The stereotype of a quintessential Disney princess is that she’s impossibly perfect, thin and for the most part, white. For many of us growing up, these women looked nothing like us, especially if you happened to be from a minority background.
Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White - apart from variations in hair colour looked pretty much the same. In wasn't until1992’s release of Aladdin that we finally had a princess of colour in Princess Jasmine (though that film is so problematic that it now comes with an advisory warning for racial stereotypes on the streaming service, Disney Plus). Now Disney is reimagining how it casts princesses in its live action films, but it's not without some criticism.
With the most recent announcement that Rachel Zegler will be playing Snow White, making her the first Latina actress to be cast as a Disney Princess in a live action remake, some people who took umbrage to the fact that Snow White wouldn’t be played by a white actress.
Zegler herself said in a deleted tweet: “yes i am snow white no i am not bleaching my skin for the role.”
For many people however, having more POC switching up the typecasting of Disney Princesses, is an overwhelmingly positive thing.
The actress Halle Bailey faced similar criticisms when she was cast as Ariel in the live action remake of The Little Mermaid.
Pictures recently released from the set of The Little Mermaid showed a red-haired Halle Bailey, which seemed to aggrieve some people.
What these people don’t seem to understand is the impact of having a Princess look like you - not just on adults who never grew up seeing someone like them - but on the next generation of children as well.
As writer Raidah Shah Idil wrote after the release of the Disney movie, Raya and The Last Dragon, the impact on her daughter of seeing a Disney Princess who looked like her was immense.
“"She has black hair?” my daughter asked in surprise.
“She does. Long, straight black hair.”
My daughter’s wide-eyed look of delight made my heart swell and justified my premier streaming purchase. Disney, you can take my money. Again. I will happily buy Raya’s costume. This time, my daughter won’t need a fake blonde braid to complete the look."
Disney is well aware that some of its famous animated features had sexist and sometimes racist storylines. And as a multi-billion dollar corporation, it has had to try hard to change its image by bringing Disney Princesses into the 21st century.
Back in 2018, Disney was called out for white-washing its first Black princess, Princess Tiana when she featured in the film Wreck It Ralph 2, with fans noticing “her skin was lighter and her corkscrew curls had been tamed to gentle waves.” Rather than ignoring the criticism, the corporation listened to campaigners and agreed to restore the princess to her "original depiction".
Then last year, Disney created advisory labels to play before some of its older films. Movies such as Peter Pan, Dumbo and The Aristocats that were thought to contain racist stereotypes and overtones.
The message reads: “This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.”
All this is done in an attempt to make their content more inclusive and as a commercial organisation that they remain relevant and profitable to a large consumer base.
While there will always be people who find it hard to let go of old stereotypes and hang-ups, filmmaking is finally moving towards a more diverse and accepting landscape that allows all of us to see ourselves represented on screen.
There is of course a long way to go yet, but if young girls who never saw Disney Princesses who looked like them are finally represented on screen, then where’s the harm in that? If anything, it can only be a positive move for a company that currently dominates the animation industry and shapes not only what children watch but how they view themselves.
Saman Shad is a playwright, scriptwriter and freelance journalist. You can follow her on Twitter @muminprogress.
