I have always been a big Disney fan. I mean, who doesn't love characters like Minnie Mouse and Goofy? They're classics! But apparently fashion powerhouse Barneys New York doesn't think so.
As part of their 2012 holiday campaign "Electric Holiday," Barneys is featuring a few beloved Disney characters in their ads. The only hitch? The brains behind the project were not happy with the size of the cartoons so they gave them a makeover…and the end results have left me, as well as parents everywhere, stunned and VERY unhappy.
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When I first heard of the campaign, which will include light installations at the New York City flagship store and a short film portraying the characters, I thought it was adorable. I mean, is there any combination better than holidays and Disney? But now that I've seen the "high-fashion" verions of the characters that will be featured, I am horrified. Instead of displaying their timeless figures__, Barney's has made Minnie, Goofy, and Daisy Duck, among others, almost unrecognizable,__ transforming hem into tall, rail-thin, supermodel look-alikes. Why? Creative director Dennis Freedman said:
When we got to the moment when all Disney characters walk on the runway, there was a discussion. The standard Minnie Mouse will not look so good in a Lanvin dress. There was a real moment of silence, because these characters don't change. I said, 'If we're going to make this work, we have to have a 5-foot-11 Minnie,' and they agreed. When you see Goofy, Minnie and Mickey, they are runway models
Are you kidding me? Minnie won't "look so good in a Lanvin dress?" They're ANIMATED characters people! Now even cartoon aren't safe from weight hate? Seriously?!
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Though I understand that Barney's was trying to make the ads as authentic as possible, I can't even believe that they would go this far. Disney is supposed to be for kids and family entertainment. Now instead of letting children enjoy the few characters left that aren't runaway-proportioned, they are creating campaigns that imply that only one type of body is beautiful. Walt would be heartbroken!
What do you think of the character's makeovers? Tell us in the comments below!
Images via Barney's
