Disney's Next Princess Should Be Explicitly LGBTQ
Formerly relegated to the damsel-in-distress trope, Disney's princesses have evolved greatly. The next step is to introduce an LGBTQ princess.
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Since the 1937 release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney has come a long way in the depiction of its princess characters. Once relegated to the damsel-in-distress trope, the studio's princesses have evolved greatly, becoming more outspoken, racially diverse and independent, with the most recent example being Raya and the Last Dragon's South Asian warrior princess. While the classic Disney princesses evoke nostalgia and are great in their own right, it is incredible to see the newest princesses as more developed characters.
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Gone are the days when princesses need a princeto save them. Now, these characters exhibit varied qualities beyond beauty and the desire to find a man. With Disney expanding its idea of what a princess is, it's time to introduce an LGBTQ one.
When Disney started making princess films, the characters didn't have much of a personality. Movies like 1937's Snow White, 1950's Cinderellaand 1959's Sleeping Beauty all emphasized their title characters' physical beauty over other traits, and their looks are portrayed as the most important thing about them. Sleeping Beautyliterally has the word "beauty" in the title. Additionally, the movie's princess, Aurora, is barely developed as a character, and the most important thing she does is fall asleep.
While lack of character development was an issue for Disney's princesses, so was the lack of racial diversity. The early princesses were all white, and it wasn't until Aladdin introduced Princess Jasmine in 1992 that the franchise saw some color.
However, by this time, Disney was starting to give its princesses more substance and make them more active participants in their stories. Jasmine is known for her strong will, Beauty and the Beast's Belle for her intelligence, Pocahontas for her bravery and loyalty and Mulan for her courage and honor. In 2009, The Princess and the Frog's Tiana made history as the first Black Disney princess, and she too had admirable qualities like ambition and work ethic.
It's true that nearly all of the movies featuring these princesses have problematic elements, but credit must be given where credit is due, and Disney has come a long, long way since Snow White. Most recently, the studio has produced several princess films featuring leads who have no prince, such as Elsa, Merida, Moana and Raya.
The Disney fandom has long speculated that Frozen's Elsa is queer, but this is not confirmed canon and Disney seems to refuse to acknowledge the outcry from fans to make it so. The studio has been criticized before for being painfully slow to include real diversity in its content, making the most minuscule of strides to slowly reach small victories in representation. But though these steps are small, they are steps nonetheless, and the next step is a queer princess.
In recent years, the media has become much more accepting of the LGBTQ community. Many studios strive to make sure queer people are represented in a positive way on screen, but Disney has yet to catch up. As a result, a gay or transgender princess would be groundbreaking for the studio. Fans are asking for more queer representation -- Disney just needs to start listening.
No they don't. This coming from the crowd who loves to shout "no one is entitled to your time and energy" too.
