My Take on Disney Princesses
We have all grown up loving and learning from Disney, even our parents' generation. Whether it is through movies, theme parks, or merchandise such as fantastic stuffed animals and other toys, Disney plays a significant role in almost every child's life. Specifically, I want to address Disney princesses.
Growing up, these characters were my inspiration. I wanted to be as beautiful, kind, and loved as them. For Halloween every year, my first thought was, "I need to be Rapunzel or Aurora or Cinderella," because then I could somehow cling to and embody the beauty they represented for me as a child.
Their beautiful bodies, flowing hair, and crystalline eyes were all attributes that I didn't necessarily have as a six-year-old South Asian girl. But, honestly, who would stop me from looking up to them? Let's be honest; what child didn't grow up loving the Disney princesses and wishing to be close to them, if not one of them?
However, it was always a struggle to fully imagine myself as being alongside that group of princesses when I didn't resemble them in most ways. Even Jasmine, who came from a similar descent and culture to my own, had a highly unrealistic body type that warped my perception of how I was meant to appear, especially when I dressed up as her for fun in my bright blue two-piece outfit.
Yet now, as I have grown up, I've come to understand certain things about Disney. In an era of increased diversity, I've also realized that diversity sells. In other words, the entertainment industry creates and sells diverse content because they know it's what will make the most money. A recent report from UCLA reinforces this perspective. The median global box office was at its highest for films with casts with more than 20% minorities. Those movies ended up making nearly $450 million. And obviously, that stings in a way because these new characters and story arcs aren't always made with the right intention. Disney is a multibillion-dollar company whose primary purpose is to appeal to consumerism; therefore, its media diversity is, in some ways, performative to appear “woke” to continue making money.
But then again, I feel so privileged and lucky to witness all of this inclusion. It just sucks that it's not always for the best reason. And lately, Disney has been at its peak, creating more and more movies with diverse characters. Yet, the content they release just “reskins” old movies. For example, the new Snow White film set to be released in 2025 portrays an actress of Latina descent, a stark contrast to the origins of Snow White from Germany with her skin as pale as snow. Other examples would be casting a black actress as Ariel in The Little Mermaid and another black actress as Tinkerbell in the upcoming Peter Pan live-action. These movies have faced major backlash from both sides of the political spectrum. Some individuals argue that altering characters known for iconic features (such as red hair, white skin, and colored eyes) and changing them in significant ways regarding race and sex turns those characters into something else entirely. On the other hand, people argue that these live-action remakes are taking up space for Disney to present new stories about characters of different descents we haven’t seen before. For example, the creation of Black Panther or Captain Marvel, which were both critically and commercially successful--- those films were made specifically for a specific group, in this case, black actors and female actors. And this whole concept of race changing is clearly targeted at just switching white characters to different races, whereas the black characters are never changed to white. I understand this is because it’s meant to make more characters relatable and representative to the viewers, but that further establishes that the only difference is race. It’s not done to embellish a missed aspect of a story or teach something new and profound; the change is to appease the growing status quo of racial inclusivity. At the same time, this attempt at inclusivity is clumsy and the only change is just in skin tone-- so do these transformations genuinely accomplish anything for those who want characters more like themselves? Not really. Race is more than just skin color, it comes with a culture and a background as well. While the actress for Snow White may be a different race, her character is still German so nothing has inherently changed.
I think it's incredible that this is possible, but in another sense, I am questioning why Disney can't just make new movies for POC princesses. Are we not worthy of our own stories? Why keep creating the same narratives when new ones can be made, making these new princesses even more special? To be blunt, in my opinion, it's more hurtful that Disney chooses to make white princesses of different races rather than just creating new princesses. Why can't a POC girl have her own storyline, not a reused one created firsthand for a white girl? But Disney doesn't want to put in the work and create new, original characters for people of different backgrounds; they want to look the part in a world where diversity is slowly becoming the norm.
If Disney wants to make quality stories around these people, they must create new tropes rather than shoving them into old tales they've been telling for years. The characters have changed, and so has the plot. Additionally, making these new stories would avoid all the controversy of recreating old characters. We can simply appreciate the classic Disney movies for what they were and the stories they tried to tell us. Despite all their flaws, these stories were about good and beautiful morals, such as kindness and true love. Don't merely change a character's skin color and expect people to be satisfied with that. If Disney wants to be representative, they should make a movie that represents an individual character and includes their culture. Disney hasn't made these movies for people of Hispanic or Black descent; all they've done is slap on a new skin color. Disney is being lazy.
Ultimately, the call for diversity is undeniably crucial, acknowledging the importance of authentic and meaningful representation for audiences of all backgrounds. It’s just that there is so much tension between genuine inclusivity and the performative nature of diversity to meet financial goals! The way I see it is that there needs to be new, original characters created with their own unique narratives that challenge traditional stereotypes and go beyond established storylines. There must be an insistence to capture more than just skin color but also cultural nuances and backgrounds in a more three-dimensional manner. While I understand so much progress has been made in the entertainment industry, there is still work to be done! And it’s imperative that Disney especially surpasses performative gestures and engages in telling meaningful stories because of its vast influence on the younger generations.
Recourses:
https://fairforall.substack.com/p/the-little-mermaid-and-the-question
