Breaking the Glass Slipper: The Effects of Disney Princesses on WOC
As a South Asian woman & self-proclaimed Princess Jasmine (sans Tiger companion), in this article I explore my views on the effects that the lack of ethnic Disney Princesses has on women & girls of colour.
“But Maya...” you might be thinking “they’re just kids movies, why is it such a big deal?” well reader, let me help you visualise it.
Okay, so I know for sure I’m not the only South Asian girl who would feel, more than a tad, awkward dressing up as Cinderella for Halloween. When all my white friends are having a bloody ball (pardon the pun) picking which one of the sea of white Princesses they want to be for a fancy-dress do, there’s the unspoken expectation that I will, unequivocally, be donning the classic Turquoise crop top & harem pants. Aside from not having a huge selection of fun Halloween costume ideas, the absence of ethnic representation in the Disney Princess franchise is hugely problematic for a number of reasons.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love popping on a classic Disney flick as much as the next person; but, in recent years, one in particular has been at the top of my list...Aladdin. Aside from the wonderful plot, the wonderful writing & the wonderful Genie, I love Aladdin because I feel connected to it. I feel represented by it. I feel seen by it... Which is especially strange considering that I, Maya, am from India & Jasmine is clearly of Arabian heritage *cue ‘Arabian Nights’*. So why is it that I, an Indian woman, seem to identify so deeply with a Princess who isn’t even Indian ? Yes, because of the colour of her skin.
I have always been fair, for an Indian girl, along with my whole family. But seeing the vibrant colours, the cultural clothing & hearing the twang of the music made me, subconsciously, connect Jasmine’s reality & culture with my own. With both Arabian & Indian cultures being so beautiful and rich, doesn’t it seem problematic that watchers may not be able to differentiate between the two? And that any brown-skinned, dark-haired girl can only identify with one kind of brown-skinned, dark-haired Princess? Where’s the Indian representation? Where’s the Latinx representation? Having to search for myself in a Princess that didn’t even represent me, while watching the white princesses come one after another, caused me to internalise a deep sense of unworthiness within myself. A feeling I didn’t even register till my twenties, when I stopped to ask myself why Aladdin was my ‘happy’ film. It’s then I realised that watching Aladdin was the closest thing I could get to seeing myself as a Princess.
Although Naomi Scott perfectly portrays Jasmine in the 2019 Live-Action remake, she is, in reality, half-English & half-Gujarati. If this doesn’t get across the problem of having only one kind of brown-skinned Princess, I don’t know what will. Just because a lot of women have brown skin & dark hair, it does not mean they are all from the same culture; one character who has those features is not interchangeable between ethnicities (just FYI in case anyone was confused...*cough* Disney *cough*). This casting choice also contributes to the Westernised beauty standards, perpetuating the toxic paradigm that even the ethnic Princesses must have ‘white’ features (e.g. a small nose, big eyes, light body hair or none at all) in order to be considered beautiful.
Admittedly, it’s been conflicting figuring out why I identify so much with Princess Jasmine. My main reason (aside from looking remotely like her) is because she is a strong & tenacious woman with goals and a mind of her own. But then why couldn’t there be an Indian Princess who is just as strong and beautiful and embodies my culture?
It almost felt like a betrayal to my heritage for me to identify with a culture that isn't my own. Growing up, I had never seen my ethnicity celebrated in Television or Film (bar the legendary ‘Bend it like Beckham’. I’m not the sporty type but man did I want to grab a pair of football boots.). I now realise how this lack of representation contributed to my own acceptance and participation in my culture. I felt embarrassed to embrace my culture growing up. Yes, I loved dressing up in the beautiful lehngas and wearing the matching bangles for weddings, but outside of my family functions I wasn’t one to openly discuss and acknowledge my culture.
From conversations with other women of colour (WOC) on this subject, it is clear that growing up watching Disney films that feature predominantly white Princesses, ingrained a feeling of otherness into our lives; unknowingly contributing to young girls of colour feeling like outsiders among their fellow white peers. It felt like our cultures weren’t special enough to warrant their own films & stories.
Young Caucasian girls had, & still have, an array of Princesses to look up to & identify with. They get to see themselves as Princesses. Don’t women & girls of colour deserve the same? Do they not deserve to feel the same elation and affirmation of seeing themselves attending the ball & wearing the crown?
The lack of ethnic minority representation in the Disney-verse is crystal clear (almost as crystal as Cinderelly’s stilettos...wooops couldn’t resist). However, the stories of the few Disney Princesses of colour that we do have, aren’t without their flaws. These racial representations inaccurately depict the responsibilities, strength, experiences and of course, looks within each race.
