The Newest Member of the Mouse's House

All young girls look up to the characters they see in movies and on T.V. shows, the dolls they play with, etc. It's inevitable, so shouldn't companies produce characters that a wide range of children across the country and even the world relate to and look up to? This is exactly what Disney is trying to do with the introduction of the newest Disney Princess, Elena. Elena is a 16 year old Latina girl

Elena of Avalor

who will "debut in 2016 in a special episode of Disney Junior's Sofia the First, and then star in her own spin-off series, Elena of Avalor."

So what does this new princess mean for young girls? It means that millions more girls will be able to play with a doll that looks like them, to see a princess that looks like them on T.V. and at Disney World. (Yes, millions. There are about 54 million Latina people in the United States, which makes up for about 17 percent of the population.) Michelle Herrera Mulligan, the Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan for Latinas states that "Having a princess/role model who looks like them is a huge step forward for girls' self-perception everywhere. Most Latina's haev darker skin tones, so Elena is very welcome!" While I agree that it is wonderful and important for all girls to see characters that they can relate to, I wonder how Disney will portray Elena. What will her backstory be? What is she like- confident, outgoing, smart?

Additionally, while I applaud Disney for attempting to diversify their characters, I can't help but notice that while they are becoming more diverse with respect to ethnicity and race (i.e. Tiana and Elena), Disney princesses are not truly diverse in every sense of the word. Think about it- every Disney princess is almost impossibly thin, with big, almond-shaped eyes and long, flowing, flawless hair. Doesn't this unattainable portrayal of a woman's body create unrealistic expectations for young girls? Shouldn't we be promoting healthy body types and all shapes and sizes for women? While Disney is on the right track with regards to ethnicity, they are far from diverse.  

Below is a side-by-side of the oh-so-popular Disney princess Elsa from Frozen. On the left is Elsa as she is portrayed in the movie; on the right is Elsa with a realistic waistline. Still fabulous, right? Check out more Disney princess with realistic waistlines here.