This Adorable Girls' Clothing Line Is Destroying Gender Stereotypes One Dress At a Time

Impact

"Girls shouldn't have to decide between dresses and dinosaurs or ruffles and robots."

That the thinking behind Princess Awesome, an empowering (and adorable) children's clothing line created by moms Rebecca Melsky and Eva St. Clair. While typical princess outfits consist of delicate fabrics in shades of pink, Princess Awesome features diverse dresses adorned with radical prints — like dinosaurs, mathematical symbols, ninjas, pirates and even atomic diagrams.

Cute as the clothes may be, Princess Awesome makes a profound point about girl power: You can be feminine, smart and strong all at once. Fighting gender stereotypes doesn't mean erasing femininity, and there's nothing wrong with being girly. 

What matters, as the founders write, is that "girls have access to clothes that tell them that they can be and do anything."

Princess Awesome via Facebook

Taking "princess" to a new level: Melsky, a teacher, told BuzzFeed, "We're not sure who decided that girls have to choose between spaceships and ribbons, sparkles and science. But if you've ever tried to buy those little girls' clothes that are pink and have dinosaurs, or are sparkly and have pirates, or even just a dress with a robot on it, then you know it's pretty much impossible."

Princess Awesome via Facebook

If the clothing line's success so far is any indication, there's a market for fledgling feminist princesses who want their gender-bending interests to be reflected in their clothes: Princess Awesome's Kickstarter campaign, launched this week, has already raised 200% of its goal. According to the Huffington Post, it's the "highest-funded children's clothing project on Kickstarter."

"We are Princess Awesome because butterflies are awesome and so are airplanes," the founders write on their campaign page. "Because monsters are awesome and so are twirly skirts. Because girls are awesome and girls decide what it means to be girly."

They're right. Kids want to be their own kind of princesses, and Princess Awesome is letting them do just that. 

Check out more little ladies rocking the dresses below:

Princess Awesome via Facebook
Princess Awesome via Facebook
Princess Awesome via Facebook
Princess Awesome/Kickstarter
Princess Awesome/Pinterest

h/t Huffington Post