girls can do - and photographer Kirsten McGoey aims to show just that in a photo series appropriately titled #aboycantoo.
McGoey, who lives in Canada and is a business owner of Trinity Design, started the photo series in 2016, and is currently still shooting photos for a 2017 addition to #aboycantoo. As a mother of three boys herself, McGoey was inspired to show boys doing the quote-unquote "girly" things they love by her middle son, who she said has always "skipped to his own tune."
"He doesn't walk, he twirls and whirls and dances," McGoey said of her middle son, who's currently 9 1/2. "He likes pink and sparkles and ballet and flowers. To him, pretty is just as valid a thing to like as wanting to watch PAW Patrol, or any of the things that you'd stereotypically consider to be boy. He never questions why he likes things."
But really, McGoey's admiration and respect for boys who celebrate embracing the things that society says are just for girls starts before her middle son came along, back when she was a little girl who rejected a lot of stereotypically girly things. "I didn't identify with being traditionally female, but no one talked about this stuff, so I just did what I wanted to do," McGoey said. "I preferred to wear jeans and not dresses, and when I got older, I got a truck and not whatever girls were supposed to drive." She added that seeing her middle son embrace things that weren't stereotypically for his own gender reminded her of her own childhood and inspired her to see the world "the way I always had, but through his eyes."
McGoey's middle son has appeared in her photos, alongside other boys who, like him, are interested in things like dance, gymnastics, and sparkles - not just sports and other activities that are gendered as stereotypically "boy." McGoey said it's for the boys in the photos that she works on this project. "What's really important to note is that I am not trying to change the mind of anyone who is alt-right, or anti-boys-do-girls-things," McGoey said. "My project is for the boys, their families, their friends, and people who are faced with this, just to let them know it's a pretty normal thing."
The most rewarding part of McGoey's project, she said, has been growing closer to her middle son and seeing the world through his eyes. "He's just very accepting of everyone and what their choices are," she said.
McGoey added that she's also loved seeing how her photos resonate with other boys who like to dance and twirl, not just slide tackle or play sports that commonly give out medals and trophies. Her photo process involves asking each boy she photographs about something he loves or does, and a lot of time that involves asking questions the boys don't often hear.
"I ask them to tell me what it's like to dance or be a figure skater, and people don't ask them these questions, they don't get celebrated for their choices a lot," McGoey said. "You can hear the pride when people talk about [sports], and you don't hear that as much with dance and theater. A lot of [the boys] say, 'I chose what I'm doing because it's the first time anyone noticed I'm alive.'"
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