Rachel Zegler’s interpretation of Snow White isn’t “woke” , it’s misguided.
Disney was all set to release their live action Snow White in 2024, starring Rachel Zegler as the protagonist, Snow White. The film, however, has been postponed due to the ongoing WGA, SAG-AFTRA strikes and amidst all the tension, the lead actress, decided to stir some more.Rachel’s interpretation of the character, her statements regarding the character she is set to portray, missed the mark from a mile. Although Disney’s attempt to jump on the “inclusivity” trend with unoriginal and careless characterization has proven to fail multiple times, this time the public’s outrage is concentrated on the actor alone. And I stand with the crowd.Although I do not condone the bullying, Rachel really needs to understand how women work and how multifaceted we are; no one is less than the other based on the feminine characteristics that align with her beliefs. Her attempt to seem relatable only highlighted her internalised misogyny, deeming her unfit to play the role she was assigned.
The original film was released in 1937 (which she made widely known), and revolves around the story of a princess who was the “fairest of them all”, making her the target of the evil queen who wanted her dead, so she could hold that title instead. The story goes on to unfold how she survives her constant attempts to kill her and finally lives happily ever after. Now, the time this film was made, every woman represented on screen was in fact expected to be more or less similar to Snow White. Throughout the film, she’s seen cooking, cleaning and singing. And she dreamt of falling in love with the prince. She was a clear representation of a woman of her times and probably just another character who wants to fall in love and marry. The film vocalises her beauty to be her most outstanding feature, and although she has things she enjoys doing, she’s not acknowledged for it. We don’t know her as the best cook or the best singer, but surely the fairest on land. Now here’s what we need to understand.
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