Disney's first black princess: It's about time

"Hell, let's get that representation in there. We have to satisfy the political correctness group. Also, let's make the writers of the U.S. Constitution all black, asian, and hispanic." LOL Chaz! That is funy and unfortunately that is about how absurd this whole thing is.

I think it is funny that the blacks are always screaming racism and discrimination! Many of you insist on living up to the stereotypes of your race and then can't figure out why the rest of the world sees you that way. If you want the rest of the world to view you differently as a race then as a race you need to stop living up to the stereo type. I don't see the Irish screaming that they are descriminated against or the German or more importantly the Native American Indians. They more so than any one are the ones who should be bitching. This country we live in and call America belonged to them first. They were treated like wild animals and forced to live on reservations. Lets heard up all the cattle and put them here. Are they complaining and demanding restitution for the wrong that was done to them no. Black people want to blame the white man for making them slaves and to blame the white man for all their problems and their suffering. Maybe you should try looking in the mirror and start putting the blame where it really belongs! Those of african decent those whose ancestors were slaves need not to blame the whites. Blacks of african decent were sold into slavery by their own kind. You seem to like inficting pain on your own kind. When was the last time you heard of a drive by shooting done by a gang of white people. I am not saying it doesn't happen or can't happen by 9 times out of 10 it is black people doing the drive by's. More blacks kill blacks than white people do. How is that the white mans fault? The whites aren't he ones doing these things to you. If you are not getting the jobs you want it is easier to blame the white man than to look in the mirror. There are plenty of black people who are successful and educated. Oprah, Denzel, Prince, Beyonce, Condeleza Rice. As a race you have plenty of role models if you just open your eyes. Your kids idolize the thug wanna be's, gang banga wanna be's etc it starts at home and is a learned behavior. Who is teaching your children that not white people. What kind of role moodel are you being for your children? Who are their hero's? Who do they want to be like when they grow up? The pro sports whatever person with the questional back ground. The one with drug charges, assult charges, rape charges. What about the rapper they want to be like. Blacks need better role models. If discrimination was truely a white thing in todays america or even the america of 10 years ago there would be no blacks in politics, there would be no black doctors or lawyers. As a race you are all up in arms about what you don't have and what you have been denied and who you can blame for it. You have the same 24 hrs in a day that any white person has, you have the ability to go to school and learn like any white person does, you can go to college just like any white person can. You have the same opportunities as any white person. Some would say more opportunities. You qualify for more financial aid to pay for college. You qualify for more business loans. Hell most companies have to hire a certain number of black people so they aren't accused of discrimination same goes with accepting black applicants to colleges and universities, If whites are so discriminatory why are there some many cultures and races in this country? There are sucessful people in all races of all ethnicity in this country. If whites were so racist and so discriminating that would not be the case! It is a choice you make in your same 24 hrs a day that determines where you ended up. Oprah did not have an advantage any more than most people, black or otherwise. She should be your role model. Stop being lazy and stop bitching about what you don't have and what you think you don't get or what you feel you have been denied. Do you see Irish history month? German history month? Chinese history month? Japanese history month? The answer is no because it does not exist and are those races crying about it NO! You control your destiny no one else if you put out negativity guess what that is all you are going to get back. There is a movie that probably all people could benefit from out there called The Secret. Check it out. White people don't blame others for their misfortune. They aren't crying about why they can't. They aren't screaming it isn't fair. Also just for clarification Disney may be an American company but many of the stories that they tell on film or derived from or are based on european stories. Anastacia was Russian, Ariel was part fish but it was based in a european area, Beauty and the beast as well, Cinderella, none of those caracters are american girls in America. White is a skin color common to many races and cultures. Just as black is a skin color common to many races and cultures, Jamacian, dominican, african etc. GET OVER IT PEOPLE. WE are Americans in this country regardless of heritage and skin color. We all have the same anvantages, opportunities, and 24 hrs in a day, what sets us apart are the choices we make, and how we spend each of those 24 hrs. stop using yours to bitch about what you don't have and us yours more productively and you might find that you have what everyone else has.

