Disney Princesses That Look Like Most Women -- What A Concept
Diversity in Disney princesses (and all characters) are long overdue
Self-acceptance is not easy, especially for women. There is always some level of concern about how we look and it can take up valuable mind space as to what’s really important. But for some of us in the quest for self-acceptance we bring out the best – not only in ourselves – but for a broader, yet equally important audience.
Instagrammers Michelle Elman and Amy Wooldridge recreated anew version of their own Disney princesses and what they “should” look like — and they are perfect. “Did you know that the women who play Disney princesses in real life, in Disneyland or Disney-world can’t be larger than a size 10?” questioned Woolridge in an Instagram post.
It is astounding this can still be a thing.
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The two friends decided they’d had enough and that all women needed representation no matter their body type and no matter what environment. “It’s time we had a fat princess,” Elman wrote. “Disney princesses are seen as the epitome of beauty and even as a young girl, I quickly learnt that meant I wasn’t beautiful.”
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Elman said it never escaped her as a young child that “When her friend discussed that scarred characters are “always the villain.”and that all Disney characters, in particular, were the same size and held to impossible beauty standards. “There is such little diversity,” Elman said.
There are many women who, for a number of reasons, find it difficult to accept their bodies. Look no further than magazines and television to understand the societal pressure on women to be a certain size. As women we should love our bodies regardless of whether they measure up to some arbitrary number on the scale. Luckily when we are in doubt, we have women like Elman and Woolridge to remind us what is really important.
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It’s true, most kids look up to some larger than life caricature at some point in their lives. And when they do, it’s imperative they have someone that they can identify with — someone they feel connected to. How great would it be if there were someone out there for every boy and girl looking to be inspired.
Elman continued, “How incredible would it be for little kids to grow up and instead of saying “I want to look like her!”, they could say,“Wow she looks like me.” It is such a small but profound distinction for all of us to remember.
Woolridge told Scary Mommy that is was both “heartwarming and heartbreaking” that so many women have identified with them since they posted their pictures. “it’s only in the last 25 years that we’ve started to see princesses that aren’t white,” she said.
Amen to that.
