Jenelle Wexler's daughter Liberty Jaine was just 3 weeks old when an unexpected tradition was born. Jenelle dressed her up as the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, and from then on, set out on a mission to highlight nearly 100 additional influential women who have paved (or are currently paving) the way for other women and people in general.
"I first came up with the idea to shoot Liberty as Frida Kahlo, as I thought the two had similar physical features," Jenelle told POPSUGAR. "The shots came out wonderfully, and it was soon after that I thought about other women in history that have contributed to the betterment of women and people as a whole. I feel it is important to try and instill the types of traits these women portrayed. . . intellect, courage, athletic ability, and a multitude of traits I hope I can teach my children."
Liberty, now 9 months old, has since posed in tons of photos as inspiring women (and is usually smiling big thanks to the behind-the-scenes work of her older brother, River). Some of Jenelle's favourite re-creations have been Amelia Earhart, Alicia Keys [1], Oprah, and Ellen DeGeneres [2], and she has a bunch more ideas for portrayals in the future, including Chloe Kim, Hedy Lamar, Yoko Ono, and Benazir Bhutto. As for how the re-creations come about, Jenelle puts a lot of DIY [3] effort into the whole operation.
"Making the costumes is so much fun! One of my hobbies is sewing, so I have a plethora of supplies in my craft room to make majority of these outfits," she said. "I also love finding items at thrift stores that I can easily re-create for the photos. I would definitely say the majority of these outfits are DIY from pipe cleaners for earrings to electric rake to make stripes on clothing."
But aside from all the fun the photo shoots inspire, Jenelle hopes that these photos will do so much more for Liberty as she grows up.
"I am hopeful that when Liberty is older and looks back at these photos, she finds them to be fun yet informatively positive," Jenelle said. "I attempted to capture these women's essence in Liberty . . . [and] bring attention to their specific stories to show how important these woman's actions were in helping to shape our current society for the better. I believe these women continue to inspire the young females of present day to push boundaries and strive beyond equality. I feel it is important to pay tribute to the women who fought for and helped protect and further women's causes. I only hope these are the individuals that Liberty herself chooses to admire and aspire to be like."
See a few of Liberty's adorable portrayals below!
Greta Thunberg
A 16-year-old Swedish political activist seeking to stop global warming and climate change.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg
An Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States appointed in 1993.
Lucille Ball
An American actress and comedian most known for her role on I Love Lucy, who was the first woman to run a major television studio.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
The youngest woman ever elected to Congress who beat out a 10-term New York Democrat incumbent.
Gloria Steinem
A Jewish-American feminist, journalist, and social political activist who became nationally recognised as a leader of the American feminist movement.
Selma Blair
Actress Selma Blair [5] most recently made headlines for sharing her journey and struggles following her MS diagnosis [6].
Rayka Zehtabchi
The first Iranian-American woman to win an Oscar — it was for her documentary short film Period. End of Sentence.
Coretta Scott King
An American civil rights activist and the wife of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Aretha Franklin
An American singer, songwriter, civil rights activist, actress, and pianist.
Sojourner Truth
An African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist.
Shirley Chisholm
An American politician, educator, and author.
Lindsey Vonn
A former American World Cup alpine ski racer on the US Ski Team.
Harriet Tubman
An American abolitionist and political activist who was born into slavery.
Maya Angelou
An American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist.
Rosa Parks
An activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Oprah Winfrey
An American media executive, actress, talk show host, television producer, and philanthropist.
Naomi Osaka
A professional tennis player who represents Japan and is the reigning champion in women's singles at the US Open [7] and the Australian Open.
Ellen DeGeneres
An American comedian, television host, actress, writer, producer, and LGBT activist.
Alicia Keys
An American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer.
Frida Kahlo
A Mexican artist who painted many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by Mexican culture.
Sacajawea
A Lemhi Shoshone woman who is known for her help to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Missy Elliott
A five-time Grammy Award-winning rapper, singer, songwriter, dancer and record producer.
Dian Fossey
An American primatologist and conservationist known for undertaking an extensive study of mountain gorilla groups.
Amelia Earhart
An American aviation pioneer and author who was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Diana Ross
An American singer, record producer, and actress, who was part of the best charting girl group in US history, The Supremes.
Abby Wambach
A retired American soccer player, coach, two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women's World Cup champion who now fights for equality, equity, inclusion and fair play across industries.
Hillary Clinton
An American politician and diplomat who served as First Lady of the United States and was the first female candidate to be nominated for president by a major US political party.
Joanna Gaines
Joanna Gaines [8] is the co-owner, cofounder, and lead designer of Magnolia Homes, and previously co-stared in HGTV's Fixer Upper with her husband, Chip.
