Let me tell you how Disney has shaped my views...

Disney has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My cabinets in my den at home are filled with tapes (yeah, that thing before DVDs) of many of the original Disney animations. Some of my favorites included “Peter Pan,” “The Lion King,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Toy Story.” I think it is notable that my favorites were not the princess films. I found the princesses to be a bit dull. They never really did much, especially the first generation princesses. I enjoyed the action and humor of the other Disney movies more, but I would still watch the princess films occasionally. Today, I look back on this and think that this shaped my views of roles I want to play in theater. I love performing arts, and improv comedy especially. I always would prefer to play the comedic relief part instead of the distressed, boring soprano. I fear being boring. Watching the princesses made me more inclined to be independent and accomplish things on my own. Instead of waiting for my prince, I worked hard and made my own dream come true, getting into Duke. Now I am working even harder to build a future for myself and my family. I don’t need no man!

Being a performer, it was always a dream of mine to get a job in Disney World. I used to want to be one of the actresses that dressed up as the characters and signed autographs and spoke to the children. Around puberty, I realized how strict the requirements are to be one of these people. You need to be in certain height and weight ranges, otherwise you aren't welcome to audition. The emphasis on appearance kind of shattered my dream. As a 5’3” curvy brunette, the only part I could probably get at Disney World would be Mickey Mouse. Until the Disney brand creates more princesses that vary on the size/weight/conventional beauty spectrum, normal people won’t be able to get hired as a character in Disney World, which upsets me.

Even as a teenager, Disney continues to shape my views. One notable instance of this comes with the movie “Frozen.” Although we were not the market audience for the film, many of my friends and I went to the theaters to watch the film. Teenagers all over the country were excited because Disney included its first gay family. The character Oaken is the owner of a small shop and is best known for saying the line, “Yoo-hoo! Big summer blowout!” In a later scene, Oaken is seen with another man and some kids in a hot tub. Even though I supported the LGBTQ community before seeing “Frozen,” I did think that it was pretty awesome that Disney put a gay character in their film. It helped me realize that the world is becoming a more accepting place for gay people, and that we should expect to see them in the spotlight more often. I admire Disney for not being afraid to include an unconventional family in their film. My only criticism is that the family was only on screen for at most five seconds. Nonetheless, the film and the inclusion of Oaken was met with much enthusiasm.

It is hard to put into words the way Disney has shaped my views. I certainly believe that the films helped me explore the realm of my imagination, while the parks made me realize that it is just all magic, and not real. I am excited to see how Disney’s new inclusive line of characters, like Moana, continue to shape me as a college student.