THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 18, 1995 TAG: 9506180035
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ELIZABETH SIMPSON
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
So just where did Disney come up with that D-cup doeskin? Not even Sophia Loren could fill out those threads.
The latest animated heroine to emerge from Disney's magic makers - Pocahontas - has all the features of a Barbie doll. Fringe-flapping bosom. Uncommonly thin waist. Beautiful flowing hair. Long, thin legs. Why, she even has cleavage.
There's only one important element missing: reality.
Look around. How many young women really look like that?
Before I go any further, let me make two disclaimers. One, I haven't seen the movie, only previews. And two, I'll be getting in line when it opens next weekend like everyone else who has a kid. As far as children's movies go, Disney is still the only game in town.
But that won't keep me from objecting to the figures of Disney women. After all, Pocahontas isn't the first distorted image of femininity to come from the Mouse Factory.
Young girls look to these animated women as role models. And it's an easy leap for kids to equate long, silky hair, unrealistically thin waists and big bosoms with goodness, heroism and lead roles. The faces of these heroines may change from one movie to the next, but the body type always stays the same.
Evil female characters, you'll notice, never have it so good. Witness spike-haired, skinny Cruella De Vil in ``101 Dalmations'' and the overweight Sea Witch in ``The Little Mermaid.''
Disney has often stumbled in its portrayal of women, from the demure Snow White, pining away for her man, to ``Beauty and the Beast's'' Belle, criticized by domestic-abuse counselors for falling in love with a guy who growls at her and throws her in a prison cell.
In many ways, Pocahontas is a step in the right direction. Instead of the usual lily-white model, she's an American Indian. Instead of waiting for Prince Charming to show, she's teaching John Smith to navigate rivers, grow plants, and respect the land. Instead of playing the damsel in distress, she's saving Smith from the chopping block.
For all those points, I applaud Disney.
The packaging, however, could use some work.
The fetching figure wouldn't be so bad if it were based in fact at all. It isn't. Pocahontas probably met Smith at the unblossomed age of 11.
My objection is not so much that the film veers from history, but that it perpetuates an hour-glass body type that is almighty rare.
And then we sit around wondering why girls are so preoccupied with the latest diets and the sexiest clothing.
Girls, however, aren't the only ones to suffer from these unrealistic body images. Look what Disney did to Smith, who in real life was short, dark-haired and a bit of a scoundrel. In the movie, he's got the physique of Atlas, the voice of Mel Gibson and the chiseled looks of a Greek statue.
Try measuring up to those measurements, guys.
Sure, Disney is a kingdom of fantasy, but the place could use an occasional reality check.
Over the years, the creators of Disney's animated films have broadened their adventure-seeking heroes to include girls as well as boys. They've brought in different races, like Aladdin and now, Pocahontas. They've varied the role of women from victim to savior.
So it seems like there might also be room for a little variety in figures. And a nod to the fact that people - good and bad - come in different sizes and shapes. by CNB