Petition: 'Make Plus-Size Princesses In Disney Movies!'

[JoWiJo]

Are you kidding me???? Having a plus sized princess is not automatically saying it's ok to be overweight.

Maybe not, but it becomes exactly that when you create one just for the sake of having one to make overweight girls feel good about themselves.

But I would bet my pooh sized hiney ,hundreds of thousands of chubby girls would be thrilled with a plus sized role model, if only to relate to them. That yes, they are worthy, they are beautiful no matter what size they are. Sorry, but fat girls need to be told this. They're not, and I think it would be lovely for disney to do so. Having a plus sized princess doesn't mean disney is going to portray her sitting on the couch eating donuts for crying out loud. Geez people...

Bottom line? We need to accept people for who they are no matter what their size. It's not happening! Fat shaming is rampant. Most people that are plus sized, KNOW they are plus sized, and KNOW how they got there. They're not stupid. I bet you 90% eat for comfort, eat to void the pain of not being accepted, or troubles in their life. Read up on sugar addiction. It's just as bad as any drug out there.

I personally think if other people would stop being so judgemental of plus sized people? It would go a heck of a long way in regaining confidence which is usually one of the very first steps at someone working on their weight. It starts with "I am worthy of ..." and goes from there. How does anyone feel they are worthy of even starting on the problem, if they're constantly being told by society ,and everyone around them that being plus sized is the worst thing possible?

As far as a "solution to the problem?" Sorry, but there will always, ALWAYS be plus sized people. There is no magic solution. But I personally think ACCEPTANCE would go a heck of alot farther, than JUDGEMENT.

Now let's add some perspective to my previous post. I am quite a bit overweight myself. I need to lose about 50 pounds (and 6-8 inches around the belly). While there are some people out there that would love to be down to only 50 lbs. over, I most certainly am not thin. I'm fat. And it's not fun.

As you mentioned, shaming the overweight is (and has been for ages) rampant. It's frightening to hear reports of companies implementing health plans where people could be terminated for being merely slightly overweight. That's crossing the line from being genuinely concerned about health to being judgemental.

I'm not being judgemental here. But neither would I intentionally encourage anyone to remain well overweight.

You are correct when you say "We need to accept people for who they are no matter what their size." That is something that could partially be addressed by Disney by refraining from making the heavier set the object of comic relief (both genders on that one). Even better would be having a portly sidekick come in save a skinny hero. Don't forget, sidekicks are the heroes' heroes.

But there is an inherent danger of making a princess plus. Yes, it would make some girls feel good about themselves, and that is good. But what is the message that would ultimately be conveyed? Keep the pounds on because they don't matter? In terms of being worthy as a human being, that would be true, but it does matter where their own health is concerned. There are numerous health problems that increase in likelihood from being overweight. This is where my concern truly lies. Not mocking the fat. Not scoffing them. But being concerned about them.

Yes, oversized girls (and boys) need to hear that they are attractive. They need to hear that they are worthy. They need to hear that they are loved.

That comes directly from the people around them, not the movies.



FWIW, my resolution this year is to shed off a good portion of those extra pounds. So yes I'm concerned about my own health.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

But just what is the most fit physique? I'm not so sure that media can't change the response to that question. Societies change their opinion as to what is attractive. Consider the Renaissance, when corpulence was preferred. While it can be debated whether people actually preferred obesity or they just saw that food must be readily accessible to such a person, the fact is that it was ingrained in that society to persue the chubby as well as personal weight gain. Yet opinion changed toward the thin. Why? Genetic override? Or societal discretion?

I believe that if all the media constantly pushed plus-sizes as being the way to go, culture would eventually cave in and concur, especially with the obesity levels we already now have. People believe way too much what's in the media. Kinda like what they hear from Disney bus drivers.

I personally believe part of what people find physically attractive in another person is pure biology, as you point out, but it's also what they've been taught to look for.

Society sets the ideal physical qualities as those that are associated with the "ideal mate" ... during the Renaissance - which came right after the Black Plague - if you were a bit on the heavier side that meant you had access to the food to enable that (speaking in generalities, obviously genetics play a role too).

But in 21st century western society, for most people access to food is not an issue so, rather, having a metabolism to stay trim is attractive as it is viewed as being healthy and therefore one is a better mate. For females, also having wide hips is attractive as it is "better" for birthing, and for men, being able to provide and protect is attractive (again, in generalities - not trying to say a female needs a male to protect her)

I do think society has mostly gotten away from the anorexic look or heroin chic as we know that being that thin is not healthy and not conducive for reproducing.

