Photo:
Women You Should Know
Tired of ubiquitous unicorns, flowers and clichéd slogans on your daughter's bedroom wall? Framed word prints as décor are all the rage, but the same overused quotes from big-box stores can make these posters feel meaningless.
To make your tween or teen girl’s (or boy's!) room a truly inspirational sanctuary, try one of these powerful printable posters that celebrate feminism, historical heroines and the general awesomeness of being female. Bonus: most of these are free to download — just print, frame, hang and enjoy.
(Body) positive vibes
Women and girls are bombarded with negative, less-than-realistic messages about body image, weight, and appearance. The owner and designer at The Girl Creative is all about a fit lifestyle and motivation — but with a healthy, body-positive outlook. Her simple black-on-white prints showcase empowering quotes that promote a positive mindset.
Teen spirit
A mom to three young women, Cindy of Skip to my Lou certainly knows her stuff when it comes to teens. Her blog, filled with a variety of printables, projects and ideas, has a section dedicated solely to inspiring printable quotes to uplift and encourage young people and counter the pressures of peers and culture. Our fave is “It is better to be yourself and have no friends, than to be like your friends and have no self.”
Wisdom in watercolor
Created by feminist artist and activist Kimothy Joy, this watercolor series is part of her book, “That's What She Said: Wise Words from Influential Women;” a collection of portraits, quotes and biographies of great women that changed the world. Four of these prints were generously made available for free download on the A Mighty Girl portal, featuring female role models from Maya Angelou to Frida Kahlo.
Off the page
We already know and love Andrea Beatty's fantastic best-selling books such as “Rosie Revere, Engineer,” and “Ada Twist, Scientist,” that encourage girls to follow their dreams and explore their love of learning and creating. Now, these vibrant literary heroines come alive in a fun (and free to download from A Mighty Girl) collection of posters. These awesome posters encourage younger girls to pursue their passions: whether they dream of being an astronaut or a responsible citizen.
New frontiers
Another awesome offering from the A Mighty Girl community is this six poster set by designer Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya that celebrates amazing women in science. This series is part of her Beyond Curie design project that connects the Women’s March and the March for Science. The bold posters feature incredible women pioneers such as British scientist Rosalind Franklin and first female astronaut of color Mae Jemison, in a cool graphic collage style, anchored with slogans like ‘Women in Power’ and ‘Science not Silence’.
Worldly wonders
At Women Your Should Know you'll find an awesome tribute to the achievements of women — four female illustrators were commissioned from South America, Africa, China, and the Middle East, to create eight stunning portraits of women innovators as seen through the eyes of women artists.
Each one celebrates a female role model in a STEM field, from scientist Dr. Hayat Sindi, to technologist and entrepreneur Juliana Rotich, to inspire your girl as she learns about some of history’s greatest female accomplishments. Even cooler, the posters are available for free download in eight different languages.
Turning rad
Little Gold Pixel offers some powerful prints that were designed in support of the Women’s March and showcase daring, unapologetic messages in a hip vintage-poster format that give a loud voice to the women’s rights movement. With a strong radical tilt, some of these have a definite edge, while others even feature an uncensored word or two, so these are best reserved for the lairs of like-minded older teens and young adults.
Breaking the mold
Compiled as an educational resource by teacher Jennifer Martinez, these inspiring posters will be just as perfect for a bedroom or home study room as for the classroom. Each of the three series, featuring sweet simple illustrations and thoughtful quotes, focuses on a stereotype-defying woman: mathematician Raye Montague, doctor Patricia Bath, and the remarkable Temple Grandin, whose statements such as “I am different, not less” drive home the important message of acceptance and neurodiversity.
History lessons
With bright colors, fun fonts and adorable pictures, this playful poster collection from Teachers Pay Teachers is a fantastic introduction to some of history’s notable female thinkers for the younger crowd. Little girls will love the cute cartoon-like drawings as they absorb the memorable and motivating words of inspirational women such as Helen Keller, Anne Frank and Malala Yousafzai — print all three out for a fun gallery wall.
Blast from the past
Released by a transit department in tribute to Women’s History Month, this set of three printable images honors the story and courageous spirit of Rosa Parks. You and your teen will appreciate the edgy vibe and deep meaning behind these black-and-white prints, showing close-ups of a fifties-era bus, each over-imposed with one of Parks’ famous quotes, such as “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.”
Celebrating yourself
The only batch of printables in our roundup with a price tag (but well worth it!), these groovy inclusive printables from Etsy artists The Nerdy Family run about $6 and have something for everyone: from proud feminists to LGBT dinosaurs, and girls who love math, any teen or college student is bound to find a statement for their room or dorm that speaks to who they really are.