Oh, Disney Princesses. Where do I even begin? For years Barbie has been scrutinized for her impossible body proportions, and yet somehow Disney has danced on by, regurgitating the same stereotypical, “feminine ideal” body type for as long as I can remember. Little to no progress has been made from the first Disney princesses, Snow White (1937) and Cinderella (1950), to the newest princesses, Rapunzal (2010) and Merida (2012). Each princess sports the same perfectly symmetrical face, long hair, large breasts, tiny waist and inconceivable long legs.
What kind of message is this sending youngsters growing up watching these films? No wonder there is an increasing number of young teenage girls struggling with eating disorders. It is pretty much impossible to achieve such ideals, and yet young girls are brought up idolizing these princesses as the ultimate models of perfection.
Where are the flat-chested, big bootied, imperfect princesses that represent the majority of society? I mean come on, if America’s Next Top Model can even come up with a (pitiful) attempt at plus-sized models, why can’t Disney?
It took Disney how many years to develop an African American princess (Tiana – 2009)? How many more will it take to introduce princesses with realistic body proportions? It seems very odd to me that despite being an industry frontrunner, Disney has failed to diversify at the same rate as many other family-oriented entertainment companies.
Get with the times Disney, or your company won’t live happily ever after.