Keep Merida Brave

As this is only a small sample of the articles about our campaign, A Mighty Girl would like to thank all of the journalists and authors who took the time to discuss these issues in thoughtful, powerful ways.

Jenni Murray, BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour

The BBC Women's Hour provides an in-depth look at the Merida Makeover. This 10-minute radio segment features A Mighty Girl's co-founder Carolyn Danckaert, Pink Stinks co-founder Emma Moore, and two girls Jasmine and Amber, who discuss their opinions of the redesign.

Leslie Gorenstein, Yahoo! Movies

Gorenstein speaks to child development experts to ask whether changes to Merida really affect girls. As one child development expert, Dr. Robyn Silverman explains, "This one character may not do any damage to a girl's psychological development, per se. But Merida joins a barrage of thin, sultry characters for girls, making her yet another facet of our sexed-up, thinned down messaging."

Lisa Suhay, Christian Science Monitor

Suhay explores the impact of the redesign on a young girl in her life. She writes, "The newest, most feminist-forward Disney princess, Merida of the animated film "Brave" asks, "If you had the chance to change your fate, would you?" Disney corporate answered with a resounding "No!" when it stuck to gender-typed tradition and converted the disheveled, feisty, normally-proportioned, self-reliant archer to a slimmer, glitzy, doe-eyed version, sparking a petition by outraged fans. Worse, it disappointed a chunky little red-haired girl I babysit for because it put her princess dream back out of reach."

Chris Heller, The Atlantic

Heller argues that the best part of Brave was how it subverted the princess stereotype, and in the process became more accessible, familiar, and real to girls. The changes, he says, tell girls that "sexuality, beauty, and body type are inseparable from what it means to be a princess."

Women You Should Know

This editorial site which focuses on dynamic women describes, head to toe, how Merida's appearance was altered to make her fit the homogeneous princess ideal. Her "glamazon makeover," they say, "is truly gag inducing, especially in today's day and age."

Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, The Guardian

Cosslett argues that strong female role models in media are critical for both boys and girls -- and speaks to her own mother's balancing her love of all things princess with strong, confident role models. Cosslett says, "It's unsurprising that those parents who initially praised Disney for its creation of a princess who looked like a real girl are dismayed... It's a shame that Disney couldn't be [that] brave."

Alyssa Rosenburg, Slate Magazine

Rosenburg asks, "If it's important that girls of color and girls of different economic classes be able to recognize themselves and find aspirational stories in the Disney Princess line, why shouldn't it also matter that girls with wild hair and variable body types see themselves there too?"

Karen E. Dill-Shackleford, Psychology Today

Dill-Shackleford attacks the idea that the changes to a cartoon don't have a real-life effect: "Research in my lab has shown that when men are exposed to sexualized, objectified images of women, they become more tolerant of real-life sexual harassment compared to controls who saw professional images of women.... The stories we tell about women and girls do matter. And the pictures we put in our daughter's minds matter as well."

Matthew Bogarts

Bogarts, a cartoonist, talks about the controversy from the perspective of character design. He demonstrates how character design also informs us about character qualities, and uses an interesting example featuring Batman and Bruce Wayne to demonstrate how the choice of image has an impact on marketing.

Paul Liberatore, Marin Independent Journal

A common question as the petition grew was what Brenda Chapman, creator and co-director of Brave, thought of the makeover. On May 11, she spoke to the Marin Independent Journal first, saying, "I think it's atrocious what they have done to Merida." Quotations from this article have since spread throughout media coverage of the issue.

Beth Greenfield, Yahoo! Shine

As the petition topped 50,000 signatures on May 10, Yahoo! Shine featured a discussion of how it had captured the attention of Brave fans. A Mighty Girl founder Carolyn Danckaert contributed to the article, including this quote about why Merida matters: "[The redesign] is sending a message," which is one that puts forth a very narrow definition of beauty. "This is how children pick up cultural messages about what is important. Young children don't really distinguish between reality and fantasy, and these characters are their role models."

