Teen girl launches petition
for Disney to create a plus-size princess - but is that an unhealthy ideal too?
- High schooler Jewel Moore says Disney has the power to influence girls' confidence, and a plus-size princess would be a positive role model
- But some have argued that the focus needs to be on having 'normal' princesses with realistic and healthy dimensions instead
PUBLISHED: 16:03 GMT, 31 January 2014 | UPDATED:
17:11 GMT, 31 January 2014
6,842 shares
A teenage
girl has launched a petition for Disney to make a plus-size princess in the
wake of controversy over whether the company promotes an unrealistic feminine
ideal.
Jewel
Moore, a high school junior from Farmville, Virginia, wrote on her Change.org page that since Disney has such
a huge influence on young girls, it should create a princess with a curvy body
to 'show support to a group of girls who are otherwise horrendously bullied by
the media.'
But while
many have praised her for trying to put a stop to body shaming, others have
questioned whether a 'plus-size' princess - rather than simply a normal-size
one - is a step in the wrong direction.
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Fighting
for a cause: Jewel Moore, a high school junior from Farmville, Virginia, who
describes herself as 'plus-size', has launched a Change.org petition for Disney
to create a plus-size princess
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Body
image: Citing the unrealistically skinny proportions of princesses like Ariel
(left) and Jasmine (right), she says Disney should 'show support to a group of
girls who are otherwise horrendously bullied by the media'
Jewel's
petition, which has amassed 861 signatures so far, bears the title: 'Every body
is beautiful'.
She
writes that she created the page 'because I'm a plus-size young woman, and I
know many plus-size girls and women who struggle with confidence and need a
positive plus-size character in the media.'
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Citing
research that 'a child's confidence correlates greatly with how much
representation they have in the media,' she says a plus-size Disney princess
would be a positive step towards body acceptance.
Many
commenters have agreed with Jewel, leaving comments on the Change.org page to
express their opinion.
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Equality:
Jewel's petition, which has amassed 861 signatures so far, bears the title:
'Every body is beautiful'
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Every
body is beautiful: She wrote on the page: 'I'm a plus-size young woman, and I
know many plus-size girls and women who struggle with confidence and need a
positive plus-size character in the media'
'If young
girls see that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, they can change how
society views it,' wrote one supporter
Another
said: 'Having dealt with being overweight my entire life, I think that it would
be great for Disney to make a more realistic princess for young girls to look
up to.'
But some
have taken issue with Jewel's emphasis on 'plus-size', asserting that the focus
needs to be on having 'normal' princesses with realistic and healthy dimensions
instead.
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Misguided?
While many have supported her petition, some have taken issue with her emphasis
on 'plus-size', saying the focus needs to be on having 'normal' princesses with
realistic and healthy dimensions instead
One
parent wrote on CafeMom.com: 'Why do princesses have to be
either weirdly skinny or plus size? Are there any petitions for normal sized
princesses?'
'If girls are THAT impressionable I wouldn't want them looking up to
overweight princesses'
The
sentiment was shared by another mother, who said: 'Understandable. But at the
same time do we want our daughters idolizing a plus sized princess either?
'If girls
are THAT impressionable then I really wouldn't want them looking up to
overweight princesses or idols. Why not just average sized? Not fat, not
skinny.'
Negative Feedback :
Name
Removed
“I hate
the term "plus-size" its merely a way to sugarcoat reality to fat,
over weight people. Being over weight has just as much, if not more negative
health issues short and long term compared to being slightly underweight.
Childrens
self image is not at risk from disney. If anything it will just encourage them
that princesses are not obese.
This is
simply another attempt by fat people to try and validate and justify their
unhealthy lifestyle so they don't feel guilty when they're too lazy to do
something about it. They sit by the TV eating garbage rather than a healthy
nutritious meal and exercising every once in a while.
Any fat
person, given the chance, would take a thin physique over their fat one... They
just don't want to work for it. When society accepts this mentality as ok, it
drastically adds to the global health and financial epidemic of obesity.”
