Sorry, Disney’s New Princess Elena Probably Doesn’t Count As Latina

*So, if I understand this correctly, Disney Latina-ness is a technicality, a generality, and not specific. Disney’s inclusiveness is not designed to be real? They should have left well-enough alone. VL

huffpo latinoBy Carolina Moreno, Huffington Post Latino Voices

When news of Disney’s “first Latina princess” hit the Internet on Thursday, Latinos rejoiced. But advocates of a more diverse set of princesses shouldn’t get too excited yet: Elena of Avalor may not really be Latina after all.

Disney announced the latest addition to its princess franchise in a Thursday press release. According to the release, Elena, 16, is a “bold, caring, funny and clever” princess, and will be introduced in a special episode of Disney Junior’s TV series “Sofia The First” in 2016. The character will be voiced by Dominican-born actress Aimee Carrero, of ABC’s “Young & Hungry.”

News outlets reported that Elena was Disney’s “first Latina princess.” But Disney’s release does not specify that Elena is Latina. Rather, the statement says the princess is“inspired by diverse Latin cultures and folklore.”

The description is reminiscent of Disney’s response to previous questions about whether “Sofia The First” would be the company’s first Latina princess. In 2012, a blogger asked Jamie Mitchell, the show’s executive producer, why Sofia’s mother had a darker complexion than the other characters. Mitchell responded, “She’s Latina.”

The statement caused an uproar, with many arguing that Sofia did not resemble the majority of the Latino population, with her blue eyes, fair skin and light hair. A debate ensued about whether Princess Sofia was “Hispanic enough.”

The controversy came to halt a few days later, however, when Nancy Kanter, a senior vice president at Disney Junior, took to the Facebook page of “Sofia The First” to clarify that none of Disney’s characters were intended to reflect real-life cultures:

What’s important to know is that Sofia is a fairytale girl who lives in a fairytale world. All our characters come from fantasy lands that may reflect elements of various cultures and ethnicities but none are meant to specifically represent those real world cultures. The writers …

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This article was originally published in Huffington Post Latino Voices.

[Photo courtesy of Disney]

 

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