Aladdin takes real-life cultural boundaries and puts them into a child-friendly context, as do all of the 4 ethnic Princess films (Yes. 4.). However, this can restrict audiences' views of WOC, by suggesting that WOC have to go through some sort of trauma/ hardship to be worthy of becoming a Princess, or that they should be pitied in order to make them interesting. Each ethnic Princess is put in a difficult or undesirable situation, and is tasked with overcoming very real struggles by the end of the film. But these stories don’t celebrate the cultures they aim to portray - they demonise & belittle them. The situations in these films do not equate to the experiences of all people from those ethnicities. Having these Princesses as the sole form of coloured representation in Disney Classics, is damaging to younger generations of colour.
It teaches us that in order to be taken seriously or to have the same things that white people do, that we must suffer and, in turn, work 110% harder at whatever we do. With fictional stories perpetuating these racist ideals that are hammered into our heads through all other aspects of life, it sets a toxic example for children & especially young girls of colour that they are less than. I shouldn’t need to explain why these films are destructive & detrimental to children of colour’s identities & cultural views, but here we are.
Just a quick reminder for anyone who forgot... Sleeping Beauty just lay there. For an entire film. Sleeping. (a role I think we can all admit was goals tbh) Till the *SPOILER ALERT* handsome Prince (because God forbid he was an average looking, run-of-the-mill bloke) full to the brim with arrogance & that ‘all powerful’ male kiss, came & woke her up by puckering up without consent (now that’s a topic for another day...).
Whereas, Jasmine had to fight the patriarchal/ cultural ideals of her city and her Sultan father (not to mention the psychotic Jafar & his parrot) just to marry the man she loved. Tiana had to scrape pennies from her waitressing job to save enough money to just about afford to open her own restaurant...and then got turned into a frog for the entire film (logic = FLAWED.). Mulan dressed up as a man to enter the military, on behalf of her father, because as a woman she was deemed as unqualified to serve. Compared with Snow White who ate a day old apple & naturally fell into a deep slumber - as you do - the Princesses of colour all have real world issues to deal with in their films, whereas the white Princesses lives are completely fictional. The systemic racism & inequality even follows us into fiction. Scary, no?
*BREAKING NEWS* Not all Arabian/ Indian girls are sent off for an arranged marriage. And not all Black girls come from poverty-ridden backgrounds. (*DISCLAIMER* There is nothing wrong with having experienced either of those situations, you have your own stories, feelings and experiences & they are valid no matter what Disney or anyone says. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that counts xx).
*WARNING: A WHOLE BUNCH OF INCREDIBLY VALID QUESTIONS COMING UP* The ethnic Princesses all have to be beacons of strength who must overcome societal hardships while simultaneously looking beautiful and ending up with a man by their side. Not to say WOC aren’t wonderful & strong, but why can’t they just get wined & dined by the Beast? Or go to beautiful balls like Cinderella? Why aren’t they treated the same as the white Princesses? Why can’t a Latina Princess be the one taking a nap for a whole film? Does she not deserve to chill as well??? Because audiences would lose interest in a non-white version of the same character?
Also, have we forgotten about the amazing potential for Mixed Ethnicity Princesses? And LGBTQ+ Princesses? And Disabled Princesses? Disney... The crown is in your court. But be nice or I’ll write another article.
(Rant nearly over. Stay with me people.)
The live-action remakes of the Disney classics have presented an amazing opportunity for casting directors to make history & give young ethnic children the representation & celebration they deserve. Yep, it’s a big job being a casting director. Exhibit A - the stunning Halle Bailey will be taking on the role of the Little Mermaid. I, for one, am incredibly excited to see her discover the “gadgets & gizmos aplenty” awaiting her under the sea... and you’re lying if you say you’re not excited to see how Sebastian lives it up on the big screen.
In all honesty, it shouldn’t be an incredible, otherworldly idea to have an actress of colour play a typically ‘white role’, these decisions should be accepted & celebrated without question. Especially since white actors have portrayed characters of colour for decades. But sadly, in the world we live in, equality for all races, sexual orientations, genders etc. is still considered ‘debateable’.
It is changing, at a snail's pace yes, but keep your heads high Princesses & Princes, keep fighting the good fight & we’ll vanquish evil in the end.
Image Credit
Stills from Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ 1992, ‘Aladdin’ 2019, ‘Mulan’, ‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘The Princess & the Frog’/ Image 2 - Rotoscopers/ Image 8 - Fanpop