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Disney made an animated short film about the body image - why this is so important
Disney+ just released the second season of its short film series called Short Circuit in September, and there's one episode that people can't stop talking about. It's called Reflect and it tells the story of a young girl named Bianca, who is described as Disney's first plus-size heroine. In short, Bianca looks confident as she practices ballet alone in an empty dance studio. But then her class starts and things change. Bianca is visibly uncomfortable because she doesn't look like the other dancers, and her teacher's advice to the students to have a "firm stomach, long neck"...
Disney made an animated short film about the body image - why this is so important
Disney+ just released the second season of its short film series called Short Circuit in September, and there's one episode that people can't stop talking about. It's called Reflect and it tells the story of a young girl named Bianca, who is described as Disney's first plus-size heroine.
In short, Bianca looks confident as she practices ballet alone in an empty dance studio. But then her class starts and things change.
Bianca feels visibly uncomfortable by not looking like the other dancers, and the advice of her teacher to the students of having "steady belly, long neck" does not help. At some point the room disappears and Bianca stays behind and looks at a broken mirror with hundreds of reflections from her.
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Bianca is initially embarrassed, but starts dancing. Suddenly the broken mirrors dance with her. Finally she breaks through the mirror and is again confident with the other students in the class.
The short film has received a lot of praise from people online who welcome his message of body acceptance. One called that "very encouraging" for a short time Twitter. "I am glad that Disney decided to record an 'oversized' heroine," they wrote. "Disney figure in oversize that is not a villain" another added Together with a series of emojis with tears in the eyes.
However, the short film is not without its critics. "I'm not against Disney having a plus-size heroine, but I think I would prefer a story about one that doesn't focus on her body," one person shared Twitter. Others claimed the story glorified or normalized obesity.
The message of the short film is "so important" for children and adults, says Thea Gallagher, Psy.D., Clinical assistant professor of psychology at the Nyu Langone Health and co-moderator of the Podcast "Mind in View".
“We know that body image is so influenced by culture and zeitgeist,” she says. "People are very negative about their bodies when they're only shown the same [thin] body. Socially, we have a lot of baggage when it comes to shape."
Gallagher praises the short film that he shows that people have to fight with their body image, but still appreciate what their body can do. "I work on that with patients - body neutrality," she says. "It is looking for ways to say: 'I appreciate my body for the things it can do, apart from what it looks like in society and culture.'"
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The expert also disagrees with those who say the short film promotes obesity. "Just because someone is taller than what someone else considers 'appropriate' doesn't mean it promotes obesity," she says.
For many, the short film is a small step in the right direction to show a more diverse selection of body types and people in the media, and it is worth it to be celebrated. (Next: The Abercrombie & Fitch documentation underlines the importance of sizes in fashion)