Dr. Rebecca Hains
Author, professor and speaker | Children's media culture, media literacy, and media criticism
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Why Representations of Women and Girls Can’t Be Slut-Shamed
Is it slut-shaming to dub Polly Pocket “Polly Prostitute“? No, it isn’t. But many commenters on the internet think otherwise. I’m here to tell you why they’re wrong. About Slut-Shaming In recent months, the term “slut-shaming” has gone mainstream. In…
Read MoreRole Models Reimagined as Disney Princesses: A Q&A with Artist David Trumble
In the midst of the “Sexy Merida” controversy back in May, cartoonist David Trumble posted a satirical set of cartoons to the Huffington Post. His cartoons imagined how Disney’s Consumer Product Division would redesign other female role models to fit…
Read MoreDisney responds to Merida petition, missing the point
Recently, Disney released a new, 2D image of Merida. This prompted outrage because the character’s design was altered, for no good reason. The new Merida has been “prettified”–made more conventionally attractive in a way that undercuts the character’s strengths, to the detriment of the children…
Read MoreCartoonists and animation experts weigh in: the new Merida doesn’t HAVE to look this way
In the past few days, the new Merida designed for the Disney Consumer Products Division has lead to heated controversy. On the one hand, critics argue that the redesign undercuts Merida’s strength, serving her up in a more stereotypical princess…
Read MoreDisney faces backlash over new “sexy” Merida; pulls new image from web site as a result
UPDATE, May 16, 2013: Disney has stated that 1. the 2D image was never on their official web site in the first place (though, oddly, it’s all over the official Australia/NZ version of the Disney Princess site–which may have been the source of any…
Read MoreDisney-Pixar’s Brave: Critiquing the criticisms
I saw Brave the day it debuted in theaters, and I’m glad that Merida is a different kind of princess–one who can be read as a critique of both the trope that princesses are passive and the trend to tell…
Read MoreKatniss vs Merida: Mattel’s doll versions of strong girl characters
Last month, Mattel released a Katniss Everdeen doll, inspired by the look and style of Jennifer Lawrence in the Hunger Games film. Compared with Mattel’s typical fare, the Katniss doll was refreshingly unsexualized–reflecting the character’s positive portrayal in the film (which…
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Dr. Rebecca Hains 
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