As a kid, I remember watching Disney movies with admiration. Each one included captivating music and characters that filled my mind with ideas of what life entails. I never gave much thought to the messages I received from such movies until it was brought to my attention. By this point we are all fairly familiar with the discrimination Disney movies have portrayed in the past.
Not too long ago, Disney came out with the movie “Princess and The Frog,” which received praise for having an African-American female protagonist. Now it seems that Disney is introducing a new princess.
According to an article on KPCC.org, “Disney Has a New Latina Princess, Sofia, but is she Latina enough?” Disney has stirred up controversy about whether or not its new character has misrepresented the typical Hispanic girl. Before I could decide whether she was “Latina enough” or not, I had to realize what that meant to me, since I am a Latina. All my life I was told that I did not look Latina and that I was more “white looking.” This offended me, not because I didn’t want to be mistaken as being Caucasian, but because I was Latina and proud of it. I grew up to realize that it wasn’t important whether I looked like the average Latina or not because knowing that I was a part of the culture was more important.

Sofia is questioned because of her blue eyes and fair skin. She was never actually meant to be Latina, but her make-believe culture is most similar to Hispanic culture. I would enjoy seeing a Disney female protagonist reflect a Latina with her culture being highlighted like Mulan, Pocahontas and Jasmine. But Sofia was meant to represent a girl who is born in a melting pot.
As a child, I never really thought it affected me to see the princesses as I did. I thought Jasmine was Hispanic at the time anyway, but it didn’t really make a difference. With the type of melting pot we have in America, I think the typical Latina is ambiguous.

All little girls will grow up someday, and the world that surrounds them will always be changing. Instead of trying to hold on to old concepts, they should freely decide for themselves. Being Hispanic, or any ethnicity for that matter, does not define their being, but rather compliments their future as best as it can.