Disney Doesn't Tell Fairy Tales: The Sexualization of Indigenous Women as Represented by Pocahontas
- Isabel
- Sep 22, 2022
- 3 min read
Since the announcement of the casting for Disney's live-action movie The Little Mermaid, it has faced significant controversy. However, the longstanding racial issues reflected in the casting choices of Disney animated films have received little attention. Today, let's discuss the sexualization of Indigenous women, using the classic character Pocahontas as an example.
According to a study by Amnesty International, one in three Native American women in the United States has been raped in her lifetime, and 70% of the sexual violence against them is committed by non-Natives. Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than other women.
The sexualization of Indigenous women is a problem that has existed since the colonial period and continues to this day.
The stereotype of the Indigenous 'princess' involves a girl, typically the daughter of a strong and ruthless 'Indian chief,' who is depicted as a desirable, beautiful, and untouchable object. However, to white men, she is usually submissive, helping the colonizers out of difficult situations and falling in love with a white man who embodies the colonizer's identity, rather than with the man her father or tribe has 'chosen' for her.
The protagonist of Pocahontas is a perfect example. Pocahontas is a 1995 film from Disney's 'Princess' series. Following Jasmine from Aladdin, Pocahontas is the second 'ethnic' Disney princess, the first and only Native American princess, and also the first Disney princess based on a real historical figure. (Mulan in 1998 became the second princess based on history.)
Pocahontas's entire story in the film seems to be based on this stereotype. This stereotype is very dangerous because it can lead to the further sexualization of Indigenous women ('Pocahontas' or 'Hulili' are even often used as flirtatious terms, supposedly as 'compliments' to Indigenous women). It implies that Indigenous women are merely fictional characters in mainstream media and Disney's fantasies.
When I compared historical facts with the Disney animated film, I was shocked to discover that, in reality, Pocahontas was taken from her home by white colonizers when she was just over ten years old, raped.
However, Disney's Pocahontas erases the brutal truth of colonial history and romanticizes Pocahontas's experience. The film is filled with white male fantasies about Native American women, as the princess's image is not that of an 11-year-old girl's innocence but rather an exaggerated portrayal of exotic sensuality, with a mature, slender figure and flowing black hair.
Mariah Skenandore, the Outreach Director of the Native American Student Association at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, pointed out, 'People sexualize Pocahontas, and then they sexualize Indigenous women. Because Pocahontas is seen as desirable in the eyes of men, Native American women are also viewed this way, which fuels the sexual desire of non-Native men toward Native American women.
In addition to Disney's portrayal of Pocahontas, in 2017, the famous rapper Nicki Minaj posted a photo on her Instagram where Pocahontas is almost completely nude, with a fully adult female body. Although many people condemned Nicki Minaj, accusing her of sexualizing a rape victim, she did not remove the disturbing image from her account. Such media depictions significantly contribute to the sexualization of Indigenous women.
At the same time, Halloween costumes are another way in which Native American women are overly sexualized in society. Halloween costumes labeled under Native American women are filled with sexually suggestive language, including names like 'Sexy Tippin' Teepees' and 'Sexy Native Princess,' and are often overly revealing. Some white people may feel that wearing Native American Halloween costumes is not a problem. For those who do not see the issue, a common poor excuse is that they have the right to wear whatever they want and that it's just for entertainment.
White people do not see the problem behind dressing up as Native Americans for Halloween because they never have to worry about being misunderstood or having their culture misrepresented, simply because they have white privilege. Dressing up as a 'sexy Native American woman' for Halloween is also a reflection of this privilege. They are using their power to oppress an already marginalized minority group.
References：
1. The “Indian Princess” stereotype
2. Pocahontas being used as a sex symbol in pop culture
3. "Interview with Pocahontas"
图源：Google
Edited by: Isabel
Translated by: Eika
Translated from Chinese, first posted on our official Account
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