To: Disney Consumer Products and Walt Disney Company
Disney: Return Merida To Her Empowering Roots
Merida, the heroine princess from "Brave", was beloved by people everywhere for her girlish charm and wild ways. Please stop sexualizing female characters and marketing the message that a girl's worth comes from her looks.
Why is this important?
In 2012 Disney Pixar released "Brave", giving fans and families a truly daring and adventurous heroine who was a welcome break from the long-standing Disney Princess brand. For a family like mine, concerned about gender stereotypes and sexualization in childhood, Merida was the princess we had been waiting for.
To our dismay, Disney has given Merida a very adult-looking makeover, along with the other princesses. By sexualizing Merida, Disney is sending the message to kids everywhere that being a princess isn't about being brave, it is about being pretty.