So "fantasy" is going to portray that ideal - that is, for females, to be trim with hips for reproducing - and this will be exaggerated a bit and the human eye and mind better reacts to extremes (easier to remember a caricature of someone rather than an accurate outline of them)

 

[JoWiJo]

@TheMaxRebo

Not sure how much of that was directed at me personally or the thread in general. But it's all good.

That first paragraph of mine was intended to generate a response. And that was essentially the response I was looking for. In retrospect, I'm not sure why I asked those rhetorical questions. I'm usually not into debating, though I do enjoy a good discussion.

Anyway... Yes, we are moving away from that anorexic look, and thankfully so. We still have a ways to go to get more normal-looking models instead of the ideal, but strides are being made there, too.

And yup, thin but great for child-bearing is how fantasy directed at the general populace will portray females. Just like they draw the men tall and muscular.

 

[southlakejr]

Why don't we have a tall princess? Or a short prince? Or a princess with a less than ample chest? Or a princess with a straight figure and no hips? Why don't we have a princess who is muscular? Or with acne? Or a disability? Why don't we have princes with birth marks? What about a skinny prince without broad shoulders? Why can't we have a prince or princess who is just considered average looking instead of attractive? Heck, why can't we have a size 10 princess with braces marry a prince two inches shorter than her?

My point being: there are a lot of body types and conditions that aren't currently represented in Disney animation. Why is plus size the one we're fighting for?

I am plus size, and I still don't think that a plus size princess is the message I would want to send to my (currently nonexistent) daughter. A still healthy but larger size 12 princess, you bet!

Though I agree with previous posters- if we can stop using plus sized characters as comic relief- that would be fantastic!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

@TheMaxRebo

Not sure how much of that was directed at me personally or the thread in general. But it's all good.

That first paragraph of mine was intended to generate a response. And that was essentially the response I was looking for. In retrospect, I'm not sure why I asked those rhetorical questions. I'm usually not into debating, though I do enjoy a good discussion.

Anyway... Yes, we are moving away from that anorexic look, and thankfully so. We still have a ways to go to get more normal-looking models instead of the ideal, but strides are being made there, too.

And yup, thin but great for child-bearing is how fantasy directed at the general populace will portray females. Just like they draw the men tall and muscular.

It was meant for the thread in general but I thought your post was good and made the most sense to build off of it ... sorry if it came off like "arguing" with you or directed specifically to you


and I think your last 2 sentence paragraph summed up what I took way too many words to try and say

 

[SeanWM48]

just wanted to add my 2 cents

Disney does not owe the world an overweight princess. They can produce whatever they want in their movies. If a kid sees a fit princess and somehow gets offended maybe the onus is on the parents to stop their kids from being so sensitive.

 

[GoofyCruiseDirector]

Maybe kids should learn it's not okay to be fat and unhealthy at an early age...

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Maybe kids should learn it's not okay to be fat and unhealthy at an early age...

I somehow doubt the kids are the ones doing the grocery shopping and cooking the meals. They are eating what is provided to them by their parents. Please, let's not get snarky about young children whose weight issues are beyond their control.

 

[mmackeymouse]

So you're okay with the next princess looking like this? http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/29/article-2300962-18FCA63B000005DC-116_634x593.jpg Or this? http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/259/1/c/fat_disney_princess_by_tyriedmann-d5ex1n0.jpg

AND saying that that's okay to use as a role model for young girls?

Really, really?

You think that all bigger girls must look like Jabba the Hutt? You don't think maybe there is a much more reasonable way to portray a bigger princess without making them look like a blob? Wow.

It's not unreasonable to have a princess more in the mold of Snow White or a little bigger than Ariel, for example.

 

[DVCcurious]

The movie's theme song could be "big bottoms" from spinal tap

 

[Alice Royal]

Really, really?

You think that all bigger girls must look like Jabba the Hutt? You don't think maybe there is a much more reasonable way to portray a bigger princess without making them look like a blob? Wow.

It's not unreasonable to have a princess more in the mold of Snow White or a little bigger than Ariel, for example.

Obviously not, but do all smaller girls look like Cinderella? That's my point. They're cartoons, they're caricatures of the human form.

Like I've said previously, I'm 5'4 and 180. That's the 'average'. I'd still be weirded out if Disney made a princess with my build.

