By Richard Tribou
Orlando Sentinel
WWR Article Summary (tl:dr) One graphic artist and fan of Disney Princess empowerment had created a series of images showing what some of the heroines might be doing as professional women in the workplace. One example is Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty, as a Coffee Company CEO.
Orlando Sentinel
Disney Princesses may rule the animated world of kingdoms, evil queens and magic, but how would they fare tackling real jobs in the real world?
One graphic artist and fan of Disney Princess empowerment had created a series of images showing what Anna, Elsa, Moana, Rapunzel and the rest of the heroines might be doing as professional women in the workplace.
Matt Burt works for financial advice website Simple Thrifty Living, but took on this special project with the company’s approval.
“One person I had in mind while I was working on these was my mother,” Burt said in an email. “My mom was a teacher for part of my childhood and it was always inspiring how she balanced work, raising a family, and being a wife. Now, she’s a very proud parent and can’t stop showing these illustrations to friends and family.”
One example is Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty, as a Coffee Company CEO.
“Aurora knows how hard it is to wake up. After being awoken from her enchanted sleep, Aurora made it her career to help others stay awake, and what better way to do that than coffee! Aurora is the founder and CEO of Spinning Wheel Coffee, one of the leading coffee chains in the nation.”
Another is Moana as Officer in the Navy.
“The sea has always called to Moana. What it taught her is that she is a natural leader, guiding her people and returning them to their ancient voyaging traditions. Using these strengths, Moana has excelled in the Navy, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander. She has been awarded multiple honors during her service, such as two Navy Achievement medals and a National Defense Service Medal. With such a successful start, there’s no telling how far she’ll go in her career.’
There is graphic art for Rapunzel, Jasmine, Snow White, Merida, Mulan, Ariel, Pocahontas, Belle, Anne & Elsa, Cinderella and Tiana as well.
“The reaction to these has been positive and truly humbling,” Burt said. “I never expected responses like these, but I’ve had teachers emailing me asking for permission to put the illustrations up in their classrooms or moms asking to print them out for their daughters. I am both touched and glad that people have enjoyed them.”
Burt said the renderings are designed to show the princesses as independent and strong leaders, something that’s been more prominent in Disney’s recent productions, but that there’s nothing wrong with the traditional princess story.
“I think it’s great that some of the recent princesses, such as Moana and Merida (Brave), have been strong, independent people without a love interest,” Burt said. “However, a romantic element isn’t a bad thing by any means. Tiana, for example, is probably the princess that is most in tune with this idea. She had a dream to open her own restaurant and that was her primary goal. On the way, however, she learned that you can also have love while fulfilling your dream.”
