Boys play football. Girls do ballet. Right?
Obviously, that’s a ridiculous notion, and Finland-based photographer Marke Liimatainen decided to do something about its prevalence in our culture.
“There’s so many amazing hobbies, toys and games, why should we divide them by gender?” she told BabyCenter in an email. “I felt like it was so weird, that still in this day, there’s people who think girls should do certain things, and boys should do certain things.”
Marke’s series of photographs of over 30 kids, who truly don’t care what people think about the hobbies they love, is trying to create change. Ranging in age from preschoolers to high schoolers, and living across the globe from Finland, to California, there is one thing every child who participated Marke’s project has in common: “They all are breaking the rules of what ‘girls should do’ or ‘boys should do.'”
By capturing these images of kids who are rebelling against gender stereotypes, Marke aims to help other children be inspired to do the same. She says, “All I really hope, is that people will see how much fun these kids are having, and how they couldn’t care less if their hobby is meant for a boy or for a girl – all that matters, is that you are having a good time! Gender shouldn’t have anything to do with hobbies.”
Here are the remarkable images that capture that very idea, along with quotes from the kids who have the courage to just do what they love.
Brothers Ethan and Ian do yoga.
“Kids should just be themselves.”
Caige, 7, plays baseball.
“Kids can follow their dreams and be what they want to be.”
Dirt biking is the sport for Grace.
“The best thing about riding my dirt bike is riding in the rain and going through the muddy puddles.”
Vilma, 14, from Finland loves ski jumping.
“There’s no such a thing as girl or boy hobbies.”
Aviana, 5, surfs.
“I’m a princess, a girl, and a good surfer.”
Grayson, 5, dances.
“I love doing tap jazz and ballet. Music makes my feet move and I feel happy.”
Nora, 9, loves Minecraft and video games.
“You should do what you love, because you want to have fun in your lifetime.”
Frankie is 4 and loves golf.
"I really like having a golf bag that has Hello Kitty on it!"
Ida, 12, from Finland, enjoys climbing.
“Playing sports helps me to clear my mind and focus on what I am doing.”
Lali, 15, is a boxer.
“I’m always told not to box cuz that’s for boys... I just laugh and carry on.”
Twin brothers Gabriel and Adrian like sewing.
“I love neat fabrics and coloring with different stitches.”
Six-year-old Sophia pretends to be Spiderman.
“I love Spiderman because he is a spider that saves the world... And I love his spiderwebs”
Soccer is what Gabriela feels passionate about.
“Playing a game is not about your gender or about winning. It’s about having fun with your teammates.”
Erika plays ice hockey.
“I love scoring goals and playing with my friends.”
Tommy is a cheerleader.
“I like cheerleading because I get to hang out with lots of girls and lift up people, not just a ball.”
Snowmobiling makes 4-year-old Maiju happy.
“I’m stubborn, brave and I drive faster than boys.”
Arizona 12-year-old Brooke plays football.
“People tell me I shouldn’t play football because it’s for boys...until they see me play.”
Giorgio and his brother, Enea from Italy like playing kitchen.
“I want to learn how to cook in a real kitchen.”
“Me too. And I want to be a ninja. And a soccer player.”
Ella, Amelia, McKenna and Alexa play basketball.
"You shouldn’t play basketball because you are a boy. You should play it because you like it."
Carly is all about flying.
“It upsets me that people don’t see aviation as something that girls can do. It gives me motivation to work even harder, so I can be just as good of a pilot as the boys.”
“One story that really got me was Tommy’s,” Marke told me. “He is a cheerleader; the only male in his team. Tommy has been constantly bullied and made fun of about his hobby, and he is having hard time finding sponsors. Even other parents have questioned his choice and told him to play football instead.”
Still, “Tommy is super brave and has so much courage, and he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks or says.”
Then, there’s Nora, who is really into videogames and loves Minecraft. “At first, she was a bit hesitant to wear her Minecraft shirt at school, because she was afraid of other kids comments,” Marke said. “She told me that when she finally wore it, she did feel like some kids were giving her weird looks, but she decided not to care and be a proud Minecrafter.”
Nora ultimately hopes her passion for Minecraft will give other girls the courage to show their love for the game, too.
What truly strikes me about this project is how most of the kids don’t even see hobbies as being for girls, or boys. In their beautifully pure minds, it’s so much simpler than that. They just love dancing, because it makes their feet move, or ice hockey, because they want to play with their friends.
It’s like the basketball-playing girls said, “You shouldn’t play basketball because you are a boy. You should play it because you like it.”
If you want to learn more about Marke’s work, please visit her website, Facebook page, and Instagram.
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