By Lili Sandler, A Mighty Girl Senior Research Intern

Each May the United States celebrates the history and culture of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. during Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. The month of May was selected to commemorate the diverse and important roles of Asian-Pacific Americans for two reasons. First, early Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States on May 7, 1843, and second, the transcontinental railroad -- built predominantly by Chinese immigrants -- was completed on May 10, 1869.

Asian-Pacific heritage encompasses a broad and diverse array of cultures from an expansive geographic region. All of the Asian continent, as well as the Pacific islands of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia are included in this celebration. In honor of the essential role all of these cultures play in modern-day American culture, we’ve selected a dozen books which tell different stories of Asian-Pacific American girls. We’ve organized these selections by the age group for which they’re intended, and hope that you’ll enjoy our choices as much as we do! Continue reading → Continue reading

*** Read A Mighty Girl's latest Keep Merida Brave campaign announcement ***

By Brenda Chapman, "Brave" Writer and Co-Director

I have been overwhelmed at the supportive response that A Mighty Girl’s petition on Change.org has gotten and I’m thrilled and optimistic because of it.

But we’re not done. Regardless of the support the petition has received the campaign is not over. And it is still important to speak up.

In response to the overwhelming amount of support this petition has received, Disney has only backed down a little. They have yet to make a definitive statement that they intend to restore to Merida her original look, staying true to her character, on all future merchandise. The sexier, slimmer version of Merida with a come-hither look and an off-the-shoulder dress is still very much out there. In fact, it remains to be seen what is "limited" about this current iteration of Merida. Instead, it seems like a very intentional image created for the benefit of future merchandising. Disney’s move of restoring Merida’s bow and arrow seems like a hastily applied band-aid, hoping to quell the uproar about these unnecessary modifications to a beloved girl. Continue reading → Continue reading

By Aaron Smith and Carolyn Danckaert, A Mighty Girl Co-Founders

If you think Disney has scrapped the Merida Makeover, think again. When 230,000 supporters signed A Mighty Girl’s petition to Keep Merida Brave, Disney came up with a convenient story. Disney Consumer Products, the division of Disney behind the Disney Princess merchandise line, contacted the industry blog Inside the Magic to "to set the record straight" in an effort to "to create some calm in the communities who are up in arms over the matter."

According to Inside the Magic:

“[Disney] had no intention of changing who Merida is. The artwork that has circulated online depicting the new 2D rendering of Merida was intended to be used only on a “limited line of products” as a “one-time stylized version.”

Inside the Magic further noted:

“Disney does admit that there are a few other variations of this rendering out there, supplied to Target for use on a limited line of products.”

But is the Merida makeover really just a “one-time stylized version” to be used only on a “limited line of products” only to appear at “Target for use on a limited line of products”?

Based on the evidence, the answer unfortunately appears to be no. Continue reading → Continue reading

By Carolyn Danckaert and Aaron Smith, A Mighty Girl Co-Founders

Campaign Update: (5/19/13) The Target Disney Princess Collection page featuring the madeover Merida has been removed.

Campaign Update: (5/17/13) A Mighty Girl has launched a special Keep Merida Brave campaign page!

Statement Update: Appended on 5/17/2013 addressing redesign being a part of limited line of products.

Since launching our petition on May 4, A Mighty Girl -- along with more than 200,000 petition signers -- has been calling on Disney to "Say No to the Merida Makeover and Keep Our Hero Brave!" Despite the overwhelming response from both parents and children -- and contrary to reports in various news outlets that Disney has pulled the madeover design -- Disney continues to promote the redesigned, sexier Merida and this version is emblazoned across Target’s Disney Princess Collection website.

In one of their first public statements on the Merida makeover to the Disney industry blog, Inside the Magic, Disney claimed that the madeover Merida is a "one-time stylized version" for the Target Disney Princess line but, as Ricky Brigante writes, "they could not say exactly how she would be depicted alongside the other Disney Princesses." They further asserted, Brigante notes, that Disney "had no intention of changing who Merida is." However, the madeover version of Merida, as seen on the Target website, shows that Disney has already radically changed the beloved character into a pale reflection of her former self. Continue reading → Continue reading

Brenda Chapman at the "Brave" premiere in Los Angeles. Image Source: Getty

Oscar-winning Brave writer and director Brenda Chapman, a supporter of A Mighty Girl’s “Keep Merida Brave” petition campaign, granted us her first in-depth interview discussing the Merida makeover. In this Q&A interview with A Mighty Girl co-founder Carolyn Danckaert, Chapman shares her views on the redesign of the character she created and its broader significance.

