It’s no secret that the Disney princesses that we know and love are more than a bit romanticized. After all, most of them are based on fairytales that are centuries old, but were reimagined by 20th or 21st century animators creating their own feminine ideal.
Lots of people have protested the way that the princesses are portrayed, citing unrealistic body types, minimal agency, and, for many years, a total lack of racial diversity. Though the princesses do plenty of good, they aren’t very accurate depictions of womanhood in their respective eras.
Honestly, I had never even really thought of Jasmine or Snow White as real figures within the historical context of their movies. When I saw this video, it totally blew my mind.
It puts the princesses back into their rightful place in history, and depicts them as realistic women for that time. Pocahontas, for example, becomes a more authentic member of the Powhatan tribe, who were heavily tattooed. Belle, of Beauty & the Beast, is rendered as a Marie Antoinette-esque mademoiselle.
Now, keep in mind that many of the princesses come from medieval fairytales, which might make the costumes a little bit static. Fortunately, Disney chose to stage ‘The Princess and the Frog’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in more modern eras, so you get to see a little bit of everything!
If this made you think hard about where your favorite Disney characters came from, please tell us in the comments, and SHARE on Facebook!
