Boys can be princesses, too! Photo project embraces dress-up princess play for boys

Photographer and small business owner Kitty Wolf believes fairy tale princesses brought magic, beauty and empowerment to all kids.

Frustrated by the stigma that princesses are "just for girls," she saw a need to represent a group of kids that just wanted to play.

"I want them to be able to see the joy in the little boys' faces, that's what I'm trying to capture, that's why I do mostly candid shots so you can just see how much they really love princesses and how great they feel," Wolf said.

"It's fun to be a princess, because you can do whatever you want!" said 7-year-old Jace.

And he's not the only one.

"My son does love superheroes and race cars but he loves princesses just as much, if not more," said Jessi Hersman, mother of 4-year-old Zachery.

Boy Can Be Princesses Too, a photography project, started when Wolf, who ran a princess party business, received party requests from parents of little boys.

"I realized there wasn't any representation for these boys that like princesses," she said. "When you look online, you know, princesses are marketed to girls, you never really see boys playing with princess things. So I thought, I have princesses, I have a camera, I can make the representation for these boys."

And a photography project was born. Participants pick their favorite princess with sessions including a story, singing and sometimes a dance party. The shoots always end with an honorary princess certificate and, of course, a crown.

"I had a lot of people say they thought they were alone, that their kid was the only one," Wolf said. "So it just makes me feel inspiration and just, I feel like, the love."

"At the end of the day, they're just kids who want to play, and they want to play with whatever they want," Hersman said.

"We say that girls can be Spiderman, they can be Thor, and nobody bats an eye... why do we allow it for girls and not for boys?" Wolf asked.

"They're kids, let them be who they want to be," Chelsea Martin, Jace's mom added. "If they outgrow it, alright. If they don't, well, then you didn't stifle who they are. Boys can be princesses, too."