It is no secret that the string of live-action remakes of classic Disney films have been controversial; controversy which was largely unjust. Halle Berry was stunning in The Little Mermaid, the live-action Lion King was endearing in its own unique way, and Emma Watson’s Beauty and the Beast was gorgeous – but the most recently threatened Disney live-action remake, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, somehow managed to fall apart before the trailer even dropped.
Disney has decided to center the new version of the story on a Snow White who supposedly doesn’t need a man to save her in the name of female empowerment. It looks great on paper; a young girl goes into the woods without a man, escapes the Evil Queen without a man, creates a home without a man and ultimately ends up living her life without romance.
However, Snow White never “needed” a man in the first place; she showed her strength many times throughout the beginning of the story. She established herself as an authority figure to the dwarves as soon as they found her in their house; she gave them a routine, cooked, cleaned and had all of them doing chores within a week – all without a man. In fact, the only time that she actually needed a man was for true love’s kiss, which could be merely transactional for Ms. White.
There is the argument that her becoming a housekeeper for the dwarves upon living with them is anti-feminist. While this may seem like it’s upholding 1930s stereotypes, considering that Snow White was a maid at the palace, the “housekeeping role” is merely her contributing to the household in the ways that she knows how, which was the same way she contributed to a castle run by a woman.
Snow White does not have to become a feminist icon overnight with an entire new storyline, she already shows independence in her own right. She may dream of a prince to come take her away, but that doesn’t mean she needs one. She proves over and over again that she can fend for herself, but independence and love are not mutually exclusive.
If Disney wants to have princesses without princes who doesn’t focus on love, they can create new princess characters. Until they are willing to write new stories, they should leave the classics as they are: full of fairytale idealism, love and folly.
