Disney's Black Princess

So Disney is coming out with a new film starring a Black princess. My first thought is how great this is, and how long overdue! However, I quickly discovered that there is already controversy stirring among the Black community as to whether or not Disney is “about to vaporize stereotypes or promote them” with the movie’s characters. The movie is set in 1920’s New Orleans and the star of the show is the Black Princess Tiana. After reading this article, which discussed at length the various racial issues people are having with this movie, I definitely felt the urge to put in my two sense.
Here are some excerpts from the article that was published in the New York Times on May 31st. My comments are the words not italicized.

“The film, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, two of the men behind “The Little Mermaid,” unfolds against a raucous backdrop of voodoo and jazz. Tiana, a waitress and budding chef who dreams of owning a restaurant, is persuaded to kiss a frog who is really a prince. The spell backfires and — poof! — she is also an amphibian. Accompanied by a Cajun firefly and a folksy alligator, the couple search for a cure.”
Pre screeners have found fault with “the prince’s relatively light skin color”. “Disney obviously doesn’t think a black man is worthy of the title of prince,” Angela Bronner Helm wrote March 19 on the site. “His hair and features are decidedly non-black. This has left many in the community shaking their head in befuddlement and even rage.” While I’m not exactly sure why a couple of mixed ethnicities in the year 2009 would bring out “rage” in anyone, I will say that because they’ve always given the White princesses a White male partner, it does come across as questionable as to why they would choose to give the Black princess a male partner of a different ethnicity……especially in the 1920’s. But, I do however applaud Disney for writing an interracial couple into one of their stories!

“Disney should be ashamed,” William Blackburn, a former columnist at The Charlotte Observer, told London’s Daily Telegraph. “This princess story is set in New Orleans, the setting of one of the most devastating tragedies to beset a black community.” Okay, I’m pretty sure Disney was just thinking of the cultural aspects of New Orleans, the jazz, the food, the strong Black communities, and how well they fit with their idea for the storyline.

Disney originally called her Maddy (short for Madeleine). Too much like Mammy and thus racist. A rumor surfaced on the Internet that an early script called for her to be a chambermaid to a white woman, a historically correct profession. Too much like slavery. I’m not so sure I understand this, because in the movie Aladdin, the character Ali lived on the streets and was looked down upon by royalty and considered to be not worthy of marrying a princess---which I’m guessing fits with the Arabian culture? Sooooo to have a Black woman living in the 1920’s South working as a chambermaid to a White woman…….I’m sorry, but I think that would be culturally appropriate for that time period. History is history, it can’t be re-written just because some of it isn’t pretty.

“people are really excited to see how Disney will handle her language, her culture, her physical attributes.” And, here’s where I have the biggest problem of all. Raise your hand if you think Snow White, Belle, or Ariel accurately portrayed the average White woman in regards to physical attributes, language, and culture. Anyone? I see no hands….. That’s because they didn’t. The average White woman is not 5’9 with 36-24-36 measurements, she does not speak grammatically correct at all times, and her culture is not that of Royalty. So why it is that people are getting their panties in a wad over whether or not Princess Tiana will accurately portray Black women? She’s not a real woman! She’s a Disney Princess, people! Big difference. The Disney princesses float around in monochromatic ballgowns, gloves, and heels; they wait for their Prince to save them from some treacherous fate. They say things like “oh my!”, and go on adventures while giggling carelessly with birds, dwarfs, and underwater sea creatures. So while I’m the first person to say that we are all one blood, and the color of our skin does not matter in terms of equality, I do agree that our unique heritages and cultures should remain significant to us. However, I definitely don’t think we need to rely on the characters of a Disney movie to help our children identify with their own heritage or culture. So to all of you who are putting all your hopes and dreams of breaking down racial stereotypes on this one little movie……don’t hold your breath. Princess Tiana can graciously take her place next to Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, and Snow White in Disney’s world of “these women don’t actually exist on planet earth”.

I Have To Admit It

I like the Duggar family! When I first saw their show on TLC and saw that they had 14 children and counting….I was beyond amazed. I thought, “who are these hillbilly, backwoods, occult religion member, baby machines?” So I only watched one or two episodes out of morbid curiosity. Quite a while after that I saw they were coming out with a new season of episodes, only at this point they had 16 or 17 children (can’t remember exact number, because she always has one on the way). So I watched them build a gigantic new house and have it decorated by some fancy decorator that I’m sure TLC paid for. Then mom gave birth to baby number a billion, or 16, 17, whatever it was. I thought hmmmm they seem pretty normal (other then their litter of kids), maybe they’re not in some weird religion that requires you to live in a compound...

