Disney Racial Stereotypes Essay

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Ava Chatigny Mr. Monty American Lit and Comp May 8, 2024.

Does Disney’s Quest for Diversity and Inclusivity Excuse the Racial Swapping of their Characters?

It is no secret that Disney has been under fire for the recent racial swapping of many of their characters. From casting Halle Bailey as Ariel in the live action The Little Mermaid to the casting of Rachel Zegler as Snow White, Disney has been moving towards making their content more inclusive and diverse, or so they claim. However, this movement towards diversity and inclusivity does not excuse the racial swapping of their characters; “this method serves as a cheap and simple way for Disney to. garner praise while doing the bare minimum” (Keyla). While Disney claims to be promoting diversity …show more content…
What is a race swap? Racial swapping or race-bending, is the changing of a character’s established ethnicity or race (Suggs). The public has been nothing short of divided on the methods of racial swapping. One party is overjoyed by the representation that the racial swapping brings. Younger kids can now see themselves as their favorite characters. The other party opposes racial swapping, questioning why Disney could not create new stories with diversity specifically in mind. In July of 2019, Disney announced that Halle Bailey, a black actress, would be playing Ariel in the live action The Little Mermaid (Grebey). Bailey and Disney alike received racist backlash after the announcement from those who opposed the new image of the Little Mermaid. Critics took to the internet posting their disdain, “spawning the hashtag #notmyariel” (Culver and Williams). However, hundreds of posts and YouTube videos went viral of kids of color’s reactions to seeing a Disney princess who looked like them. These videos warmed many hearts and raised the question “does racial swapping change the vital plot?” (Grebey). These people argue that the racial swapping is just a small aesthetic detail that can be overlooked.
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