Artist Puts Disney Princess Filter On 10 Real Life Female Role Models

[ismnotwasm]

(you will never guess who some of there are)

Compliments of an invaluable introduction by WYSK Melissa Wardy, Women You Should Know had a chance to speak with David Trumble, an award-winning artist, cartoonist and illustrator about his prototype for Disney’s new “World of Women” collection. First unveiled in a May 2013 Huffington Post Parents blog, it features his princessified versions of ten of the world’s most inspiring women from past and present history. We love why he did it.

In addition to generously allowing Women You Should Know to run his original “World of Women” art, David also shared with us his reasons for drawing the thought-provoking cartoon, which he collaborated on, in part, with educational psychologist Lori Day. Here’s what he had to say (before & after images of each woman below).

“This was a response to the furor kicked up over the glossy ‘princessification’ of Pixar’s Merida character, both in image and doll form. I drew this picture because I wanted to analyze how unnecessary it is to collapse a heroine into one specific mold, to give them all the same sparkly fashion, the same tiny figures, and the same homogenized plastic smile.

“My experience of female role models both in culture and in life has shown me that there is no mold for what makes someone a role model, and the whole point of Merida was that she was a step in the right direction, providing girls with an alternative kind of princess. Then they took two steps back, and painted her with the same glossy brush as the rest. So I decided to take 10 real-life female role models, from diverse experiences and backgrounds, and filter them through the Disney princess assembly line.

http://www.pandagon.net/2013/11/artist-puts-disney-princess-filter-on-10-real-life-female-role-models/

[NYC_SKP]

1. Hillary and Gloria Steinem?

Some of the rest I could guess at, not even sure of these two.

Disney cartoons tend to make women, especially, look quite alike, sharing similar western features and changing mostly skin tones and hair styles.

Now to read the article...

[rdharma]

2. I guessed three of them correctly.....

RB Ginsberg, H. Clinton, and Malala.

[Half-Century Man]

3. Gather torches and pitchforks and meet me at the drawbridge.

We must destroy the monster factory.

[ismnotwasm]

4. Are you being a big meanie?

[Half-Century Man]

9. I do not think so.

I have had issues with the Walt Disney company for rewriting stories since I read the book "The Hundred and One Dalmatians" by Dodie Smith. And even thought the alterations were small between the book and film they changed the entire tone. They book is darker and frankly a better story. Disney puts it's brand on everything it can wrap its tentacles around. Brand as in "press red hot metal to the flesh of a hopelessly bound captive" sort of way. Under Walt, the company had a dismal reputation as a workplace. When Eisner took control it became a sweatshop. Cramming every story into a well defined mold of "!Disney!"; regardless of the original fit.

With respect to the OP, I can't help but view that as candy coated misogyny. Burying the accomplishments, struggles, triumphs, deaths, and images of real people in someone else's weird rabidly cute fantasy.

[ismnotwasm]

10. Well then we agree

I was kind of appalled.

[Moonwalk]

5. From Left to Right....

Marie Curie, Anne Frank, Ruth Gingsberg (Supreme Princess) , Harriet Tubman, Malala Yousafzai, Hilary Clinton, Jane Goodall, Gloria Steinem, Rosa Parks and Susan B. Anthony.

But I had to read the article to know that

Key to most is what they're holding or how dressed.

And I'd say that Hilary and Steinem would probably get a kick out of their princess-ified versions. Especially as Hilary is labeled: "Princess 2016"

[Scootaloo]

6. "Holocaust Princess"?

[ismnotwasm]

7. Yeah I thought that one was pretty fucked up

Not sure why they included Anne Frank

[DetlefK]

8. If this weren't done for critical analysis, it would be degrading.

These women are impressive on their own and don't need remakes to be role-models.

[JustAnotherGen]

11. Uh

Disney creeps me out . . . discussions between my father and me about his training as a Green Beret influenced that. I don't even view Bambi the way some people do as a result of my "upbringing".


This is just - creepy to me. Especially Harriet Tubman -the lightening of the skin, lengthening of the body - ewwwwwww.

ETA: A few clarifications and well . . . the disassociation technique between strength and the image of the docile is what is creeping me out.

[ChazII]

12. Count me in as another non-fan.

Disney's take on The Hunchback of Notre Dame is also totally off base -- way, way off base. Just ask those who resemble Quasimodo.

All the above comments are spot on.

[Sheri]

13. disney sux.

they promote outrageously unrealistic and unhealthy images of women.



saw this and downloaded it somewhere, but i have daughters, and i don't want them to look like barbie. i want them to appreciate themselves for being the beautiful girls they are. disney is not helping.