So then much later, I heard on the news they had baby # 18 (or it’s on the way still, can’t keep track) and their oldest son was getting married. I kept seeing previews for “A Very Duggar Wedding” talking about how this kid hadn’t even kissed his bride to be, like ever. They were saving that for marriage. Um, okay. Whatever floats your boat. So you know I had to watch the show. I have to say it was actually very sweet and very touching. Putting aside the very bizarre facts--the amount of children they have, how many times she’s actually given birth, and what that must have done to her body, saving kisses for marriage, etc-- they are a very loving, caring family that seem……normal! And, I have to say I loved JimBob’s (the dad) marital advice; from the simple “resolve disputes before sundown”, to the surprisingly very insightful “women want to be heard and they will like to give you all the details, just listen to her and she’ll appreciate you for that”. I really appreciated his take on marriage and was kind of blown away by his insight into what women want in a relationship. I couldn’t help but think maybe this is why they have so many kids; who could keep her hands off a man who seems to understand so much?!

So despite their outdated appearances and atypical beliefs on physical contact before marriage (i.e. no kissing), I think we could all learn something valuable from this family………except of course birth control methods.(bud-up-bump)

Don't Forget the Popcorn!

I’ve been too busy to come up with a serious blog subject, much less write one. So as I sit here and watch The Color Purple, I’m inspired to write about some of my favorite movies….

My husband and I are both movie buffs. In fact we actually go around integrating random quotes from movies into our daily lives. Like, “your head has the shell on it” or “real tomato ketchup, Eddie?”. Recognize those? Yeah, you wouldn’t unless you’re a big ‘Tommy Boy’ or ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation’ fan. I love watching movies at the theater, I love watching them at home, I love movies. I’ve even contemplated starting another blog all about movies. Here are some of my all time favorites ….at least the ones that come to mind right now.

The Color Purple—there’s so much to love about this movie I can’t even put it all into words. Empowerment of women is a good way to summarize it in a few words. The top 3 scenes: 1) Sophia (played by Oprah Winfrey) telling Celey (played by Whoopi Goldberg) how she’d been abused her whole childhood but she won’t take it now that she’s a grown woman, 2) When Shug (played by Margaret Avery) is singing to herself outside and then hears the choir from her father’s church singing and she starts running towards the church, and then bursts in singing along with the choir and reunites with her father, 3) At the end when Celey curses “Mister” (played by Danny Glover) for abusing her for so many years.

Steel Magnolias-okay so it’s sort of the typical sappy chick flick but it’s so warm-hearted that you find yourself loving the characters…..and the beauty shop scenes!

Going in a completely different direction…..Knocked Up is a fabulously funny movie and it has an actual storyline. If you can tolerate crude humor then you have to watch! There isn’t anything in this movie that’s not funny. From the sex jokes, bearded roommate, and pink eye breakout to the gyno who misplaced her fingers during the exam. Hilarious.

Superbad—by the same producers as Knocked Up and with some of the same actors. Hilarious movie! Lots of teenage awkwardness, sex jokes and off the wall humor, which I love.

Back to the Future and Adventures in Babysitting—Still watch them to this day every time they come on, and I own the DVD copy of Adventures in Babysitting. Love them. What is there not to like? Who doesn’t wish they could go back in time? And wouldn’t want a cool babysitter like “Kris”?

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation-I love all of the vacation movies but this one is my all time fave out of the set. We watch it every Christmas without fail and sometimes even in the summer. Top scene: When Clark has his usual breakdown…this time about the Christmas “bonus” he received. And of course who doesn’t love cousin Eddie?

90210 flashback

Did anyone get to watch the new 90210? Not me! For some reason Dish Network doesn’t provide me with that channel. I don’t know why else I’m paying 130.00 a month for the “everything” package, except to get everything. But, NO I can’t get the one channel that airs the remake of my most beloved show of all time. Did I mention I HEART Dylan? Or how I always wished I was friends with Brenda, Kelly, and Donna? Yes, I was a dork. But I watched the show religiously every single season. Wednesday nights were MY night. I saw Kelly through an eating disorder, a neglectful mother, her slutty image, almost burning up in a bathroom with a lesbian who was in love with her, her occult phase, and her gun shot induced amnesia. But, I totally rooted for Brenda during the Kelly, Dylan, Brenda love triangle.

So even though I realize I’m 29, a wife, and mother of two…..I still can’t get enough of the teenage predicaments, romances, flings, and just overall drama. So I still occasionally watch 90210 reruns on SOAP network and I totally wanted to see the new 90210!!! If nothing else just to see Jennie Garth and Shannon Doherty reprise their roles. I did buy this weeks copy of US weekly because Shannon was on the front dishing about her time on the show, and on the way home today I did hear “How Do You Talk to an Angel” on the radio. Which any die hard fan will remember was the song of Jamie Walter’s character on the spinoff show “The Heights”, who then later joined the 90210 gang as Donna’s [abusive] love interest. ANYWAY, I’m completely bummed that I can’t watch the new one. I’m actually considering calling the satellite company to see what it would cost to add the channel…….now that’s loyalty. Or maybe it's just weird.