What Does Redefine Girly Mean?

It is time we change the way we think about our girls.

I am a mother of two, a stay-at-home mom turned mompreneur. When my daughter was nine months old, I was in the middle of a conversation about Disney Princesses when I had an epiphany…Why in the world is my generation, the most educated, most well-traveled, most worldly generation of women ever…why are my contemporaries still raising our girls to wish upon a star in hopes that her prince may someday come? Why aren’t we teaching our girls to get into her rocket ship and find that star all on her own?

And then it hit me -- Maybe I didn’t need to raise my daughter in the pink & purple wave of brainwashing princesses and pop queens I saw spiraling towards us. Maybe I could raise her to be smart, independent, strong and daring. Maybe I could incorporate every color of the rainbow into her world, and not limit her to pink. I recall watching her that morning, before she could even walk, making a promise to myself I would never limit her dreaming nor desire for adventure. I would help her redefine what it was to be a little girl growing up in today's sometimes crazy world.

I raced home, jotted down 14 pages of ideas, researched girls apparel and planned for two years, gave birth to another baby (a boy), asked my own mom to be my artist, and presto! This past May, my new company Pigtail Pals was born with the mission to Redefine Girly!

I’m not anti-pink. I’m not anti-Disney (although I really do not dig the princesses). I’m not anti-Hannah. I’m not anti-girly. I’M ANTI-LIMITATION. I want my daughter to be bold. I want her to be unafraid to be intelligent. I want her to be respected for her accomplishments. I want her to know that she can be an astronaut, a soldier, a pilot, a carpenter, a firefighter. She will not be raised to think that the world belongs only to boys. I know there are so many other mothers who feel the way I do. I know, I’ve talked to them.

I think our girls deserve more. I think they deserve better.

Redefine Girly means that our girls will show the world they aren't just sassy princesses or spoiled brats. Our girls will show the world they have the potential to grow up to be more than a drama queen or pop star. Redefine Girly means we can expect the same things for our daughters, from our daughters, as we do our sons.

The art and messages on my empowering shirts show girls that they can dream in any color. They can dream to be adventurous, to be a hero. The shirts tell girls that being smart, daring and adventurous is being girly. My company will show girls how to respect themselves, their community, and their environment. Our girls deserve to know their actions can change the world in a meaningful, lasting way.