 

[454RAT]

Maybe kids should learn it's not okay to be fat and unhealthy at an early age...

AMEN!!! And here's a crazy thought, parents and kids, BOTH, should learn is not OK to be fat and unhealthy. We don't need a Disney movie to support plus size girls, that could just be a gateway movie, to.....do I dare say it.....obese size princesses.

And to add...if you need disney to make movies about plus size princesses to make you feel good about yourself, you have issues you need to deal with on a personal level. Personal responsibility people, it's up to you, NOT Disney.

Rant over!

 

[DVCcurious]

After a fat princess will there be calls for handicapped princesses, then mentally handicapped princesses, lesbian princesses, transgender princesses, dwarf princesses, bi-racial princesses? The possibilities are endless.

Disney can't make a princess out of every single special interest out there. As the father of an adopted Korean girl I understand why people wanted racial diversity and why Tiana was celebrated. But here we are in 2014 and there is not one princess movie about an asian girl. Mulan is a military/family pride movie. It's not in any way a princess movie. Does she dance with a prince? Does she wear a ball gown? Does she have a dream?

Mulan (the movie) is not like any other "princess" movie. Because it's not a princess movie.

So while you're waiting for the chubby-girl princess movie I'm waiting for the asian-girl princess movie and someone else is waiting for the wheelchair-girl movie. Disney can't make all of us happy. So they should just stick with what the people want: blonde, slim, attractive sixteen-year-old girls.

 

[mmackeymouse]

AMEN!!! And here's a crazy thought, parents and kids, BOTH, should learn is not OK to be fat and unhealthy. We don't need a Disney movie to support plus size girls, that could just be a gateway movie, to.....do I dare say it.....obese size princesses.

And, here's another crazy thought. Maybe adults and kids, BOTH, should learn it is not OK to fatshame people, especially young people.

Many overweight children outgrow their extra weight. Many don't.

I just don't see how being accepting of people of all shapes, sizes, colors, persuasions is somehow equal to glorifying obesity.

 

[Mrs. Bob Loblaw]

The thing that irritates me about this topic is how so many people immediately interpret plus-sized to mean overweight and unhealthy. Healthy weight people can be just as unhealthy as overweight people, it just doesn't reflect in their weight. Underweight can be just as unhealthy as overweight. Regardless, people come in different sizes. Plus-size clothing begins at a size 12. A size 12 is hardly overweight, unless the woman is short. It can be a completely average, healthy-weighted person who happens to be plus-size because of body type. The media, including Disney, definitely promotes the idea that smaller is better, and that idea is often defended under the ridiculous argument that bigger means unhealthy. It's simply not true.

 

[fitzperry]

This rubs me the wrong way for a couple of additional reasons I didn't see mentioned here (apologies if I missed it and I'm being redundant). First, I hate it when people demand that someone else create something. And second, "entertainment" intended to promote some social issue like this never fails to come across as preachy and, therefore, not entertaining. It certainly wouldn't bother me a bit to see a less waif-ish princess (I loved Frozen, for example, but I don't find Anna's and Elsa's appearances to be appealing at all--too thin, eyes too big, etc.) but I don't think Disney has some sort of moral obligation to see to it that all body types, races, etc. are represented in the princess pantheon.

And FWIW, when my daughters were very young I agonized--unnecessarily, I now believe--about Barbies and Disney princesses and body image and too many plastic toys and yada yada yada. What I learned is that my girls seem to take their cues about what's attractive and healthy from real people in their lives, not from dolls and fictional characters (I do still put unrealistically Photoshopped media images and such in a different category). Until recently (my youngest is 11) we had a basement full of Barbies, including plenty of Disney princess ones, most of whom ended up in crazy mismatched outfits with even crazier haircuts. My dd's and their friends built an entire neighborhood starting with a doll house and the Barbie dream house but expanded to include other "buildings" and "furniture" improvised out of other toys and miscellaneous stuff they found down there. It was all rather creative and they had countless hours of fun with those toys, but it was also messy and childlike and not "idealized" at all. I don't think they really cared what those dolls looked like and I think people need to relax.

 

[myadventurebook]

This rubs me the wrong way for a couple of additional reasons I didn't see mentioned here (apologies if I missed it and I'm being redundant). First, I hate it when people demand that someone else create something. And second, "entertainment" intended to promote some social issue like this never fails to come across as preachy and, therefore, not entertaining.

