Mum's Life

'We need fat Disney princesses': why Disney has to get more inclusive

Did you know that you can't apply to be a princess in Disneyland if you're over a size 12? 

It's sad but it's true. Within the last two decades Disney has been slowly integrating princesses of different ethnicities. And while that's great, they have yet to give us a princess that that actually breaks the mould, size-wise that is. 

Instagrammers and body positivity coaches Michelle Elman and Amy Wooldridge are fighting to combat that stereotype. 

 

WE NEED A FAT PRINCESS. Growing up with Disney, my heart hurt a little. None of them looked like me but you know what made me feel worse? Scar from the lion king. This is just the beginning of the life long stigma against scars. Think about how many villains have scars! Then I got older, and I got bigger with each surgery. At 7, my head and stomach were already covered in scars and I was already bigger than my friends. Disney princesses are seen as the epitome of beauty and even as a young girl, I quickly learnt that meant I wasn’t beautiful. This was emphasised even more when we shopped for princess birthday parties. There were never any in my size. Things haven’t really changed. It was sooo hard for @amyeloisew and I to find these in our sizes. I actually wanted to be jasmine so I could be a Scarred princess but no surprises that people still continue to assume fat women don’t wear crop tops. How incredible would it be for little kids to grow up and instead of saying “I want to look like her!”, they could say “wow she looks like me!”. How incredible would it be if the epitome of beauty and the envy of many little girls wasn’t so equated to thinness? Until @disney makes that happen, Amy and I would be honoured to fill the childhood dream you never knew you wanted of having a fat (and Scarred, although you can’t see it!) princess. #ScarredNotScared : @the_feeding_of_the_fox

A post shared by Michelle Elman (@scarrednotscared) on

“It’s time we had a fat princess,” Elman wrote on a series of gorgeous Instagrams.

“Disney princesses are seen as the epitome of beauty and even as a young girl, I quickly learnt that meant I wasn't beautiful.” 

 

As a little girl I would stare, wide-eyed at the princesses on the screen and when I first met Jasmine at Disney World I was stunned into silence because I had never seen anyone so beautiful. In my head I am, and have always been, part of the unofficial Princess Line. It didn’t escape me that all the princesses were a very small dress size and were considered absolutely beautiful. And that the fatter (and thus “uglier”) characters were the villains or the comic relief. Ursula or LeFou. Queen of Hearts or Philoctetes. In fairytales it seemed that the thin and beautiful got the happiest ending, and the fat and unconventional, for the most part, didn’t. Disney has such a special place in my heart, but it’s undeniable that it sells a very particular beauty ideal, and we place a lot of value on that ideal. Then we grow up and realise they’re just cartoons and not real people, but we’re still fed a more human (albeit unrealistic for many) version of that ideal. In all honesty, I’m tired of seeing the same bodies represented again and again. It’s time we had a fat princess. A princess with scars. A trans princess. A princess with a disability. A princess that hasn’t had her body drawn from the same stencil as all the others. And so, with that in mind, I give you @scarrednotscared and myself. A fat Rapunzel and a Snow White with scars, looking cute as heck. : @the_feeding_of_the_fox 

A post shared by amyeloise (@amyeloisew) on

Elman and Wooldrige both note that fat characters in Disney movies are either comic relief or villains, we're looking at you Ursala, the Queen of Hearts and the Ugly Step-sisters. 

"In fairy tales it seemed that the thin and beautiful got the happiest ending," Wooldridge explained. "And the fat and unconventional, for the most part, didn't." 

Wooldridge continues to say that a Disney princess who as a bit more weight would show more little girls that it's okay to be more comfortable with their bodies: 

"I want a fat princess. Not a princess whose story is about being fat. A princess who has all of the amazing adventures that her predecessors had while being fat. We need representation of all the magnificent and wildly different bodies there are, and stories that don’t primarily focus on that."

