On October 29, Disney released a short film entitled “Reflect,” featuring—for the first time—a plus-sized lead. If you haven’t seen the short film, it follows a young girl named Bianca practicing ballet in a studio where she is the only plus-sized girl in her ballet class. Her ballet teacher tells her to suck her tummy in and lengthen her neck, which causes her to gaze into the mirror next to her and observe the features she now feels insecure about. As she does so, the mirrors begin to crack, instilling fear or disdain for what she sees in her reflection. The cracks grow and soon tower over her, making her feel small and insignificant. Feeling overwhelmed, she covers her eyes with her hands, trying to shut out her insecurities, until she takes a moment to stop, breathe, and dance. With her first powerful and confident twirl, the glass falls back, glowing in beautiful colors until she no longer fears her reflection and breaks free from its hold. She practices ballet through the broken mirrors, symbolizing the overcoming of the ingrained negative views about her reflection and the low self-esteem that accompanies having such views.
I appreciate this short film because I was a heavy-set child growing up who liked to play sports. I wasn’t on the heavier side because of overeating or lack of physical activity, which aren’t the only cause for differences in weight—like stress, hormones, or genetics.Yet when I watched Disney movies, they all seemed to have waists as slim as my index finger, as though that is the only way a girl can be beautiful. The connection between the depiction of Disney princesses and body dysmorphia or body image issues is a very prevalent, ongoing topic of discussion. BuzzFeed published an article where members of their team dressed as Disney princesses and digitally altered their bodies to fit the frame of a Disney princess, which displays how disturbing and harmful these depictions of women are. Michel Ruiz published an article in VOGUE describing the influence it has had on her son and daughter. As a young girl watching this, you believe you must achieve an unattainable figure in order to get your Prince Charming and live happily ever after. For young boys growing up watching the same films, they start to believe that a woman worthy of their affection must have the same frame, otherwise they are seen as undesirable. This only adds to the unrealistic pressure that these young girls will soon face as they grow and foster this sense of insecurity, just like Bianca did.
There are, however, two sides to every story. The short film has suffered some backlash on Twitter where people stated that it encourages an unhealthy lifestyle or makes it seem like being overweight is something to strive for. Others pointed out the obesity crisis in America and found it shameful that Disney would release such a short film. Being someone who struggled with body image, I can see the positives as well as the concerns about this short film. However, ultimately, the goodness and effectiveness of this film depend on the mindset of the recipient—the person watching the film. With a healthy mindset, I can watch this film and receive the message that it is okay to not fit society's stereotype for women’s bodies while still recognizing a need for me to prioritize health. I don’t watch this short film and think “Well, I’m never eating healthy or hitting the gym ever again!” Rather, I allow this film to help me instill confidence in who I am and what I do despite what I look like. I don’t allow it to drive me or prohibit me from doing healthy things I love. Bianca wasn’t sitting around eating junk food, watching TV and saying she thought that was a great way to live; she was participating in ballet, an intense sport, and pushing herself to do something scary because she loved it and didn’t let society's whispers dictate how she saw herself or what she did. However, children may not always grasp this mindset and can interpret being overweight, even to an unhealthy extent, as good and safe, which isn’t the case. Body positivity may have begun with good intentions—but like anything, it can be manipulated, and people can take things too far. On TikTok, incredibly obese people are often praised for their size, being called “QUEEN” as they eat carcinogenic and fattening foods. I assume this is what scares parents and other individuals when they see plus-size leads in films being broadcasted to their kids.
While I liked the short film, I think a better plot would have been to simply have a plus-sized lead or character within a storyline that has nothing to do with a person's body or looks, rather than one that clearly depicts body image issues. Taking the emphasis off of how you look and simply having various-sized characters doing their own thing would subtly instill the notion that people are different, and that's perfectly okay. It would foster the idea that it is normal for people to be different sizes, and that how you look doesn’t have to be the defining character trait of who you are or what you’re valued at.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.