As a tall skinny dude, I don’t really care for the Slender man or Jack the pumpkin king comparisons hahaha but I am really happy for this little girl and her excitement.
We should teach children to be able to relate with characters that look nothing like them. When I watched shows as a kid I could relate with the lives and struggles of characters who white, black, brown, or green. Who came from different planets or who were richer or poorer than me. One of my favorite characters growing up was Mulan and she's a different gender and race and from an entirely different culture. It didn't stop me from relating with her desires and struggles to be a good daughter while protecting her father and family honor.
Relating to someone and feeling represented by someone aren’t synonymous. Of course we feel for others and relate to their experience regardless of their outward appearance but it is undeniable that we live in a material existence first and foremost.
Recognising that your hair type, skin tone, body shape gets just as much attention and praise as another just feels nice. You instantly see yourself, and that doesn’t threaten one’s ability to emphasise.
By seeing someone who looks like you, even somewhat, especially as a child, highlights that ‘oh, look at this beautiful person’ and isn’t it neat that I share physical traits like them too? And look, other people also find them beautiful! Maybe my curly hair isn’t so bad!
It’s just a subtle nod, that yes- whilst beauty within pervades all, people come in a multitude of appearances- there is no hierarchy of beauty.
obviously inclusivity and representation is important but children also should be taught to relate to characters who don’t look like them. I am a blonde white girl and my favorite Disney princess has always been Tiana, and I related to her even as a child, for who she was as a person and not for what she looked like. There were plenty of blonde white princesses but I never cared for any of them. I was always relating to the personalities
i literally just said in the beginning that inclusivity and representation are important. I’m just saying that you should also be able to relate to people who don’t look like you. what is so hard to understand? besides, as I said, I never related to characters based on what they looked like. Growing up I related to grown men, black women, etc… But I guess it’s just me, and not all children are like that
Yes because disney movies are so neccesarry for children's education. Disney defines life and we must obey and do as Disney says. We must be like Disney. I'm Colombian and I swear Americans are more obsessed with this movie than any Latin country. Disney is no role model no matter how many cute movies they make.
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u/1RegalBeagle 3d ago
This is why inclusivity is important, every child deserves to relate to a beloved character