Have you ever been told you're "too pretty" to do something? As women, it's nearly impossible to live our lives without some mention of our physical appearances. Whether it's at the workplace, at the gym, on the street or even just looking at ourselves in the mirror, we're constantly judging ourselves or being judging by others at face value.
For Cary Williams, a former professional boxer, she knows this sexism all too well. Throughout her career, she was often told in passing she was "too pretty" to be a fighter. After years of this phrase being repeated to her over and over, Williams decided she was done.
"I was sick of hearing I looked too feminine or fragile to be taken seriously," Williams said. "I used to train Olympic boxers, and one of my girls used to dress down to appear more masculine and legitimate...what does it mean for young female athletes if they can't be taken seriously in their sport?"
Armed with her previous experience opening gyms, Williams set out to create an athleisure fashion brand promoting female empowerment across all sports and disciplines. In the fall of 2015, Williams founded Too Pretty, and today she aims to reach as many women as possible.
"We're an online-only brand at the moment, but in the future, I would love to be able to license our brand and potentially sponsor female athletes," Williams said. "We want to reach as many girls as possible to encourage them to be badasses, but also not to be afraid of their feminine qualities."
Too Pretty currently enjoys a strong social media following on Instagram and Twitter, with followers often actively engaging and participating with the brand on a regular basis. On Instagram, the #NeverTooPretty campaign encourages young women and girls to share what they're not too pretty to do, from being engineers to top athletes. With this positive brand message, young women are able to pursue their passions and goals free of stereotypes and sexism.
For Williams, the Too Pretty brand represents a progressive step forward for the equalization of not only female athletes but for women in general. If she can help young women realize their true potential outside of societal gender norms, she considers her brand movement a success.
"If I could tell young women anything, I would tell them not to let anyone put them in a specific box based on their gender. Just because you're a girl doesn't mean you can't do certain things."
