Body Positive Artist Reimagines Disney Princesses
Last week, the internet was abuzz with images from Wisconsin artist Crystal Walter. She runs Neoglassical art and has been generating interest for her re-interpretation of Disney princesses showing that heroines come in all shapes and sizes.
In a recent piece on Scary Mommy Walter said that her inspiration comes from her own childhood years. She said, “When I was a child, I was fat, and I despised my own body.” Walters continues, “I remember at age 12 or 13 having a conversation in a clothing store with my mother where I told her, ‘I’m not even human-shaped.’ She said knowing that others have similar negative self-talk inspired her to create images combating the lack of representation in popular media.
As Scary Mommy points out, raising girls to feel worthy regardless of “perceived” flaws isn’t easy in a society the glamorizes size zero women. Seeing Disney’s iconic princesses drawn to represent ALL bodies marks a refreshing change.
Walters told Scary Mommy that the process of creating these images has been therapeutic for her. She said, “Creating art has been extremely helpful during this first half of the year, just keeping a sense of normalcy while everything else was falling apart. The world has changed so much, both in general, and personally since March.” Walters continues, “My father passed away in early March, and in the last real conversation we had, he mentioned how proud he was of the work I’ve been doing. And when I draw these days, it still feels like everything is the way it was… and provides a few hours of peace at a time.”
People have been reaching out to Walter to tell her that her drawings have helped them change perceptions of their own self images. She said, It’s especially encouraging when I hear about people using my art in school presentations on body image, or hear that parents who follow me show the pictures to their children.”
One of the most popular images that we here at MickeyBlog noticed making the rounds last week was one of the princesses all together (see above.) Walters drew them all digitally in only a few hours. However, she goes on to say that it took her about two years to fine-tune her design and make the whole composition come together.
So what’s next for Walter? She said that she’s interested in fashion and creating clothing that is more size and ability inclusive. In the meantime, you can get the prints above on t-shirts, stickers and home decor on her website.
Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for more Disney-related news and updates!
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