This particular piece isn’t my newest – in fact, it’s one of my earlier works that I now call a classic. It far predates Nike’s “Like a Girl” campaign – and believe me, when that launched in 2014, I had a ton of messages from people concerned that Nike had stolen my idea. Flattering, but, I think, untrue: it’s a nearly universal truth that if you’re a girl, you’ve had this insult hurled at you at least once in your life.
What I love most about this piece is both the way I shot it (using a Polaroid, on my sidewalk, with our Scrabble tile letters and my son’s and my niece’s shoes) and the way people still respond to it. I love that it makes us laugh. I love when we share stories with each other about our experiences and how we’ve overcome them. I love that when my son (whose current shoes are significantly larger now) first saw the photograph, he said to me with a very serious expression “I never did say that, you know” because his mama raised him not to use the word “girl” as an insult. I love that not only do most of our retailers still carry this design, but that it’s also licensed by Tree Free Greetings and circulates as a card all over the US.
Thank you to every single one of you who has given “Run Like a Girl” a place in your hearts, in your homes, and as gifts to the strong women in your life.
