When it was recently announced that Merida from Disney Pixar’s Brave was going to be the eleventh Disney Princess, fans of both Brave and Disney Princesses were pretty thrilled. Considering Merida is not your typical “Disney Princess”, a lot of girls have looked up to Merida as a strong, confident, and brave role model. Unfortunately, those same fans weren’t too thrilled when Disney revealed Merida’s Disney Princess make-over featuring a slimmer body, wide eyes, and neater hair. Also, Merida’s trusty bow is no where to be found in the new design. All the “imperfect” elements and unique visual characteristics of Merida’s character design was stripped away for a design that was more similar to the other Disney Princesses. Now, A Mighty Girl (an empowerment site for girls) has put up a petition on Change.org directed to chairman and CEO, Bob Iger and the Walt Disney Company board of executives in protest of the makeover.
Merida was the princess that countless girls and their parents were waiting for — a strong, confident, self-rescuing princess ready to set off on her next adventure with her bow at the ready. She was a princess who looked like a real girl, complete with the ‘imperfections’ that all people have.
Since the petition started, over 100,000 fans have signed the petition. Hopefully Walt Disney Company is listening. You can add your name to the growing list at “Disney: Say No to the Merida Makeover, Keep Our Hero Brave!“
You can check out Merida’s coronation ceremony at Inside The Magic.