 

To the young people currently experiencing Disney films for the first time, something to bear in mind: Belle isn’t just a pretty face. She’s smart, bold and different. Jasmine isn’t just long, flowing hair. She’s fierce, independent and brave. Tiana isn’t just a tiny waist. She’s determined, dedicated and hard-working. Cinderella isn’t just huge, doe eyes. She’s humble, sweet and kind. Each and every princess is so much more than their physical features. They’re loving, considerate, daring, and a million other things. Take it from a fat Rapunzel and a Snow White with scars, there is far more to you than dress size, ability, or any other conventional beauty standard. It’s a shame that I even have to say that but almost every piece of mainstream media we engage with sells that idea. That’s why representation is so important, we need to see ourselves in the princes and princesses. We need to watch people like us getting treated with love and respect, then we’ll extend that same kindness to ourselves.  With my babe @scarrednotscared  photography by my other babe @the_feeding_of_the_fox 

A post shared by amyeloise (@amyeloisew) on

But it's not just weight that the pair of princesses are tackling, but other differences, such as disability and scarring. 

Elman has several scars from life-saving scars: 

"This is just the beginning of the life long stigma against scars. Think about how many villains have scars!"

 

How amazing would it be if there was more representation in media? If children were able to watch cartoons with diversity in? How much more would we achieve if we didn’t spend so much time hating our bodies? I’ve lost days of my life fantasising about being smaller, counting calories and obsessing over any bit of me that wobbled. Like it or not, our perception of ourselves is tied to how we see people like us being treated. We see fat being treated as undesirable so we assume it is. We see being desired as a goal, and so we do whatever we can to reach that goal – regardless of how detrimental it may be to our mental health. And when we fail on whatever diet we put ourselves on, we feel worse about ourselves. It’s a vicious cycle. That’s why I want a fat princess. Not a princess whose story is about being fat. A princess who has all of the amazing adventures that her predecessors had while being fat. We need representation of all the magnificent and wildly different bodies there are, and stories that don’t primarily focus on that. Sure, show the struggles that different bodies may face, but don’t reduce these vibrant and brilliant characters to their bodies.  My princess companion is the amazing @scarrednotscared and the photo was taken by the glorious @the_feeding_of_the_fox 

A post shared by amyeloise (@amyeloisew) on

Both ladies are fighting to change that stigma: 

"Representing bodies is simply that, representation." Elman wrote.  "Fat people deserve representation because fat people exist and pretending in your cartoons and tv shows that we don’t exist has never helped anyone. We don’t need more shame and silence around fatness, we need to be seen, heard, represented and destigmatised." 

 

So there was an article written about us being fat (and a Scarred) Disney princesses on a health website, posing it as a question up for debate. It makes me think why every other article written about me has been written as a statement but this was a question. But there was something else that got my attention, throughout the article, they called us “fat” even in the title, they called us “fat” princesses. Amy @amyeloisew and I are not “fat”. We are fat. Fat is not a dirty word. I want to address the fact that people will assume a fat princess will promote obesity? It’s going to come since people also think fat people existing promotes obesity. A BIG FAT NO. Representing bodies is simply that, representation. Fat people deserve representation because fat people exist and pretending in your cartoons and tv shows that we don’t exist has never helped anyone. We don’t need more shame and silence around fatness, we need to be seen, heard, represented and destigmatised. I also believe everyone deserves to feel beautiful. Yes, beauty should not matter but in our world it does and I personally believe people stop caring whether they are beautiful, when they feel beautiful so I want to make it a priority that everyone FEELS beautiful. Yes, even fat people. Yes, even unhealthy people. And no, those two are not equivalent. It’s this whole health debate right? First of all, let’s stop with this thin = healthy. Second of all, would it be so bad to have an unhealthy princess? I wish I felt beautiful lying in a hospital bed. It’s not glamorising illness. Instead, it’s telling young kids everywhere that their worth and beauty is defined so much more than simply their health. I think that would make a remarkable Disney movie. Health is not a choice remember, it’s a privilege. And it’s frankly a toss of the coin that I ended up with 15 surgeries before the age of 19, and you didn’t. All surgeries were not weight related and all surgeries caused weight gain. So put that in your pipe and smoke it. Life saving surgeries that made me live longer, also made me fatter. #ScarredNotScared @the_feeding_of_the_fox

A post shared by Michelle Elman (@scarrednotscared) on

The princesses are absolutely stunning, and a great reminder that weight does not equate to worthiness. 

 As any woman knows, there's enough weight bashing in the media without getting down on ourselves as well, and these princesses are a fantastic of that! 

Isn't love and acceptance, ourselves and others the happiest ending of all? 

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