(Change.org)
In a week’s time, two Disney characters have caught fire for their looks:
Minnie Mouse and
Princess Sofia – a new character to lead an upcoming Disney Channel movie “Princess Sofia the First: Once Upon A Princess.”
Recently, Barneys New York launched a campaign featuring slimmed-down versions of some of Disney’s most beloved characters including Miss Minnie in a dream sequence called “Electric Holiday” for its upcoming holiday display.
The characters, including Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Cruella De Vil and Princes Tiana, are scheduled for debut at the department store’s Madison Avenue location ahead of Thanksgiving.
The new Minnie is a tall and svelte version of her former self who wears stilettos instead of yellow clogs and a body-hugging cocktail dress instead of the typical red and white polka-dot outfit we’re all used to seeing. Put it all together, and body activists, some actors, and some models are none too happy.
“There is something wrong with changing a beloved children’s character’s body so that it looks good in a dress that almost nobody looks good in - adding to the tremendous pressure on young girls and women to attain photoshop perfection,” said Ragen Chastain, who started a petition against Barney’s use of skinny Minnie.
More than 136,000 people have signed the petition including “True Blood” actress Kristin Bauer and Abigail Disney, granddaughter of Walt Disney World Company co-founder Roy O. Disney.
"People may think it's blowing it out of proportion, but where does it stop?" plus-size model Lizzie Miller asked
The New York Daily News. "This is a big step backwards."
Disney teamed up with Barneys to respond to the backlash saying:
"We are saddened that activists have repeatedly tried to distort a lighthearted holiday project in order to draw media attention to themselves," Disney and Barneys said in a joint statement to the News.
"They have deliberately ignored previously released information clearly stating this promotion is a three-minute ‘moving art’ video featuring traditional Minnie Mouse in a dreamlike sequence set in Paris where she briefly walks the runway as a model and then happily awakens as her normal self wearing the very same designer dress from the fashion show."
Skepticism over a fairytale princess's roots
(Disney Junior, AP)
On Friday, Disney took to the Facebook profile of its newest character, Sofia, after what seemed like a well-intentioned effort in introducing a Latina princess to the Disney court of fairytale royalty drew fire because for some, Sofia wasn’t “Hispanic enough.”
Princess Sofia has a fair complexion, auburn hair and blue eyes, some Hispanic groups have pointed out. And she is voiced by white "Modern Family" actress Ariel Winter, while her mother is played by Hispanic "Grey's Anatomy" actress Sara Ramirez, reported the
Associated Press.
Nancy Kanter, senior vice president of original programming and general manager for Disney Junior, said Sofia's world reflects the diverse world of today but isn't our reality -
"It is a fairytale and storybook world that we hope will help spur a child's imagination. It's one where we can have flying horses, schools led by fairies, songs that have a Latin beat and towns with markets like those found in North Africa."
'Sofia the First' co-executive producer Craig Gerber took to Facebook Friday to explain Sofia's background.
“Princess Sofia is a mixed-heritage princess in a fairy-tale world. Her mother is originally from an enchanted kingdom inspired by Spain (Galdiz) and her birth father hailed from an enchanted kingdom inspired by Scandinavia. Sofia was born and raised in Enchancia, which is a make-believe ‘melting pot’ kingdom patterned on the British Isles. Sofia considers herself a normal Enchancian girl like any other. Her mixed heritage and blended family are a reflection of what many children today experience.”“They seem to be backpedaling," said Lisa Navarrete, spokeswoman for the National Council of La Raza told the AP in response to the post.
"They've done such a good job in the past when they've introduced Native American, African-American and Asian princesses. They made a big deal out of it, and there was a lot of fanfare, but now they're sort of scrambling. It's unusual because Disney has been very good about Latino diversity."
Yesterday, Dana Green, executive director for Disney Channels told the
Christian Science Monitor that the National Hispanic Media Coalition met with Kanter for a remediation.
In a statement, the National Hispanic Media Coalition said it "celebrate[d] the good news" that Disney Junior is planning a project in which a Hispanic character will be the main character on a show and that the coalition agreed to give Disney a writers alumni list from it's writers program "in an effort to help create authentic, three-dimensional Latino characters."
