

Pratishta Yerakala
Girls Can’t Skate spotlights an all-female and queer skateboarding community in New York City. By exploring these women’s shared passion and resilience, it celebrates female empowerment in contrast to the machismo culture and normalized violence against women that plagues much of the world.
These women are challenging the traditionally male-dominated sport at a historic moment for skateboarding, which made its debut appearance at the 2021 Summer Olympics. The images were captured before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the lockdown via FaceTime.

Melissa Ramírez
“Skateboarding took me away from a dark place in my life. Sometimes I don’t understand why I love it so much but I honestly made it my home. In the past, many of the boys didn’t accept me due to the fact I was a female skateboarder but as the years past many understood me.” Melissa Ramírez, 23
Kristen Noelle

Jocelyn Fuentes
"Being resilient is one of the best and worst traits I got from being a skateboarder. I'll fall nine times but I always get up ten." Joscelyn Fuentes, 18

Niki Culma

Adeline Pollioni

Syd The Squid

Adeline Pollioni

Allie Rappuhn

Mely Hiraldo

Ariana Navazesh
"The positive for it is fearless. The negative is reckless. Either way skateboarding is fun." Ariana Navazesh, 22

Mary Chun, Kristen Noelle, Charlotte Tegen

Olivia Homolac
Sarah Searfoss

Miracle Jiménez

Stephanie Reid

Olivia Homolac
Rachel Robinson

Miracle Jiménez

Stephanie Reid

Allie Rappuhn

Melissa Ramírez

Ariana Navazesh

Miracle Jiménez

Allie Rappuhn

Vesper Zheng

Allie Rappuhn

Niki Culma

Rachel Robinson

Sarah Seafood

Hayley Zalkin

Stephanie Reid

Ariana Navazesh
Charlotte Tegen