#disney makeover

[peterstanslizzie]

Which hair color do you prefer on Amity?

Green or Purple?

[mymodernmet]

Disney Princesses Get an Edgy Twist Reimagined as Noir-Inspired Femme Fatales

[twatnisseverdeen]

[whoiswhoo]

Angry Angry Angry Angry Why do they keep making the princesses more "glamorous" I hate disney makeovers Ugh

[theirishpirate]

http://www.change.org/petitions/disney-say-no-to-the-merida-makeover-keep-our-hero-brave

Why isn't this a thing on tumblr?! (At least, it hasn't been on my dash.) Guys, we should all sign this. 

[cerigotgame-blog]

(above picture from http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/disney-princess-makeover-sparks-outrage--merida-petition-goes-viral-175251230.html )

~My thoughts on Merida's Makeover, and other sexist Disney practices~

  So, a war has been waging on several of my friends' Facebook walls, one I've grown increasingly involved in the more I read and feel compelled to offer rebuttals to. As you may have heard, Disney has graciously decided to include Merida, the heroine of Disney Pixar's recent masterpiece Brave and to date the only Disney heroine I can think of without a defined "love interest" to spend half the movie pining over, to their glitzy make-up of official "Disney Princesses." This by itself isn't illogical, as Merida IS a Scottish princess, and pretty singular in her athleticism and personal strength not tied into a "selfless" quest to go after some true love. The movie itself is about Merida and her mother coming to terms with each other, despite the fact that Merida wants to live as a free, independent woman, not the dutiful and demure bride-to-be her mother wants her to be. If you want a full bio of the movie, look one up on wikipedia--or better yet, watch the movie yourself.

  The issue with the inclusion into the princess lineup comes with the changes Disney felt necessary to put Merida through in order for her to "fit in" with the other Disney princesses. As it says in the above-linked article on the subject:

  "Turns out that Merida’s only joining the royal lineup after a corporate makeover that’s rendered her skinnier, sexier, and more glamorous than her original spunky, tomboyish self—stripping her, at least in some images, of her trusty bow and arrow, and putting her into the very dress that her character detested in “Brave.” It’s sparked outrage among thousands of mothers for whom Merida offered, finally, an empowering Disney role model for their girls. "

  -http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/disney-princess-makeover-sparks-outrage--merida-petition-goes-viral-175251230.html

  Other changes that have been pointed out are the eyeliner and blush that have been added, the enhanced paleness of her skin, the Asian or catlike tilt added to her eyes, and the coquettish if not seductive expression she now wears. Keep in mind, Merida is supposedly only sixteen years old. While these smaller changes are up for debate, no one can deny that they've switched out her outfit, and even took away her signature bow--which leaves one to wonder what Disney is thereby saying. Could it be that to be a 'princess,' a character has to sacrifice her personal preferences and fit in with the mandated glitz of the other princess? To become an official icon to little girls (and boys, if their parents are progressive enough) everywhere, they have to sacrifice what they are and conform to the same, glamorous-yet-identical stereotype of what being a princess means?

  I can already hear the devoted Disney afficionados hammering out angry retorts that I'm reading too much into it, etc. etc. etc. But may I point out that the reason this is "news" in the first place is that I'm hardly the first nor the last to notice these changes. Worse still, adults often fail to look at the world--e.g. corporate merchandising in toys and other products aimed at children--the same way that kids themselves will see it. Now, I am by no means an expert in child psychology, but I do a lot of people-watching, and the issue of "how adults see things vs. how kids see them" is already a familiar subject to me, as I've had to address it in the past re: violence in video games and what it entails.

  Without getting too long-winded about the subject, you have to understand that the average kid doesn't have the repertoire of suspicion and critical thinking skills that one hopes an adult will have created over years of experience. Especially the younger crowd--theirs is a fresh, unsullied experience, and therefore when a child looks at what Merida underwent to become a princess, he or she may well come away with a much different perception of what took place.

  What are the most noticeable differences, for one thing? To me, it's the dress, and the expression. So, let's look at the dress first--Merida gives up her plainer, and more importantly, more athletic dress for the fancy noblewoman dress that so constricts her, both physically and, by circumstance, in temperament. In the movie, Merida reaches a high point of frustration where the straw has broken the proverbial camel's back, and she rips the sleeves off--a clear imagery of unfettering oneself of societal constrictions. Yet after Disney's make-over, she's once more in the hated dress, and worse yet--judging by her coquettish expression, she's not even unhappy about it.

  It's enough to make one wonder what horrible transformation underwent Merida's very psyche to make her okay with this change she earlier so revolted against. Did an alien princess take over her body? Did the other Disney princesses brainwash her, or worse yet, did Disney themself perform a lobotomy?? Otherwise, what could have happened to so drastically change Merida's tune?

  I'm not even concerned with the supposed thinness or enhanced paleness of Merida. "Fat acceptance" is a whole different issue, not that Merida was fat in the first place. And as for her paleness--she's Scottish, it's perfectly reasonable for her to be pale. Yes, it would be nice if Disney had more interracial princesses in their lineup, but that doesn't mean no future heroine should ever allowed to be white. As I said, my biggest grievances are with the dress change (and removal of her bow), and the apparent acceptance of that change by her expression.

  Of course, all of this bears little importance to me, personally. I don't have children (yet), and when I do, I sincerely hope I shall be a decent and attentive parent who helps to shape my child's perceptions of the world and what's right and acceptable behavior by personal example and active parenting, rather than relying on TV and movies to shape his or her moral compass. And maybe that's the final point to this--whatever help or harm Disney or other corporations can cause on children, at the end of the day it should be YOU, the parent (or the guardian, or the sibling, or the relative, etc.) that gives them the life lessons they need to grow up to be proud, confident, honest adults themselves. Don't rely on outside sources to raise your child for you.

  Anyhow, that's just my two cents on it. Sorry if this is rambly and disconnected, I'm not in the  habit of long-winded blog-likes like this. But maybe I'll get inspired by some future issue and rant again! Stay tuned!

-Cleo

[the-fault-in-alaska]