I’d wanted to do a cake smash for a while and Andrea jumped at the idea for Sammy’s first birthday. We had lofty ideas: We wouldn’t do a boring boy cake. No, instead, we’d take a stab at a visual statement on gender politics and branding. A pink cake for sure. Hot pink. And why not have Sammy demolish the Barbie—a prime symbol of objectification—in the process? When Sammy saw the cake, he didn’t follow our plan. He didn’t grab for the doll. He didn’t grab at the cake. Nope. He burst into tears and tried to crawl away. Not exactly what we expected, though we agreed, Barbies are scary. After he calmed down, he was semi-curious about her hair. And then he decided to ignore her altogether and do some tushy dancing. It was a hilarious day and a super fun way to celebrate his birthday!
A few notes:
1. Andrea did the baking. There is no way I’d be able to create something as amazing as that!
2. We did not intend to show a dude attacking a dudette, which I belatedly realize is another way you can see this. Apologies.
3. If you want to see Sammy as a brand-newborn, check out that shoot here.
