Artist's Recreations Of Disney Princesses As Plus-Size Girls Sparked An Intense Online Debate

Crystal Walter’s Disney princess recreations did not just get attention online, they kicked off a full-blown debate about body image, representation, and what art is supposed to say. Her plus-size versions of familiar characters drew praise from many viewers, but they also brought harsh criticism from people who said the work was promoting unhealthy behavior.

Walter says the project came from her own experience growing up without seeing positive fat role models in media. She wanted to make space for bigger bodies in the same stories that shaped her childhood, and that message landed very differently depending on who was looking.

Now the drawings are spreading far beyond her Instagram feed, and the reactions are getting louder. Read on.

Anna

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Jasmine

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As a teenager, she developed chaotic eating habits. She started to skip meals and exercise much more than recommended, just to lose a few pounds. But the weight always came back, and then some. One thing led to another, and Crystal started to suffer from depression.

Aurora

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Tiana

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Ariel

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Pocahontas

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“Growing up, I couldn’t find any positive fat role models in the media. Historically, fat people have been demonized, used for comedic effect, or portrayed to visibly show that a character is less intelligent than their slimmer, more cunning counterparts.”

This is hideously damaging to a developing child, and like many others, it led to me despising my own body. I could not physically relate to the characters I loved, like the Disney princesses I’ve re-drawn,” Crystal said about her personal experience.

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Merida

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The artist shared that she receives love from people who ‘finally’ feel represented all the time. “They show these drawings to their kids who may be on the bigger side, and they love them as well.”

Moana

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“It’s true that the Disney characters I draw were unrealistic to begin with, in that their waists were all smaller than their heads, but the reason I draw them fat is not to make them ‘realistic’; it’s to see myself in them. To help other fat folks see themselves in them.”

That same awkward pressure is what the Redditors debated when someone refused to share lunch treats with a critical colleague.

Maleficent

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And other people were supportive:

A lot of people connected with that part of the story.

Esmeralda

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Snow White

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Tinker Bell

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Ursula

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Crystal believes that humankind needs a cultural shift. “One that provides more nutritious options in places where there are none.

One that encourages fun activities and safe places to do those activities. One that’s closer to nature and is based on kindness. One that encourages bigger people to get out and live life, not to lose weight, but just to thrive as they are.”

Rapunzel

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Belle

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Mulan

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Cinderella

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People reacted differently to Crystal’s art. Some of them criticized it:

Crystal says that overweight people are “just people, not people in waiting” and don’t deserve to be laughed at or stared at “with fear, disgust, or pity.”

“Glorifying anything that is constantly shamed by the rest of the world is not the same as encouragement to be more of that thing. It’s just recognition that the thing does not make you a bad person or any less of a human being. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

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Crystal also shared some advice for young aspiring artists: “Find a cause that hits home for you, and something that people need, and work for that.

If your subject inspires you, that will give you the fuel to keep going when you’re not yet receiving great feedback or monetary compensation. And never be afraid to ask for what you want; that’s a powerful tool that gets shamed out of us early in life,” she said.

The illustrator once again emphasized that this doesn’t imply that being thin is “bad” or “unrealistic.” She wanted to send a message that all body types should be recognized and accepted, no matter how they look or how much space they occupy. 

Elsa

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Meg

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The artist told reporters that her project is about positive representation. The absence of it motivated her to reimagine female Disney characters and create role models for people with different-sized figures.

Crystal wanted to be an artist ever since she was a little girl. “When I was a kid, I would usually answer, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ with, ‘An artist.’ And if not that, then a rock star. I went through a brief phase in 8th grade where I dressed in boys’ clothes and thought I could be a rapper, but didn’t we all? But through it all, being an artist of some sort was the goal, and what do you know, I made it!”

Cinderella And Tiana

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“This was the biggest wake-up call on my journey to loving my body, realizing that weight and joy absolutely do not correlate. Weight and quality of life do not correlate,” Crystal expressed her opinion.

“Through my experience, I’ve found that whatever size you are when you’re living your most joyful, fulfilling life is the size you’re meant to be at that time.”

The debate is still going.

Before you judge Crystal’s online debate, read how GLP-1 users could become “study participants” without knowing.