Black Disney Princess

[twoboysmom]

There was a discussion on another board about the lack of black princesses in the Disney world of toys, movies, and accessories. Moms of daugthers: do your girls notice this lack and does it have any affect on them that you can determine? Do you think Disney should remedy this glaring lack?

[TinyGang]

Yes, I think they do lack in this area and should balance things up a bit.

[MaryP0p1]

I am white irish catholic so tell me to bugger off if you want but my daughter favorite are not the snow white etc but the Mulan, Pochohantas and the Princess Jasmine characters. But you are right there isn't a black princess/heroine.

[twoboysmom]

I would not be so rude as to tell you to bugger off since you're not taking the piss and your comment is interesting. I wonder if your daughter like them because the characters are a bit more modern, action oriented heroines. Snow White didn't really do much in life except piss off a queen with her looks. By the way, has she seen Snow White, Cinderella, who is the other princess?

[fistfullofnappies]

My children dont really notice, I think. dd was 4 before she noticed that people were different colours!
But yes, Im shocked that they dont have any black princesses. Never thought about it before, as cant stand Disney. There must be loads of African stories they could make a film out of.

[twoboysmom]

Somehow, I don't think the African princess would look like an average black woman. It would be Beyonce or Mia look alike. Then you have to ask the ackward question of who is going to be the prince? A black or white prince...somehow I just don't see the mcdonald's tie-ins take off on this one. Unhappily, I can't even imagine what the story would be...anyone have enough imagination to make this work. Then again, I should not beat myself up since Disney's Imagineers could not come up with a workable story for a Black princess or heroine.

[fistfullofnappies]

oh come on twoboysmum, there must be loads of stories. Africa is full of stories.
Yes, it probably would be a Beyonce lookalike - she is very pretty after all! Snow White doesnt look like an average white woman either though.
there are ways to play down skin colour so that everyone, whatever their skin colour identifies with the picture. I dont see a problem with a hero/heroine. honestly, I think it is just politics that they dont have a black lead character - not very nice.

[Katymac]

My dd has suffered from bullying wrt her colour

She was told at about4/5 that you can't be a princess/fairy/ballerina if you are brown

This has caused her significant distress and I wish that writers/artists/disney would consider this

[Katymac]

Not really (for DD)

She is mixed race with afro hair - I think Jasmine is quite "white" looking as are Pochahantus (sp- sorry) but Mulan is slightly more ethnically accurate (but I could be completely wrong about that) - but she doesn't identify with any of them

As she gets older she is relating to "Raven" atm which is OK (but a bit old for her & way too american iyswim - but that's another argument)

[TinyGang]

Ooh we've got that game FlipFlop. We were doing it yesterday

I kept wanting to get 'over-involved' and dd was shoving me aside 'this is my princess, mummy!'

[zdl]

WE have a Barbie doll which is a glorious dark skinned woman with heaps of long kinky hair. We call her Mulan because of her slightly oriental dress. I got her in a charity shop so I don't know what movie she's from. DD is blue-eyes with blonde hair but it's obviously our most magnificent Barbie with the best dress, so DD's clear favourite. I don't think she's noticed skin colour, really. DS didn't until he was 6.

[Blu]

The princess could just BE black! Wouldn't have to be a story set in Africa, or any special story at all!

Personally, I'd like some of the princes to be black, too. Ds, very proud of his new 'Prince hat' ,was told by some children on a campsite that he couldn't be a prince, and when DS said he could, one sneering 8 year old said he could be 'prince chocolate face'.

[Katymac]

Oh Blu - I know just how you feel DD got told she had a baboon face

[ScummyMummy]

I now hate an unknown 8 year old, blu.

[TinyGang]

[pinkchampagne]

What a horrible little boy.

[fistfullofnappies]

the Africa idea was just because Disney have done some films based on local legends, blu.

[twoboysmom]

I know I'm going to spell the name wrong, but there is the story of Sonjata. A real life black prince/king with lots of adventures that can be toned down into a workable story. Kathymac's story strenghtens my resolve to find more stories with people of colour in the center. So when someone says you can't be a princess/ prince, the boys will at least not draw a blank to come up with examples of black heroes.

I noticed that my son's second year history curriculum will be teaching about Florence Nightgale. I will right in there Monday asking about Mary Seacole and whether books and lesson time will be given to this afro caribbean women who dedicated her life to saving crimean soldiers too. Hey...maybe a cartoon about Mary!!!

[tissy]

It wouldn't make a Disney film, obviously, but "A Balloon for Grandad" is a lovely story with a boy of North African extraction at the centre

His grandad lives far away over the sea in a little house in a desert looking after his goats (IIRC). Dd loves this story, and the illustrations are beautiful

[gothicmama]

katymac although we are white a similar thing happenned todd so you can tell your dd it's not just her, my dd also got told she couldn't be a princess, fairy , ballerina because she had brown hair!!!. Dh told dd that she could be a warrior princess like mulan and we did find some very good stories from all different cultures in the library ( dd now thinks anyone blond is a tweevil (from Bratz movie))

[tissy]

sorry, meant to include \linl{http://www.amazon.co.uk/Balloon-Grandad-Orchard-Paperbacks-S/dp/1852136529/sr=8-4/qid=1157809366/ref=sr_1_4/026-6141465-2687666?ie=UTF8&s=gateway%5Cthis%7D&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21