Daisy Duck, Minnie Mouse, and Goofy Go Anorexic (Seriously)
With a little help from Barneys, New York, Disney has morphed a few iconic children’s characters into waif-ish, albeit stylish, runway models. In an upcoming campaign called Electric Holiday, Disney decided to sell out on our kids and whittle Minnie from a robust, kid-friendly mouse into a high fashion, stick thin something or other. Walt would roll over in his grave.
Fashion designers, who spend millions each year marketing clothes to our painfully impressionable and fickle youth, knew exactly what they needed to do in order to get to the next level of consumers—little kids. So they pulled our kids’ beloved cartoon characters into the bizarre fold. How low can you go? Really. Daisy and Minnie? Shouldn’t they have immunity or at least be put off limits by the geniuses who created them?
Eating disorders are no laughing matter, and they are life threatening. The scope of those young women (and men) who have them can’t be adequately tallied because they come in so many varieties beyond the classic anorexia nervosa.
But Disney seems to have no problem advertising straight-up anorexia because one glance at Minnie and you know that’s what she has. Few with bulimia or mixed eating disorders can look this thin. This is true-blue unabashed starvation in its purest form. And we know that anorexia nervosa is simply the tip of the iceberg when it comes to eating disorders, which are so rampant on college campuses.
Several years ago I spoke with a young woman who returned for vacation from her Ivy League college. She confided in me that “every girl” on her dormitory floor routinely vomited their food in order to stay trim. Routinely starving or vomiting takes a lot of discipline, so no wonder it is so popular on elite college campuses. Even the brightest, most disciplined kids out there succumb to the magic of good marketing. They will get thinner at any cost because that’s what women do in America.
And they aren’t the only ones soaking up the sad but powerful messages. In my experience, more mothers are. While I can’t find data, I am seeing more mothers in their thirties and forties (especially wealthy, highly educated mothers) wearing smaller jeans than their daughters. The saddest part is, they’re proud of it. Come on, Moms. Let your girls have their day. Besides, what does this teach a daughter, when her mother wants to be thinner than she is?
Clearly, Disney knows exactly what it takes to snake into the pocketbooks of American women. Go thinner and they’ll buy clothes. Period. We have come to worship bones and demonize strength. Even if we women don’t participate in the get-rid-of-flesh-at-any-cost-wars, we are just as guilty because we allow clothing designers to get away with hurting our kids. We still buy their stuff.
I’m not much of a boycott fan, but I do think that Disney needs to hear from us on this one. How about it?
10 Responses to “Daisy Duck, Minnie Mouse, and Goofy Go Anorexic (Seriously)”
wow, Can’t believe Disney would do this. As a recovering anorexic/bulimc( I say recovering because I it is a life long battle), this is just one more thing for girls to see. My daughter is not skinny, and I try to make healthy lifestyle choices for her and that she will do the same. It is so hard when every magazine, esp Justice shoes all super skinny models. Sure they offer Half(Plus) sizes but do they ever show these girls modeling, NO! I am not saying being “heavy” is healthy, it is not but so much is focused on being skinny that it is too much pressure on little girls it sometimes leads to excessive calorie counting. This is so wrong in so many ways, lets celebrate our daughters being here and healthy beautiful human beings. Lets encourage them to see the beauty in themselves, not the number on a tag.
I totally agree. Why do Minnie and Daisy need to be changed? They are loved the way they were created. People need to stop worshiping the fashion industry and photo shop and be real.
Disney Co. you should be ashamed of yourselves for giving into the pressure! I and my family will boycott any product with these pathetic images. Really, you had to go there? How dissapointing! Parents, I hope you are all aware of how scary this slippery slope can be. I have two daughters and my oldest is 6. I never worried about how much I weighed at 6 growing up, but her school mates talk about it regularly. How sad.
Come on, Disney! You created a world that is safe for children and allows even adults to escape to your “Neverland” when the pressures of grown-up life becomes to much and we can feel like a child again. You have reigned throughout the world as the leader of fantasy, but you’ve just bitten the poisonous apple given to you by the evil Queen Commercialism and Image. These pictures are one fantasy that I hope you will reject and see them for the nightmare that they truly are.
Thanks for this story, Dr. Meeker. I did a little piggyback,
http://thetalkinglawyer.blogspot.com/2012/09/if-god-asks-me-to-refuse-donut-part_8.html
[...] Meg Meeker [...]
When I saw this, the first thing that came to mind was Faces of Meth.
Not that anyone ever wondered what Disney characters would look like as tweakers…
What I find most bizarre is that they are making a mouse and a duck have even more human-like bodies than ever… wtf? Creepy.
I love Minnie Mouse! So does my daughter
I think it is important to teach our children the wonders of art and the different ways people perceive and/or imagine different characters. The Electric Holiday Campaign drawings are someone’s re-imagining of Minnie Mouse & Daisy Duck and intended to be similar to high fashion art. I don’t think it is a big deal and it’s not changing out the original Minnie Mouse & Daisy Duck. I am sure there are children who love to look at high fashion magazines with their mothers and aren’t necessarily going to wish to be as thin as models are. Most designers like the waif-ish look and some women naturally look that way.
I believe parents should teach children their children how to have a healthy relationship with food and how to appreciate their beautiful selves.
teach their children*