Photo: Thinkstock

It was just another day in the life of your average high school girl. Be crowned homecoming queen; one hour later, kick the game-winning field goal for your school's homecoming game.

Brianna Amat is one of those girls that makes the phrase "girl power" more than just a corny saying on ill-advised t-shirts. The Michigan 18-year-old is the first girl to play on Pinckney Community High School's varsity football team. According to the New York Times, Brianna was asked to try out to be a kicker because of her impressive showing on the girl's soccer team. She told the Times that her male teammates always treated her like one of the guys.

Then, on Friday, Amat was asked to return to the field during halftime. Her fellow students had voted her homecoming queen. She accepted the tiara wearing, not a fancy dress like the rest of the homecoming court, but her team uniform.

Amat seems humbled by all the media attention her story has attracted. She told the Times, “For the longest time, I was the shyest kid ever, and now everybody knows my name."

Could we love her a little more? And can we please all make our daughters look at the photo that accompanies the story? The sparkly tiara ! The rough-and-tumble uniform, complete with padding! This is one girl who's all queen, no princess.


More on encouraging girls to be themselves:
Talking to teenagers about their choices.
Whatever happened to "Girl Power"?