Mom Dresses Her Newborn As Influential Women in a Perfect Ode to Girl Power
Jenelle Wexler is not your typical baby photographer. In fact, the mom of two from McHenry, Illinois, is not a photographer at all.
"I’m a hairstylist by trade," she tells CafeMom. "I just love taking photos of my kids." You can hear her 3-month-old daughter, Liberty, gurgling in the background and her 2-year-old son, River, asking his mom, "Mom, where is my napkin?" But such is the life for a busy working mom who is juggling two kids and while her recent passion project has quickly gone viral.
Between her parenting duties and her career, Wexler has somehow found time to become a whiz with a needle and thread. This explains why her skill for crafting and costume making has blossomed into projects that regularly catch the media's attention. Her costumes have graced the cover of Chicago Parent, and she's been covered on her local news station in the past for an amazing Halloween costume she designed for her son.
Her latest project combines her two hobbies as a series of colorful photos of her youngest daughter as she portrays famous women throughout history. And her inventive Instagram account has already caught on with other parents.
Wexler first started doing elaborate photoshoots of her kids with her son, River. "When [River] was a baby, I dressed him up as a burrito for Halloween and started doing holiday photoshoots with him," she explains. "I started a little Instagram [for him]. We do anywhere from Christmas, Halloween, Cinco de Mayo, Octoberfest, so it started with him. And when Liberty was born, [I thought] I’m definitely going to do shoots of the two of them together and then I took a little spin-off of it."
That spin-off was the Instagram account Photography of Liberty, a series of photos of her then 3-week-old daughter dressed as famous influential women. Wexler first got the idea to dress up her newborn daughter when she was looking at her baby girl and inspiration struck. "I was like, ‘I love Frida Kahlo. I need to dress her up as a little baby Frida," she says. But Wexler didn't stop there. Soon there would be a tiny Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a tiny Jane Goodall, and even a tiny Dolly Parton.
MOTHER TERESA
She tells us that because her series has picked up in notoriety, even the clients she works with at her salon have suggested new women that they want Liberty to portray. "‘Oh how about so-and-so?'" Wexler says. "'Have you done Florence Nightingale yet?’ It’s fun because my friends and clients are getting in on it too."
COCO CHANEL
She even admits that she'll fit in a quick sewing session while her kids take their naps. "Even if they’re napping and I have 20 minutes. I take that time for myself and [want to] be able to get my idea down 'cause that’s my stress reliever. Even if I have downtime, that is my downtime," she says.
KATHRINE SWITZER
Wexler's busy brain never stops coming up with new ideas for photoshoots. "Everyone asks me ‘where do you keep all of these costumes and props?’ I have bins labeled things like ‘Thanksgiving Props,’ ‘Christmas Props.' I’m always thinking of new ideas that I can do," she says.
MARY LOU RETTON
Wexler is still in awe that people have been so positive about what she is doing. "Some stranger will write “This just made my morning.' And it’s like some complete stranger, and I think ‘My daughter just made some complete stranger smile and I don’t know who they are,'" she remarks.
BILLIE JEAN KING
She even has had a celebrity reach out about her tiny look-alike! "Billie Jean King made a comment and wrote on Liberty’s Facebook the other day. I thought ‘You have got to be kidding!' I wanted to cry. Who knew? Oh my god -- Billie Jean King just gave me a compliment and that was awesome!"
JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS
She even adds that she already has her next couple of photos completed. "Carmen Miranda, Anne Bancroft. (She is pretty awesome; she was the first woman to ski across the South Pole.) Annie Oakley. I just had a friend suggest that I do the first female national park ranger."
We can hardly wait!