Danckaert: Before we discuss the makeover, can you tell me in your view what was so special about Merida as a character and how did her original visual depiction speak to that uniqueness?

Chapman: I let Merida's personality guide me as far as her wild hair. I wanted it to visually depict her attitude, her emotional make up so it wasn't just about “Oh look, she has cool red hair.” I wanted to make a statement with it as opposed to suggesting that she’s just trying to look pretty -- which she’s not. That’s just her natural wild, curly hair.

And as far as her body, I wanted to show a regular teenage girl’s body not one that of a girl trying to use push-up bra and go on a major diet or anything. I wanted her to look normal, like how girls look in real life. Continue reading → Continue reading

Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Senior Research Intern

Campaign Announcement: A Mighty Girl has launched a special Keep Merida Brave campaign page!

A Mighty Girl's petition to Disney on the redesign of the character of Merida from the film Brave as part of her induction into the Disney Princess collection has attracted over 180,000 signers and a huge amount of media attention.

To help keep our supporters abreast of compelling articles and commentary on our campaign to Keep Merida Brave, we've compiled a collection of articles that address the redesign from a variety of perspectives. All of them effectively point out why many people object to the changes and why the appearance of an animated character has meaning far beyond disappointing fans.

Recommended News Coverage

Merida redesigned - What message is the new look Princess Merida from Disney's Brave sending out?, Jenni Murray, BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Continue reading → Continue reading

By Carolyn Danckaert, A Mighty Girl Co-Founder

Campaign Announcement: A Mighty Girl has launched a special Keep Merida Brave campaign page!

After our post last Friday about the redesign of the beloved character Merida from the film Brave generated over 800 comments in a single day, we were inspired to launch a petition over the weekend calling on Disney to "Say No to the Merida Makeover and Keep Our Hero Brave!" In its first two days, it collected nearly 20,000 signers and today it surpassed 70,000 signers!

The petition focuses on the redesign of Merida in advance of her induction into the Disney Princess collection. In it, we say to Disney:

"Merida was the princess that countless girls and their parents were waiting for -- a strong, confident, self-rescuing princess ready to set off on her next adventure with her bow at the ready. She was a princess who looked like a real girl, complete with the ‘imperfections’ that all people have.

The redesign of Merida in advance of her official induction to the Disney Princess collection does a tremendous disservice to the millions of children for whom Merida is an empowering role model who speaks to girls' capacity to be change agents in the world rather than just trophies to be admired. Moreover, by making her skinnier, sexier and more mature in appearance, you are sending a message to girls that the original, realistic, teenage-appearing version of Merida is inferior; that for girls and women to have value -- to be recognized as true princesses -- they must conform to a narrow definition of beauty. Continue reading → Continue reading

By Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Senior Research Intern

With Mother’s Day fast approaching, you may be looking for a few more things you can do to make Mom’s day a little more special. Music is amazingly evocative -- there are few things that can capture complex emotions so quickly -- so why not look for the perfect song to describe your relationship?

A Mighty Girl is proud to present our top ten songs for Mighty Girls and their Mighty Moms: songs that are loving, sweet, and powerful in their depiction of one of the foundational relationships in a girl’s life.

We will describe each song here, but for more details, including information about concerns parents may have about content in either lyrics or video, and to preview songs via embedded YouTube videos, please follow the links to our full entries. Each of these songs, like all of those featured in A Mighty Girl's music collection, is also available through either iTunes or Amazon.com’s MP3 download service via the links on each song's page. By using the links on A Mighty Girl, you also help to support the site at no added cost to you, and can have your Mother’s Day playlist set up in no time!

And, to discover wonderful books celebrating Mighty Moms, check out our previous post entitled: A Mother’s Day Special Feature: Celebrating Mighty Moms and Their Daughters. Continue reading → Continue reading