While it is important for little girls to have princesses that look like them, it is equally important for those princesses to have the same fairy tale quality of other stories. I have a problem with the name of the new princess, the setting of the tale and the title. Where is the fairy tale in New Orleans? Previous princess stories have been set in far off lands with castles and magic. Why is it that the only black princess from Disney has to be from the French Quarter of N.O.? Although I don't know the story line, as it stands right now, I'm not happy with the black girl from the swamp. I'm not buying the "American fairy tale" bit. Further, I am not finding the name Maddy to be satisfying either. Personally, I think it sounds more like a slave name. Previous princesses from Disney have been named Jasmine, Ariel, Cinderella, Mulan and Pocohontas (I'm still not pleased with the lies behind that story). Maddy? Give me a break! If Disney needed a nice Creole name for this character, I found plenty at frenchcreoles.com. How about Gabriella, Josephine, Adelaide, or Monique? If this is Disney's way of trying to show they aren't racist (from some assumptions that I've heard), I think they are doing a poor job. They could have come up with a better way for little African American girls to relate to a Disney princess. So far, this idea has been poorly thought out, if at all. In my opinion, this is a mediocre attempt to appease people and for Disney to say, "see, we care about black folks!"
As a young African American woman, I am offended and not satisfied with what Disney is doing. I remember being a little girl and wondering why dolls and cartoon characters didn't look like me and this doesn't that issue. I am truly disappointed and saddened.

I'm not sure how I stack up to everyone else here in age. I'm still in my late teens and I don't have any kids, but I've worked with plenty already. I'm not sure how much the matter of hair color has to do with young girls identifying with princesses. I do have experience in knowing that young girls will still take to liking to and even idolize any princess that she chooses, but to think that the absence of a black disney princess has had no impact on young black girls is idealistic and wrong.

The truth is, young girls realize the difference and at the same time they dont. In the "princess phase" young black girls; just like white,asain,and hispanic gilrs, can see themselves as any princess they want to be. Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahantas, etc. But even still, young black girls do realise that they are different.

Being that I was one of those young black girls that grew up with Disney classics (my favorite was Belle, cause I loved to read too) I can say from experience that its true.

Now I act and I work with kids as well. It makes me upset when girls that I work with begin to realize that their idols don't look like them , or more importantly, when they can't look like their idol. Recently a group of the girls I work with had a disney princess party. They're a mixed bag of girls. Of the 7, two are Black American and another girl is from Haiti. The one asain girl dressed as Snow White, we had two Belles, a cinderella, a Jasmine, a Sleeping Beauty and Ariel. Everything went well for a while, but one of the girls (white bell) made a comment to another (black bell). She said, "I'M BELL!! You don't look anything like her and you're hairs wrong!" Now it was a childish remark and the girl didn't know any better but soon similar complaints were being said by all, to the black Belle and black Cinderella. Asain snow white and haitian jasmine weren't tormented, thankfully, but the two other girls cried so hard we had to call their mothers to pick hem up.

After witnessing that I was so happy to hear they were coming up with a black disney princess. I just hope that its tastefull and not stereotypical so that lots of different young girls will want to see it.

It was said before that Disney is a businness, and as such they mst serve the demands of their consumers. If so many people want a black disney princess or an AMERICAN disney princess in general, it shouldn't be snuffed at. It's their job to give us what we want, plain and simple. If there are people who want an Irish or German, or Australian, or Hispanic, or Japanese or ANYTHING princess, MAKE IT KNOWN!

and don't stick your nose up because many black people did, because thats how things get done in this country.

I just hope this movie is worth the wait and that its tastefull and fun for everyone!

Especially me! I always wanted to be a princess at Disney World. Maybe this is my chance.

To those who are so sickened by those who are encourged by Disney finally adding a Black princess to their collection, whatever Disney's motivation, you are so obviously and blissfully ignorant, . What you will never understand is that there is a difference in wanting to be included in everything and wanting not to be excluded from something that is so pervasive and representative of virtually everyone else. Are you parents? Do you know that the first three years of a child's life are some of the most important as they are little sponges at this age? Any parent can attest to that. And until you have had your daughter come home and say that she wants her beautiful brown skin to be white, despite providing what you believe are positive African American role models and images, you will never undestand the issue. The examples one of you listed of racial problems proves your ignorance, which I can't totally fault you for. Caucasians don't have to learn about the Black experience to survive in American society.

This commentary is way too deep for anything about Disney Princesses, and I've allowed myself to get pulled into it. But it only started out by a few overjoyed mothers, of which I am one, saying it's about time. Dieter & Mr. W took it to the typical Caucasian indignation level for no good reason at all. You should be happy if you have no bigger problems than worrying about African Americans wanted to be represented or bringing their issues to the forefront. That means you are still in it (the forefront). Try experiencing it from the other side, I guarantee you wouldn't last a day.

Personally, as one other blogger noted, Disney could have gone to any number of tales from African folklore to find a princess, but at least there will now be a princess image that completes the racial spectrum and more closely represents the diversification of their audience.

And by the way, at the ages of two to three, the ifluence is all visual. They don't understand the stories or the political significance of the stories. They are tickled by the animals, impressed by the pretty dresses. It is our responsibility as parents to teach our daughters the more important lessons of self esteem and body image; and my husband and I instill in my daughter every chance we get just how beautiful her rich brown skin is and that she can do and be anything she sets her mind to. And God willing we will be there to support her when she faces those who try to tell her differently.

