What the 90s Cinderella Meant to Little Black Girls
When I was a little girl, there was nothing you could do to unstick me from the TV when Cinderella came on. Not the Cinderella who strolls through the woods singing to squirrels and deer as butterflies land on her porcelain hand. No, I’m talking about Brandy, aka Moesha, aka the 1997 black Cinderella that made little black girls feel like princesses. This melanated Cinderella was so important to little black girls in the 90s because she made us feel seen. Instead of being the stars, we were used to the roles of best friend, sassy tomboy, or a show guest that was probably for an episode on racial sensitivity. For 88 minutes we got to be princesses who could sing, transform into gowns, be sought after by princes, dance at royal balls, and look forward to happily ever afters. Lets not forget that she was brown skinned with braids. The movie spoiled us even more with a black queen played by Whoopi Goldberg and Whitney Houston as the fairy godmother who, to be honest, was literally the embodiment of every black aunt ever! Brandy-rella was a representation of our wildest dreams and childhood fantasies. She helped us to realize our worth and told us not to shrink into a shadow for anyone else’s light. I still feel so proud thinking about it. Representation is and always will be important, because everyone should be able to feel like nothing is (wait for it)... impossible.