(no subject)
Sunday, July 10, 2005
- I've finally gotten my mom hooked on VH1 and I Love The 80s. Gnarly.
Okay, so here is a rant since I've gone so long without a good rant. Warning, it's long.
Disney is kinda racist sometimes. Okay, that isn't fair, but... okay, at least their reps at their Disney Princess line are.
Think about it.
When you see advertising and products in the Disney Princess line, these are the three characters that are mainly featured on them.
Cinderella - Married into it. Her father was just rich, but he wasn't royalty. She married Prince Charming and became princess.
Aurora/ Sleeping Beauty - Born into it. She was a princess, but she was sent to live with the fairies because their was a threat on her life. Prince Phillip married her, so she's double-princess.
Belle - Married into it. Her father was a poor inventor, but she and the Beast/ Prince got hitched.
Alright, now consider all of the other princesses in the history of Disney films, listed in chronological order:
Snow White - Born into it. Her evil stepmother was a Queen, which means that she is a princess. She married jthe prince, so she's a double-princess as well.
Pinnochio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp - no princesses present in any incarnation.
Sleeping Beauty was next, and that was followed by the also-Princessless 101 Dalmations, Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book, and The Aristocats.
Maid Marian - Now, this one is a bit more tricky. I wasn't able to find concrete information either way, but I believe that she was just nobility, but it is possible that she is a princess, which is why she is on the list.
The Rescuers, The Fox and the Hound, and Oliver and Company followed, again with no princesses. Next up was...
Ariel - Born into it. Her father was King Triton, so although he wasn't a king of land, he was a king of water.
Then there was The Rescuers Down Under, followed by Beauty and the Beast. Then there was Aladdin.
Jasmine - Born into it. Her father was the sultan.
Nala - Married into it. She married Simba, who was actually the King at the time, so it is debatable whether or not she is a princess or a queen, though really any of these are debatable in that regard... but I count her as a princess, darnit.
Pocahontas - Born into it. And again, this is debateable, but she is the daughter of the chief, so I consider her to be a princess.
Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Mulan featured no princesses either. I draw the line at Mulan, because that really is the end of the Disney animated classics.
***
So, here is the point that I am trying to make. Look at the list of those who I consider to be princesses who were born into it:
Snow White
Ariel
Sleeping Beauty/ Aurora
Jasmine
Pocahontas
And princesses who married into it:
Cinderella
Belle
Nala
So on the advertising, though there are five princesses arguably who are born into princessdom, only one of them is prominently featured in the majority of the products. And 2/3rds of those princesses who married into it are featured.
Now, look at who isn't featured. A pale chick who shacked up with 7 men, a mermaid, a middle-eastern gal, a Native American, and a lion.
The three that are featured are the blondes and brunettes without any sort of diversity, except for that slight issue of beastiality that got resolved anyway.
All I'm saying is that you should think about it. Or not, whatever. But I have, and I don't feel good about it.