Analysis of "Blackness, Bayous and Gumbo: Encoding and Decoding Race in a Colorblind World"

“Blackness, Bayous and Gumbo: Encoding and Decoding Race in a Colorblind World” written by Sarah E. Turner discusses the controversial issues around Disney's production of The Princess and the Frog.  Tiana is Disney’s first black princess.  Many aspects of the Princess and the Frog are under criticism for being racist.  First of all the story is set in New Orleans in the 1920’s.   The fact that Tiana is black and the story is set in the Deep South raises question about what Disney is trying to suggest.  Also, the prince Tiana marries is considered “brown” because he has no definite race.  It would make sense if the Prince Naveen was black like Tiana, but instead Disney chose to depict him as being of a mixed race.  One of the major Turner points out is that Tiana has to work to be successful.  All of the other Disney princesses had success and love basically handed to them.  Although the fact that Tiana has to work hard is a positive message to send to kids, it cannot be ignored that she is the only princess who had to work hard and she is black.  Turner also recognizes that there is very little reference to Tiana’s “physical attributes.”  Most of the other Disney movies place an emphasis on the princess’ physical features.  It is unarguably a good thing that Disney is focusing less of physical attributes and more on mental strength, but it is under criticism because it is the first movie to show this new idea and also the first movie where the princess is black.  Despite all of these possible critiques of The Princess and the Frog, Turner is a strong believer that Disney is “colorblind.”  What she means by this is that despite all of the unique characteristics of Tiana, she is a princess just like Cinderella, Belle, Ariel and all of the other Disney princesses.  Race does not matter, it is simply an external quality like hair color.  In my opinion, I believe that Disney does have an aspect of colorblindness in their films, especially the Princess and the Frog.  I believe that Tiana was supposed to be a normal Disney princess, but critics over analyzed the movie to find issues simply because they wanted to prove that Disney is racist.  For example, if Tiana had married a black prince, critics would have asked why does the black princess have to marry a black prince, why can’t the prince be white?  Also, the fact that Tiana is a hard working princess is a great improvement to the stereotypical Disney princess.  Many of the other princesses take very little action in their respective films.  They are usually rescued by a prince, who they immediately fall in love with, and then live happily ever after.  I believe that the reason that Tiana had to work to get what she wanted is a reflection of the time period the movie was produced in, and has nothing to do with her race.  In the 21^st century, women are more empowered and strive to achieve success.   Tiana is a great representation of a modern and progressive princess.