The Princess So Many Girls Have Been Waiting For

When I first heard that Disney was releasing an animated film starring an African American female this November, I was excited, yet skeptical. I’ve waited for this moment for ages – ever since I was a little girl. Still, it seems unfair to have waited this long and, even more so, to have her be yet another princess!

Tiana stars in the soon-to-be Disney classic The Princess and the Frog. This is truly a milestone as she is the first black female animated character to be featured in a major film. While Disney has attempted to make its characters more diverse with movies like Aladdin, Mulan, Pocahontas, and Lilo and Stitch some would argue that they still left much to be desired in the way they have portrayed race, culture and gender. With the brief exception of Lilo, all of the leading female characters have been princesses. In animation, it seems, the only way a girl can be the main character is if she’s a princess of some kind. This is not to discount successful TV programs like Dora the Explorer and Maya and Miguel. Still, these examples remain more exceptions rather than the rule.

The fact that it has taken so long for a character like Tiana to make it to the silver screen sheds a bright light on the lack of diversity behind the scenes. Virtually all the professionals who create animation are white and male. And, as is human nature, we tend to tell stories about the things we can relate to and that are based on our own experiences. There is nothing wrong with this, of course. However, when all the stories we see and hear are created from just one perspective, the majority of us who watch and who do not fit this mould are left out. Many times such a one-sided portrayal of our environment can lead to unrealistic expectations, and, as is the case with Tiana and Disney’s other princesses, we can be led to believe that the only way to be valued is to be like a princess: physically beautiful and forever dependent on a prince to save us. In this particular case, even though Disney made the choice to have an African American princess, she was still created from that one perspective. It’s true that the voice actors are Black and Disney consulted with many prominent members of the African American community to make The Princess and the Frog. But, in the end, what needs to be addressed is the lack of women of color in positions of authority who create the stories we see and can genuinely conceive of strong female characters of color based on personal experiences within their culture and communities. Until we can fill the director’s chairs, the production houses, and the writers’ rooms with these women, we cannot expect accurate portrayals or truly powerful role models for all girls.

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The Princess So Many Girls Have Been Waiting For

Rachell Arteaga

About the Author

Rachell Arteaga

The Princess So Many Girls Have Been Waiting For Rachell Arteaga When I first heard that Disney was releasing an animated film starring an African American female this November, I was excited, yet skeptical. I’ve waited for this moment for ages – ever since I was a little girl. Still, it seems unfair to have waited this long and, even more so, to have her be yet another princess! Tiana stars in the soon-to-be Disney classic The Princess and the Frog. This is truly a milestone as she is the first black female animated character to be featured in a major film. While Disney has attempted to make its characters more diverse with movies like Aladdin, Mulan, Pocahontas, and Lilo and Stitch some would argue that they still left much to be desired in the way they have portrayed race, culture and gender. With the brief exception of Lilo, all of the leading female characters have been princesses. In animation, it seems, the only way a girl can be the main character is if she’s a princess of some kind. This is not to discount successful TV programs like Dora the Explorer and Maya and Miguel. Still, these examples remain more exceptions rather than the rule. The fact that it has taken so long for a character like Tiana to make it to the silver screen sheds a bright light on the lack of diversity behind the scenes. Virtually all the professionals who create animation are white and male. And, as is human nature, we tend to tell stories about the things we can relate to and that are based on our own experiences. There is nothing wrong with this, of course. However, when all the stories we see and hear are created from just one perspective, the majority of us who watch and who do not fit this mould are left out. Many times such a one-sided portrayal of our environment can lead to unrealistic expectations, and, as is the case with Tiana and Disney’s other princesses, we can be led to believe that the only way to be valued is to be like a princess: physically beautiful and forever dependent on a prince to save us. In this particular case, even though Disney made the choice to have an African American princess, she was still created from that one perspective. It’s true that the voice actors are Black and Disney consulted with many prominent members of the African American community to make The Princess and the Frog. But, in the end, what needs to be addressed is the lack of women of color in positions of authority who create the stories we see and can genuinely conceive of strong female characters of color based on personal experiences within their culture and communities. Until we can fill the director’s chairs, the production houses, and the writers’ rooms with these women, we cannot expect accurate portrayals or truly powerful role models for all girls. Image licensed under Creative Commons: <div xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" about="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40184298@N04/3695470293/"><a rel="cc:attributionURL" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/40184298@N04/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/40184298@N04/</a> / <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">CC BY-SA 2.0</a></div>
About the Author Rachell Arteaga Rachell Arteaga works at The Women's Media Center (WMC) in New York. She is passionate about making a difference for women and girls in the media.