We all know that the media has heavy influence on our
perception of beauty, but to what extent? Well, if you’ve seen the Disney movie
“Brave,” then you’ll be surprised to hear about Princess Merida’s makeover.
The Merida we all know and love from the movie underwent
several alterations on Disney’s website. First, they switched her outfit from a
functional dress that was appropriate for her outdoor adventures to a much
brighter and frillier low-cut dress. Apparently her bow and arrows were not
feminine enough, so those were removed.
Then comes the changes to the Princess’ previously young,
girl-like figure. Her waist had been cinched and her bust area was clearly
increased. As if that wasn’t enough, they gave her longer eyelashes, rosier
cheeks, and her young, excited smile was replaced by a sultry smirk. For a
movie targeted at the younger age crowd, no wonder the public lashed out!
The Princess Merida that should be a character to which
young girls could relate and look up to was transformed into an over-sexualized
woman. I completely understand why Disney got so much backlash over the
makeover because it just proves how the media tries to promote unhealthy and
often times unrealistic versions of what women should strive to look like. It’s
no wonder why so many women struggle with body image issues!
Although Disney quietly replaced the image with the Pixar
original after all of the negative criticism it received, I think this incident
is just a part of an even bigger problem of body image in the media that needs
to be addressed. Disney should take this backlash into consideration from now
on when deciding how to create the characters in their movies and other
companies in the media should take note.
Written by Rachel Ausperk from Rebecca Adele PR & Events
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