Congrats to Disney. I wonder if her Prince will also be Black. Doubt that. It seems the pretty gilrs of color are often falling for White guys onscreen. The fact that some people on this thread don't see the siginificance of this step toward inclusion in 2007 is very sad. the Irish comparison is really something.

I would like to say as an Italian American, that I think it is great that Disney makes a black princess. However, I am hoping that this wont lead to a "gay" doll. I also would like to say that for the African American people who feel neglected by this, I have had it with your complaining. My kids have to participate in African American Month. Also, They go to a school that has a "Gay" club, and are offended by that too. How about Miss Black America! Life is not fair,Yet we as Christians are told we cant have a bible in school or pray in school. And you want to be treated equally, and everytime a black person accomplishes something in the new they have to say "the first african american to ..." If that is the only unfairness your child has to deal with, then count your blessings! And a black nativity is really wrong, Jesus was Jewish!!

This is a great subject for non-blacks to gain more awareness and sensitivity. discussrace.com

Peace and Love, Dave Myers

Okay, first, I think it's fair to want a disney princess that 'looks like you do.' As a kid, that's just who you tend to identify with; I know jasmine and belle were my personal favorites and that's probably because their hair was dark like mine. But you've gotta cut disney a break, I mean yah the 'white and blonde' princesses are the most popular, probably because they are the ones that are pushed the most, but I'm guessing they're pushed the most because they are the oldest (and fyi snow-white isn't blonde and she's pushed too). Cinderella, snow-white, sleeping beuty, they were some of the first disney movies made and, let's not forget, they are all based on european fairy tales where the people are white and blonde. It's pretty much only the fairy tales that can have 'real' princesses so you can't really blame disney for having mostly white white-blonde princesses. I say mostly because there are others: belle & snow-white (brunnettes), ariel (redhead), pocahontas (indian), Jasmine (arabian), and other lead female character that just can't really be princesses simply because there are no princesses where the story takes place: Esmaralda, lilo, mulan (though for some reason she's advertised as a princess), I could go on but I think you get my point. Whining over a company that has thus far been unable to represent every nationality in only one of its many collections (ie there have been disny shows that star african-americans, they just haven't been represented in the princess line) just makes my eyes role. It's fine to be happy that their coming out with the movie but I don't think it's fair to ask 'why did it take so long.'

I have not read too much about the plot of the story, but i just wonder why out of all the names in the world the Black Princess's name has to be "Maddy". I really hope there is an explanation that ties into the name, really. I believe as another stereotypical theory is that all black women are "Mad", "Angry" people who always have an attitude. So when i saw the name i just immediately thought deeper into it. Either way there is a reason to the name and i personally don't like it. There are many beautiful african & african american names, with awesome meanings to choose from. Someone at Disney should've had a light bulb go on while tossing around name, that this might not be the best name to associate to a black princess/model to young black girls. My 8yr old and I are not feeling her name.

For all of you talking about not having an "Irish/Italian/Norwegian" princess, you're really ignorant. It's not about nationality; Africa is not a country, it is a continent. And there are European princesses and female beauty queens portrayed by Disney, an American (not European) company. Whites are the majority, but they aren't the only Americans, and Whites aren't the only people who matter. This is about having a Black princess who young Black kids can identify with, and for Whites and others to look up to as well, so they can see that beauty is not only the domain of Whites.

The point is that Whites have had princesses and other positive female characters that were idealized versions of themselves. So have some other races as well, such as Native Americans and people of Middle Eastern descent. However, Blacks, even though they have contributed so much to the United States, and were here long before the Irish, Italians, etc., have only been considered equal in the last generation or two, and have not been portrayed in Disney as positive female characters. Do you think it's just a coincidence that Blacks in Disney have been limited to a former slave who embodied old-time stereotypes of Blacks.

It is true that kids don't see race, but at the same time, they do see that something is different about them, and that they cannot become what is considered beautiful by society. They can't put a name on it, like "racism" or whatever, but trust me, they can feel it. When I was a child, I remember at a young age being insecure because my hair wasn't the color of gold nor did it shake, my nose wasn't straight, and I could not become what was considered beautiful. My parents did give me Black dolls (when they could find them), and they didn't talk about race around me, but there is something powerful for young females about not having the ability to have a desirable "best self." You have to be in that situation to understand.

For all of you talking about "slavery," shut up because the crying over slavery is only in your minds, due to stereotypes you have of "whining Black people." This is about the here and now, and that for once Disney, an American company who has made it their business to sell dreams, has made it accessible to young Black girls.

No one is attacking blondes and White people, no one is taking away your princesses, this is not a zero-sum game. Gaining a Black princess will not take away from White ones. Grow up and diversify.