Jessica Samakow, Huffington Post

One of the first articles about the makeover to circulate, Samakow talks about the confusion and disappointment prompted by the initial redesign reveal and directs readers to the petition, which at that point (May 8) had 19,000 signatures.

Charlie Brooks, 5/9/2013, Babycenter Blog

Brooks expresses his concerns about the Merida makeover, not because there's anything wrong with a girl liking pretty princesses, but because by changing Merida Disney says they will only market princesses in one way, despite the character's original intent.

GirlTalkHQ, 5/10/2013, GirlTalkHQ.com

An explanation of how the makeover is different from the original character, including quotes from people who signed the petition; includes a profile of A Mighty Girl's mission.

Fiona McCade, 05/15/13, The Scotsman

Now that Merida's appearance has been altered to a more glamorous, Princess-y one, the message to girls is that it's all right to be different for a while, but eventually you will have to conform.

Mary Elizabeth Williams, 05/15/13, Salon Magazine

This article points out that Disney's quiet pulling of the madeover image -- without any acknowledgement that there was anything inappropriate about the redesign or any commitment not to market a changed Merida -- is a symptom of problems that exist within the princess line: there is no longer any narrative or action necessary, princesses just ARE.

Lexi Novak, 05/15/2013, Allure Magazine

An article that discusses how the changes to Merida's appearance don't just make her princess-y, they give her a sexual quality that was not present in the original character.

Jennifer O'Connell, 05/15/13, The Irish Times

An article that talks about how Merida -- an active, powerful, female main character -- was the exception, not just in the Disney Princess collection but in media in general. Statistics back up the rarity of females with speaking roles in media for all ages.

Jill Greenwood, 5/8/2013, jagoffsmakemestabby.wordpress.com

An opinion piece about how even people who love the Disney princesses found Merida refreshing in her self-confidence and uniqueness.

Amy Jussel, 5/6/2013, Shaping Youth

An article pointing out that the toy industry is not responding to children's wants: they are marketing to create them. Several toy manufacturer's are profiled, showing how they portray female characters and "toys for girls."

Fiona Leonard, 5/09/13, Blog - A Fork in the Road

A blog post about how glamorizing girls' characters contributes to girls' (and women's) distorted views of their bodies, which includes a profile of A Mighty Girl and the change.org petition.

Beth Greenfield, 5/10/13, Yahoo Shine

This overview of the Keep Merida Brave campaign includes quotations from Peggy Orentstein, author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter.

Olivia Fleming, 5/9/2013, Daily Mail

A general overview of the changes to Merida and the petition, as well as quotes from children and parents about the change.

Holly Lebowitz Rossi, 5/10/2013, Parents Magazine

A basic overview of the changes to the character and of the petition.

Christopher Frankonis, 5/12/13, furiousnads.com

This opinion piece discusses how Merida's existence as a princess in the movie is necessary to subvert the stereotypical princess story, and how the makeover reduces her to stereotype.

Nkoyo Iyamba, 5/13/13, ksl.com

This article discusses the public's reaction to the change, as well was the petition and Brenda Chapman's response.

Carrie Goldman, 5/14/2013, Chicago Now

Goldman talks about her own and her daughters' reactions to the Merida makeover. Included is a video by her six-year-old, Annie Rose, about her feelings about the change.

5/15/2013, Daily Times Pakisan

Merida may be a single altered character, but the overall psychological effect of the barrage of thin, sultry characters marketed to younger and younger girls has a significant effect on body image.

Marinda Valenti, 5/14/13, Ms Magazine

The article discusses how Merida was different from many depictions of female characters, as well as how much change still remains to be seen, and expresses hope about how much impact campaigns like the petition can have on media portrayals of girls and women.

Paul Liberatore, 5/11/2013, Marin Independent Journal

Brenda Chapman -- 'Brave' creator and co-director -- had her first discussion of the Merida makeover with the Marin Independent Journal. Chapman expresses her displeasure with the makeover and communicates her support for A Mighty Girl's petition.