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My Open Letter to Disney: This Isn’t OUR Latina Princess

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter.

Elena of Avalor may be the newest Disney creation, however there are setbacks…

1. It’s aired on Disney Junior– I do not have any younger siblings, cousins, or nephews or nieces, so I rarely have the urge to watch “Sofia the First” on Disney Junior. So why must the first Latina Princess be on a network where the older generation doesn’t find the need to watch?

2.  It’s a child and not a young woman – Back when I was growing up, the Disney princesses we looked up to were actually women. Elena looks like she’s a teenager since she was created for a children’s show. However, I’m sure the young girls are enjoying it, but at the same time the majority of them are interested in Frozen’s Anna and Elsa. Now why can’t there be actual women, specifically a Latin woman to be role models for them also? 

3. There is no variety of how she is created – Disney has a certain similarities towards their characters: small waist, large eyes, long hair, built in makeup, and overall the majority of the characters tend to not be a minority background. Mulan, Pocahontas, Jasmine and Tiana are the few that tend to leave a powerful message towards diversity, however if there could be more characters from different backgrounds, there will be a better popularity.

Disney needs to readjust their outlook on their characters, since overall they will have a higher rating towards other demographics…

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Photo credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Hi my name is Amanda Osorio! I am a Junior at UCF, majoring in Journalism and minoring in Women's Studies! I love to read the True Blood series and eat Pei Wei's spicy Chicken Pad Thai while watching Game of Thrones, Scandal, Empire, Scrubs, American Horror Story and so much more! I call myself a nostalgic person since I should have been raised in the 1970's since I LOVE that era, from the fashion, movies, and music. My dreams will be complete with my purple flower record player and baby blue typewriter. A girl can dream with her eyes open <3 <3
UCF Contributor