A New York-based artist hopes to make the Disney universe more inclusive by reimagining beloved animated characters from β Sleeping Beautyβ to βThe Princess and the Frogβ as transgender people.
The artist, who identifies as transgender but asked to remain anonymous, began presenting their series of images, which show the trans version of the character alongside his or her classic counterpart, on Instagram this week. They kicked off the colorful series Sunday with Ariel from βThe Little Mermaidβ re-created as a short-haired, tattooed trans man. Cinderella, Peter Pan and Aladdin are among the other characters to get makeovers as part of the series, which is simply titled Trans Disney.
As is the case for many fans, the artist told HuffPost that they first became enamored with Disney after viewing many of the classic films as a child. βWe literally grew up watching them. We saw β and were influenced by β the narrow way they portray love and define gender,β they said.
As they grew older, however, they became more and more vexed that transgender people had yet to be represented by Disney. βI wanted to break those clichΓ©s,β they added, βto state that transgender people also dream of finding love and happiness.β
Furthermore, they added, βSome of the patterns and plot elements can be read as a metaphor for the LGBTQ community. For example, Iβm thinking of how the Beast could be a metaphor of an individual who is keeping his real sexuality in the closet, and sees himself as a βmonster.β I also came across an article debating whether Elsaβs βdisabilityβ and desire for loneliness can be related to her secret homosexuality.β
The artist began their series with βBeauty and the Beastβ heroine Belle, who is their favorite Disney character. βShe is an outcast, people treat her differently, but she doesnβt let it get under her skin,β they said. βShe stays faithful to herself and falls in love with someone who also is an outcast. I can relate to that so easily, and I think a lot of people can for different reasons.β
Ultimately, theyβve opted to present the series anonymously via Instagram because they want to keep the focus βexclusively on the project.β So far, they feel like theyβve succeeded.
βIβm receiving a positive response from many fellow LGBTQ people, as well as from people who are not LGBTQ,β they said. βThis is just the beginning. My goal is to show more nuances of a transgender personβs transformation, the moments and goals of being one.β
Check out the rest of the Trans Disney series below, and be sure to check out the official Instagram here.
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