Why the white girl?
Why have a white girl (Naomi) in a Hispanic cartoon? Blonde and pale skin. Just isn't fitting.
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MovieChat Forums > Elena of Avalor (2016) Discussion > Why the white girl?
The same as having a token character in an all white show
Also diversity
My only REAL Criticism of show is they literally FORCE the fact that she is Latina (whatever) from the blatantly obvious to every other cliche or otherwise
The Tv show Sally Bollywood does the same with It' Hindu theme
They want you to know that the title character is from whatever country NO MATTER WHAT
She's the token white character, obviously.
shareBecause in hispanic countries there are plenty of blonde and pale skinned people, so that adds realism.
sharePlus it shows that people can be friends regardless of trivial differences like skin/hair colour. It's important for children to learn that.
shareWhy have a white girl (Naomi) in a Hispanic cartoon? Blonde and pale skin. Just isn't fitting.
You seem to have a very narrow definition of white if only Naomi - Blonde and pale skin - seems white to you.
I happen to be even whiter than Naomi, with red hair and very pale skin, but my definition of white seems to be much broader than yours. I tend to consider everyone who isn't "Native American", "Eskimo", east Asian, south Asian, Australian aborigine, sub Saharan African, etc., as being more or less white.
Contrasting white and Hispanic is illogical. White is a more or less accurate biological factor while Hispanic is a more or less accurate cultural factor. Hispanics can be more or less pure examples of three different races - white, African, or Native American - and are usually more or less mixed. Thus a small proportion of Hispanics are white by your narrow definition and a larger but still small proportion are white by my broader definition.
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I think she's a part of the 'diverse Latin cultures' that the show represents. Some Latin Americans look like Naomi.
shareI meant for that to say Latinas*, not Latin Americans.
shareI'm "hispanic" and I have light brown hair, pale skin and hazel eyes. I keep wondering why all hispanic people in films, literature and tv series are always depicted with mexican traditions and dark skin/hair. We have a lot of pale hispanics you know...including with light eyes. Nevertheless, I won´t deny brunettes/dark eyes are dominant.
I like the diversity of the show. Naomi could be hispanic with foreign ancestry (we have a minority with blue eyes but not with natural platinum hair) or, she could be an immigrant in Elena's country (She is platinum blonde, so perhaps she comes from a Scandinavian/Germanic country? ).
I also like how they made Isabel with lighter hair, skin and eyes. She portrays better the major type of Hispanics that doesnt necessarily dress in "traditional hispanic" colors/patterns. To me Isabel is more accurate than Elena's character.
Responding to the thread's question, I believe that having a show where everyone is latino with no exception might be taken as racism, because there are caucasian people, black people and even asian people living in Hispanic countries and vice versa. In Tiana's Frog Princess they also added white characters.
In terms of making the show's popularity grow it could be also a marketing strategy: Frozen's Elsa might have had some influence in creating Naomi, because "Elsa-type" characters are trendy among the planet ever since Frozen came out.
Also the theme "I want to learn how to be a good queen and my sister means all to me" is also Frozen's? Frozen diffused Feminism and the concept that romance (or damsel in distress) comes in last place and it was widely praised. I believe they're trying to make Elena the Hispanic Elsa in personality while Naomi gets her looks.
The only thing that keeps itching me in Disney's princesses is that all princess are skinny and I dream of the day Disney will make an adolescent princess without being too thin.
Regarding Naomi's character, the only thing I didn´t enjoy was how fast she became friends with Elena (and vice versa). I like to see character's struggling to make friends, knowing each other slowly.
Also, not related to this thread but I confess even though the show is not about romance, I absolutely love Gabe and I would love to see him marrying Elena in the future *3*
The only thing that keeps itching me in Disney's princesses is that all princess are skinny and I dream of the day Disney will make an adolescent princess without being too thin.
I don't know if you've seen it already (go see it if you haven't) but the new princess (technically "daughter of the chief") Moana has a much more realistic body for a teenager. She isn't part of the official line-up, but Anna and Elsa aren't, either, yet people seem to consider them as if they were. Oh! That is Pixar, but she's still part of the official princess line-up, but Merida also has a more realistic body. Those are just two, but well, it's a start! Let's just hope Disney keeps making female characters like that. share