Critics Speak Out in Defense of Snow White

After the recent controversy surrounding Rachel Zegler, one voice has come out in defense of the classic and older Disney princesses.

Actress Rachel Zegler has been at the center of an internet hate storm recently, when allegedly disparaging comments that she made about the Disney princess Snow White resurfaced online. The actress has drawn people’s ire for being “entitled” and for seeming ungrateful for the opportunities she has received with the live-action remake.

Related: Rachel Zegler “Plays Victim” in Recent Apology, Claims She is the “Most Grateful Person Alive”

Recently, Kimberly Terasaki of The Mary Sue, the outlet known as the “geek girl’s guide to the universe,” wrote a defense of the older, classic Disney princesses, specifically addressing the controversy and criticism surrounding Cinderella, Snow White, and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty).

Terasaki explains how these three princesses often receive a lot of hate for their personalities and storylines, when in reality, “a lot of the hate isn’t warranted.”

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Terasaki places these characters in their contexts, drawing attention to the fact that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released during the Great Depression, and Snow White was a character who, despite going through immense amounts of trauma (namely, her stepmother trying to kill her) still maintained a kind and good nature.

These were aspirational qualities at the time and made Snow White an ideal and “an archetype that audiences could imagine themselves embodying,” not a relatable character.

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The author then continues to elaborate on Cinderella and Aurora as well, highlighting Cinderella’s sassy nature and reminding readers that the princess didn’t even go to the ball looking for love; rather, she went there to “get dressed up and dance.”

On the other hand, Aurora can seem like a complex argument to justify, but the author argues that the movie is arguably more about the three fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather. As Terasaki explains, “These three elderly women are the ones who drive the plot, not just out of duty to the crown but out of love for the young woman they raised.”

Ultimately, Terasaki argues, leaving aside the arguments from the “Woke Disney” crowd, the movies, placed in context, still, bring a lot of value, and the earlier Disney princesses, despite the flack they receive, are characters worthy of appreciation.