Hi everyone,

I know I'm a little late to the party, but I wanted to throw in my two cents because there are some really harsh things being said. Firstly, I agree with fitzperry that things with a specific agenda come off as preachy, so Disney probably shouldn't make a movie specifically with a plus-sized princess in mind. However, someone had the idea of a plus-sized sidekick who maybe saved the princess or something like that, and I really liked that idea.

I also wanted to bring up that there have been movies with some more normal and larger sized characters. Lilo and Stitch is the most obvious example. Nani had a more normal to plus-sized body, and I always look to that as a more positive example.

I wanted to address something though. Some people (almost all here) are being extremely harsh towards overweight people when, in fact, many overweight people cannot help that they are overweight. Myself, I have gained 20 pounds over the last four months even though I exercise every day and eat healthy. I have recently discovered that I have a thyroid issue, which causes me to gain weight no matter what lifestyle choices I make. There are so many others out there like me, and not everyone is simply a disgusting person who sits around eating cheeseburgers all day like some here are suggesting.

Thanks for listening. I know I am new here so please don't attack me!

 

[North of Mouse]

Hi everyone,

I know I'm a little late to the party, but I wanted to throw in my two cents because there are some really harsh things being said. Firstly, I agree with fitzperry that things with a specific agenda come off as preachy, so Disney probably shouldn't make a movie specifically with a plus-sized princess in mind. However, someone had the idea of a plus-sized sidekick who maybe saved the princess or something like that, and I really liked that idea.

I also wanted to bring up that there have been movies with some more normal and larger sized characters. Lilo and Stitch is the most obvious example. Nani had a more normal to plus-sized body, and I always look to that as a more positive example.

I wanted to address something though. Some people (almost all here) are being extremely harsh towards overweight people when, in fact, many overweight people cannot help that they are overweight. Myself, I have gained 20 pounds over the last four months even though I exercise every day and eat healthy. I have recently discovered that I have a thyroid issue, which causes me to gain weight no matter what lifestyle choices I make. There are so many others out there like me, and not everyone is simply a disgusting person who sits around eating cheeseburgers all day like some here are suggesting.

Thanks for listening. I know I am new here so please don't attack me!

No attacks, promise!

It's true that sluggish thyroid affects the weight (before treatment) by water retention especially, but it's like you said that it's mostly a relatively mild weight gain not morbid obesity that is commonly blamed for it. I can understand the fight to keep 10-15 lbs. off, but it has been shown that with treatment weight gain is minimal and not necessarily caused by a thyroid problem.

Still say that having overweight 'role models' like Disney princesses, etc. is not the way to have overweight children feel good about themselves. It's fantasy - not realistic at all, and that's the way it should be enjoyed by all.

 

[Josh Hendy]

It seems to be an axiom of moviemaking that the public nearly always prefers to see people that are significantly more better-looking, wealthier and with far nicer homes, clothing and vehicles than the average member of the public.

Don't just look at Disney animated films, look at their live-action movies, especially the ones set in the here-and-now. Nearly every non-evil character and most of the bad guys are not just good looking, but jaw-droppingly beautiful or handsome. Trim bodies with better-than-average musculature, posture, skin, hair and every other physical trait.

They live in really big houses with really cool features like huge kitchens and family rooms, multi-car garages, etc. and they drive super-nice cars. Check out their clothes, how expensive and how extremely well-fitting, neat, clean and well-pressed they are.

The parents are usually quite wealthy or at least with very comfortable, secure professional jobs or some kind of (inexplicably) extremely highly paid "artistic" type job that means they work a small number of hours at home in a glamorous-looking studio.

And Disney is not one little bit different from any other major movie studio.

So I think there's nothing against overweight people at all, any more than there's a bias against people with acne, small apartments, beater cars and dead-end jobs. People vote with their $$$ to see people who are better-off than them in nearly every way.

Besides, we've already had a couple of real-sized "princesses" in animated movies. Lilo and her sister Nani were noticeably more chubby than the average in most movies. And outside of the Disney world, practically the whole point of the movie Shrek was about bigger-sized people learning to be happy with themselves and teaching the rest of the world to accept them and leave them alone.

 

[Plutolover123]

I don't know of I should agree or disagree with this...I understand both points of view but honestly if Disney was trying to get every kind of princess, then Disney should make a plus sized princess or else the whole concept is a pointless end-ever.