I’m a freelance illustrator living in Shanghai. Most people think my job and the way I look doesn’t fit into the frame of a girl who plays football.

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But over the past year of learning to play, I’ve met so many female players. We come from all different backgrounds, have totally different personalities and styles, and span an age gap of over 20 years.

So this whole frame of what a "football girl" should look like? It’s just made up by people who don't actually know women's football.

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I love the sport, and I genuinely admire every single woman I play with.

So, I wanted to express these feelings through my art.

I sketched out some ideas in my notebook and picked a few to finish.

And here is the final result.

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"Girls break the frame." This is my favorite piece. The phrase can mean scoring a goal, or breaking out of societal stereotypes. In my initial sketches, I used flowers to represent women.

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I’ve never thought of flowers as weak. Bad weather can’t stop them from blooming—they just bloom, regardless of anything else. They bloom in their own colors, not to please anyone, but just to be themselves. To me, that’s insanely cool.

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There’s the intense focus in every game, the play-by-play teamwork for every goal, the sweet support we give one another, the friends I practice with, and how football opened up a completely new world for me.

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To me, every match is an adventure. The moment the ball leaves your foot, the game changes. Different teammates, different passes, different outcomes. Every match feels like living a whole different life in fast-forward. It’s just so much fun.