
07/22/2025
I will always tell Bunny to take up space. I was told I took up too much, but now I know it was my right!
Olympic rugby union player Ilona Maher was honored with the Best Breakthrough Athlete of the Year Award at this year's ESPY Awards. During her acceptance speech, she asserted: “My message stays the same: Strong is beautiful. Strong is powerful. Sexy is whatever you want it to be, and I hope more girls can feel how I feel... Sport does amazing things for a girl who didn’t understand why her body looked the way it did. Sport gave me an outlet and showed me how capable I can be. Take up space. Pitch it faster. Run harder. Put another plate on the bar. And never tone it down.”
For an inspiring photo book celebrating the strength, confidence, and energy of girls, we highly recommend “Strong Is The New Pretty" for ages 8 and up https://www.amightygirl.com/strong-is-the-new-pretty
For two excellent books about girls and women breaking athletic records throughout history, we recommend "Girls With Guts!" for ages 6 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/girls-with-guts) and "Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win" for ages 9 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/women-in-sports)
For a fantastic t-shirt that celebrates the strength of female athletes, we also recommend the “I'm not strong for a girl. I'm just strong.” t-shirt for both kids and adults at https://www.amightygirl.com/strong-t-shirt
And to help instill the importance of loving yourself in your Mighty Girl, regardless of your size or shape, we've shared 35 empowering books for children and teens in our blog post, "Celebrating Every Body: 35 Body Image Positive Books for Mighty Girls," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10912
Thanks to Lean In for sharing this image!