MovieChat Forums > The Princess and the Frog (2009) Discussion > Tiana's skin color: more of an issue for...

Tiana's skin color: more of an issue for adults then for kids...?


People who went to see this movie with little kids: did they respond noticeably to the skin color of Tiana?

I remember quite vividly when the movie was first released, that the media was all over 'Disney's first black princess' etc. and whether or not it would affect the audience and the movie's popularity.
Came opening night, there were live reactions on the news from people who left the theatre after screening. One mother, who had her four year old (caucasian) daughter with her, was asked how she felt about the movie. She said she liked it, and it seemed to her that her daughter liked it as well. Then, of course, they turned to the topic of the skin color, and asked the little girl "What color did the princess have?"

Now, the kid's answer, I got completely. But the adults' response however...

The little girl simply answered... "BLUE." Her mother and the interviewer started laughing, and the mother immediately corrected her by saying "No honey, she's not blue, she's black." The girl's face was one of utter confusion, and no one seemed to get why.

The girl was obviously (understandably) smitten by the look of Tiana in her - now signature - blue princess dress, and assigned only that color as an identifying trait to the character. Completely oblivious of the skin tone. But adults just had to step in and 'teach' this girl what her response was supposed to be about.

It has stayed with me for the longest time, seeing this play out.

Similar experiences?

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I tried to understand your post but I'm failing, can you please explain what you mean? I'm interested :)

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The OP was trying to make a point that adults made Tiana's race more of an issue than their children did. The child mentioned didn't care that Tiana was black and only really saw how beautiful she was in that blue dress.

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You don't see colour when you're a kid, because you treat everyone the same.

The problem is, when you're an adult and all of a sudden there's special treatment for minorities and you see that history dictates how things are, then you start to focus on race and colour.

A good example is a white person has their property stolen by a black person, yet society decrees that due to "white privilege" the white person should accept it.

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Just skimming through a few of the most recent pages of TheP&F & came across this post-

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While I agree I've seen special treatment for minorities, I've also seen special treatment for the majority, which in America, is still caucasian/white.

I don't think anyone of any color, who believes in the law, believes if a white person has their property stolen by a black person, the white person should accept it.

Just as I don't think anyone of any color, who believes in the law, believes if a black person has their property stolen by a white person, the black person should accept it.

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The poster misunderstands what "white privilege" refers to. It is referring to the fact that since, as stated above, whites are still the majority in America,
& being in a majority is, IN & OF ITSELF, advantageous/beneficial/privileged.

The term "white" makes people think the privilege is simply a race issue when it could be a any group that is in the majority (ie., Caucasians who happen to live in China are not considered "Privileged" because they are not the majority there, the chinese are).

Of course there are other example of "Privilege" that are not majority-related, as when people have advantages over others through traits that are not in the majority, but are considered "Preferred", such as: ie., being wealthy, good-looking, or even as something as simple as height, if tall people in that society are preferred.

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But if anyone thinks there are no advantages to being in the majority, &/or
no advantages in being caucasian/white in America, they're not being completely honest with themselves & should ask themselves:
[b]
"If they had a choice to be in the majority or minority in society what would they choose?

If the could choose to be any race in America what race would they choose? White? Black? etc.

I think most people in a majority would still choose to be in the majority.

I think most whites, despite SOME advantages for minorities, would still choose to be white in America.

[/b]
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It's unfortunate, but even many minorities, instead of being proud of their race, if given the choice to pick which race to be born into,
would also choose white.

Especially in the age of Donald Trump, who is openly celebrated by the KKK & other white nationalist groups.

As time & statistics change, this may change, but even this can be up for debate...

*God Help the United States of America*




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tcoutis:
"Special treatment for minorities"---you're full of s***. White people have always given themselves special treatment because they're the majority. Minorities in this country have had to fight for every damn right they're been given---no one ever gave us s***. So you can step off with those stupid racist lies and nonsense right now. And white privilege is when an ignorant racist like you spews this fake as hell, ignorant BS and dosen't expect to be challenged on it. Nohting you said is true. You jsut conveniently left out the part about black people being enslaved for most of this country's history. You stupid racist are such liars. And you always have to post this BS on a board about a black film---trust me, most black people give zero fcks about any stupid thing your ignorant a** has to say.

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@sleepingtiger

You racist fuck.

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i think the problem is that most adults are aware that skin colour WAS a major issue in 1920s New Orleans. The film completely ignores this, but that doesn't mean that adults aren't aware of it. They can't help but be affected by this. Frankly, if disney wanted to make a film with a black princess and NOT have skin colour be important, they should have set it in perhaps an African country where everyone was black, or if New Orleans was essential to the setting, just kept it within the black community.

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Not quite- it's kinda alluded to in the Fenners claiming the outbid...

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