I love Instagram. I can easily swipe through my feed and see images that cause me to laugh, think, wonder, and pause. Plus, part of my job is looking through our Instagram feed for GIRLS CAN! CRATE and c'mon, how awesome is that!? It makes me happy that so many of the people that we follow are people, groups, and organizations that also want to raise up this next generation of girls to know that they can be and do anything. One of the feeds that we follow is Still A Girl. Do you know about them? If you don't, you should...and thanks to our interview with its creator, Martine, you will.

Still A Girl is one of those feeds that makes me happy. It's full of amazing images of girls being...girls. They're images of girls playing, laughing, reading, adventuring, sporting, wondering, engaging....and so much more. The photos are themselves beautiful, but more than that they're such a great story of girlhood and all that may entail for that girl. So, let's get to it and let me introduce you to Martine...

GIRLS CAN! CRATE: Tell us about Still A Girl.

Martine: Still A Girl is an online community that celebrates childhood and redefines what it means to be a girl. Yes! Girls are sugar, spice, and everything nice. Girls can also be daring and adventurous and wild. And yes! A girl who climbs trees or plays with dinosaurs is #stillagirl.

GCC: What led you to start the Instagram account?

Martine: I started using the hashtag #stillagirl after this article about my small business Quirkie Kids came out. The article was pretty good but the title - The End Of Boys and Girls - did not capture what our gender neutral tees are all about. I think gender is important to kids. A girl doesn't want to be called a boy just because she has short hair or plays in the mud. The #stillagirl hashtag took off and I created the @stillagirl Instagram account as a place to share some of the beautiful images people were tagging us in.

GCC: What messages, positive or negative, do you think girls are being told about being a girl today?

Martine: I think it's a confusing time to be a girl. For years, girls were told that they were princesses and that they should like pink and purple and play with dolls. Doors are opening up to girls… especially when it comes to toys and fashion. Yet girls are getting mixed messages. Take some of the new building toys targeted at girls: why are they pink? What is the message here? Girls can build things but only if the blocks are pink?

GCC: What do you think is the most important message girls need to know nowadays?

Martine: I think its important for girls to know that there's no one way to be a girl. There are lots of ways to be a girl. Some girls like to dress pretty and play with dolls. Other girls like to build things and climb trees. There's no right or wrong way to be a girl.

GCC: What does being a girl mean to Still A Girl?

Martine: It means being yourself, whatever that may be!

GCC: What's been the most encouraging part of the Still A Girl Instagram account?

Martine: The thousands of images that people tag using #stillagirl!!! I love scrolling through the feed looking for images to share. It's so hard! There are so many amazing images and I can only share a few.

GCC: Who inspires you?

Martine: Ordinary girls! I think, so often, we focus on extraordinary people, but when it comes down to it, all everyone is extraordinary.

GCC: What's your creative process like? Where do your photos come from?

Martine: People tag #stillagirl and I repost some of the images. I also post images of inspirational girls and women as well as some products that our followers may be interested in. I love collaborating with others and recently started a blog that will feature interviews with moms about their daughters as well product reviews etc.

GCC: What's your vision for Still A Girl in the new year?

Martine: I look forward to growing the community and to sharing more amazing images and to continuing to redefine what it means to be a girl. I want to keep the conversation going and look forward to collaborating with amazing small businesses like GIRLS CAN! CRATE.

GCC: Finish this sentence: Girls can be....

Martine: Anything!

GCC: What else do you want the GIRLS CAN! CRATE community to know?

Martine: Would love for them to follow @stillagirl and tag their images #stillagirl. I can't wait to share!

Thanks, Martine! We love partnering with others who are passionate about empowering girls. And seriously y'all, if you haven't checked out Still A Girl, do! Be on the lookout because GIRLS CAN! CRATE and Still A Girl just might be partnering up some more this year...