5-Year-Old Girl Is Transformed Into Black Heroines for Photo Series
Lily as author Toni Morrison. (Photo: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders; Marc Bushelle Photography).
One family is giving their daughter a uniquely intimate education on inspiring black women, both present and historic. Photographer Marc Bushelle and his computer-programmer wife, Janine Harper, are doing weekly photo shoots with their 5-year-old daughter Lily, who’s been dressed and posed to resemble history makers including Toni Morrison, Grace Jones, and astronaut Mae Jemison. The stunning results, posted on Bushelle’s Facebook page, have been pulling in hundreds of likes and heaps of praise from commenters, one of whom declares the images “inspiring.”
Lily as Admiral Michelle Howard, the first female four-star Admiral in the United States Navy. (Photo: US Navy; Marc Bushelle Photography).
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“We try to come up with ideas together as a family,” Bushelle tells Yahoo Parenting of choosing the subjects of their portrait sessions at home in his Brooklyn, New York studio. “Then we have a discussion about the heroine we’re going to cover. We often show Lily video of the woman, too, and do a bit of reading on her together. So it’s not just us teaching Lily — we’re sharing in the learning, too.”
Lily as Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman to pilot a plane in the United States. (Photo: National Air and Space Museum; Marc Bushelle Photography).
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Their project began in February as a photo series in honor of Black History Month. “It is always challenging when trying to explain complex things to a child,” the photographer told NPR. “I feel that turning a history lesson into a dress-up game is a good way to approach it.” And just like the outfits Lily puts on, the couple takes the women’s backstory and tailors it — to kindergarten level. “Due to her age, I am shielding her from a lot of the violence, but we try to discuss injustice,” says Harper, who adds that the takeaway of each tale remains the same. “We hope that by making these associations early we will instill a strong pride in her that will fortify her against any discrimination she may face in the future.“
These days, though, Lily is as equally interested in the role models as the modeling. “To tell you the truth, it’s hard to get her to take off the outfits sometimes,” admits Bushelle. “She really enjoys being able to dress up and act and embody these heroines.” The youngster is “pretty much in awe of them,” he adds. “She thinks each of them is ‘very cool,’ to put it in her words.” And the fact that it’s dad taking the photos makes the typically half-hour long snap-sessions, well, a snap. “Obviously with her father being a photographer, I’ve been holding a camera in front of her since she was born. So she feels very comfortable and it’s a great family thing that we can do together.”
Lily as entertainer and racial-equality champion Josephine Baker. (Photo: Popperfoto/Getty Images; Marc Bushelle Photography).
They’re going to keep at it too, through March’s Women’s History Month at least. “It’s a fun process,” says Bushelle. “The list of heroines we’re working with is quite long, and we definitely haven’t exhausted all the people we’d like to do.” In fact, they’ve taken to asking friends and family to help rein in suggestions. “People are calling and emailing with lots of suggestions,” he says. “If doing this turns into work, though, or something that Lily doesn’t enjoy, we’ll stop. We really want to keep it light.”
Lily as model and musician Grace Jones. (Photo: Gavin Bond; Marc Bushelle Photography).
As for how stepping into the shoes, and dresses, of these famous women is affecting Lily, only time will tell. “I’m really happy that the stories of these heroines seem to be sinking in a bit,” says Bushelle, noting that if the women inspire her career someday, “that’d be fantastic.” Ultimately, he says, “I’d hope Lily would choose something she loves. And I’d want to make sure that she has a choice of what she can do. If it’s up to me, I’d want her to shoot for the moon.”
Lily as Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel into space. (Photo: NASA; Marc Bushelle Photography).
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