As I read the various articles detailing the backlash, I found that most of the reader's vehement comments centered on how you don't have to look a certain way to be Hispanic. There were many comments like, "I have blue eyes and fair skin, and it bothers me when people say I don't look like a Rodriguez," or "Go to (insert name of country here) and you'll see a lot of fair-complexioned Hispanic people." First of all, I'd like to say that I agree whole-heartedly with them. You certainly don't need to look a certain way to be Hispanic. My Hispanic mother has a lighter complexion and lighter brown eyes and her mother has light skin and green eyes (Spanish roots from 400 years back; long story). I am perfectly aware that we Hispanics have different backgrounds and a large spectrum of different hair, skin, and eye colors.
What bothers me is that Disney chose the more fair-skinned, Caucasian-looking end of that spectrum. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a fair-skinned Hispanic. I'm sure all the fair-skinned Hispanics out there (who seem to make up the majority of the commenters online I've read) appreciate there being a Hispanic character that looks like them. However, what about everyone else? I live in an area near the border. What about all the people who look like me and the majority of people around me? Did we really need another super-fair-skinned princess? It's hard to write this without trying to sound like I care too much about looks, but at the root of it, it's her looks that matter.
When "The Princess and the Frog" was released, I remember seeing stories on TV that put a spotlight on Tiana being the first African-American Disney princess. There were little girls saying, "There's a princess who looks like me!" If they had chosen a fair-skinned Tiana, people would have thrown a fit. In one of the "Sofia" article comments I read, one person wrote that they work with children, and one 3-year old told her that she "can't be a princess because her hair isn't blonde." People notice these things.
As I mentioned before, Sofia lives in a fairy tale land called Enchancia. Her mother is from Galdiz, a country modeled on Spain, and her father is from a country modeled on Scandinavia. Let me repeat that - Galdiz is "modeled" on Spain. Unlike the Tiana-New Orleans, Mulan-China, Pocahontas-America combos, Sofia isn't even from a real country. Hispanics are the largest minority in the U.S. and our supposed first princess is from a European fantasy world.
As previously mentioned, Enchancia is modeled on the British isles and Sofia's ancestry lies in countries modeled on parts of Europe. Now, if I look 400 years back on my family tree, I can find some European roots, but I certainly don't think of myself as being European. I, and a lot of the Hispanics around me, have roots in Mexico or other countries south of the border. Why did they make her European? Don't we have enough European princesses?
Also, why did they initially announce that she was the first Latina Disney princess and then not put any emphasis on her culture? I feel like it was just an afterthought to them - "Oh, hey, we can say she's from a country modeled on Spain and then we can call her the first Latina Disney princess! Everyone will think we care about diversity!" Now, they've announced that she was never meant to be Latina in the first place.
Disney's Statement: "What’s important to know is that Sofia is a fairytale girl who lives in a fairytale world. All our characters come from fantasy lands that may reflect elements of various cultures and ethnicities but none are meant to specifically represent those real world cultures." Wow, Disney, somehow I never knew that New Orleans, America, and China were fantasy worlds.
Another beef I have: Why is the first Hispanic Disney princess in a kids' movie on a Disney kids' TV channel? Is Disney running out of money? Did they not want to waste time on a full-blown movie? Why isn't Sofia getting the full-blown Disney princess treatment? Everyone knows you're not a legit Disney princess unless you sing incredibly catchy, beautiful songs and have a bedsheet set sold at Walmart.
Something else that I'm wondering about is why Disney gave her mixed heritage. Disney is claiming that because Sofia has mixed-heritage, she is like many girls out there who are have mixed-heritage as well. I agree with this; not everyone has just Hispanic roots. There's a lot of diversity out there today. She is certainly familiar in that regard if you have strong feelings about your mixed-heritage, but why did Disney decide to do this with the first Hispanic princess? Why didn't they make her as Hispanic as Pocahontas was Native American, or as Tiana was African-American, or as Mulan was Chinese?
My two last problems: I watched the trailer and noticed two things.
1) The animation looks weird.
2) Sofia is way too clumsy and her problems look overblown. How can someone possibly fall over and drop books that easily? It's like in Twilight where Bella's big flaw that makes her more human is her clumsiness. 0_0 Really? Do you actually know anyone in real life who is "clumsy"? Does that make them human or cute or relate-able? No. It makes me wonder if they have sight or balance problems. Also, you can't pour tea well enough? Too bad you don't have a castle full of servants to do it for you. Oh, wait . . .
So, in a nutshell, this whole Sofia thing bothers me because
1) Disney chose to model their first Latina princess on the fairer skinned end of the Hispanic spectrum.
2) She's not even from a real Hispanic country
3) I have yet to see any emphasis on her ethnic background. Making her Hispanic looks like an afterthought on Disney's part.
4) They gave her a weirdly animated kids' movie and not the full Disney princess treatment.
5) The animation looks weird.
6) Sofia's clumsiness doesn't advance anything - it doesn't make her look like she's having difficulty adjusting to Royal life, or that she's just like everyone else. It makes her look like she has balance or sight problems.
My biggest question about all of this is why do I care and why did I just waste so much time writing about this?!
