Disney has appealed numerous generations with its
family-friendly, anthropomorphic animal characters, such as Mickey Mouse. Yet
despite its family-friendly reputation, Disney has recently been criticized by
parents and activists regarding its joint marketing collaboration with Barney’s.
The subject of this controversy is the companies’ “Electric Holiday” campaign video,
which features an emancipated, elongated rendition of Minnie Mouse and Minnie Mouse dreaming about being a
model in Paris. Many have protested that the video promotes an unhealthy body image for girls.
After growing up with the round,
bubbly Minnie Mouse, I was shocked by the sight of the new, sickly-thin Minnie
Mouse (shown above). After I saw her body proportions and read about the video’s story-line, it was clearly evident that the ad projected an image what the
ideal, attractive female should look like. For many young girls who idealize
and/or frequently see Minnie Mouse, this “make-over” brings a wrong message
about body image and glamorizes unrealistic, unhealthy body proportions in the name of fashion.
Although the redesigned Minnie Mouse
is only for the special campaign, the fashion campaign and its redesign of
Minnie Mouse have alienated many who grew up with the healthy, bubbly original.
When I first saw the rendition, I didn't recognize the beloved Disney character
I had grown up with. But considering the popularity and familiarity of Disney characters to
kids and adults alike, I am not surprised for a company big as Disney to take
advantage of this profit-generating opportunity by using its brand history.
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