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Alex Knorp
Dr. Kendra Parker
ENGL 113-03
3/10/15
Lester Critical Summary
In Disneys The Princess and the Frog: The Pride, the Pressure, and the Politics
of Being a First, Neal A. Lester argues that Disneys attempt to create equality between
white and black princesses was not an eminent success. He points out that many
characteristics in the movie still promoted white superiority and that many aspects of
Tianas lifestyle differed from the stereotypical, white, blond princess. Lester recognizes
that when people are asked to picture Cinderella, Without fail, almost everyone
describes Disneys 1950 animated blonde Cinderella (294). Lester wants America to
realize that there should not be a cookie-cutter princess that women feel the need to
become. These expectations are unrealistic. Lester criticizes American media, stating
that, [It] continue[s] to glorify and to conflate beauty, fame, fortune, and desire with
whiteness (294-295). White should not necessarily be synonymous to good. Skin color
is not a telling sign of a persons character or lifestyle. Lester also reflects on the past
representation of African-Americans in Disney movies such as the hyenas in The Lion
King and the apes in The Jungle Book. In these movies, the characters voiced by AfricanAmericans are deceitful or have bad intentions. Lester explains that Tiana may be a step
in the right direction for racial equality in Disney movies, but there are many injustices in
the way that Tiana is portrayed in comparison to her white counterparts.
I thought that although Lester did not have a very clear thesis statement, the
headings and topic sentences made the ideas that were presented easy to follow, and
Lester also had many points that I found extremely valid. I agree that the time for an
African-American princess to take center-stage in a Disney film was long overdue, and I
hadnt realized that no African-American princess existed until over seventy years after
Snow White graced the big screen (296). I understand that anytime something is a first,
there is a lot of pressure to get it just right, and everyone will be ready to scrutinize
anything that the film does wrong. I think that it would be very difficult to be true to
African-American culture without including some stereotypes; however, I believe that
Disney did make a few mistakes as far as Tiana being equal to the traditional white
princess. As Lester points out, The first and only African-American princess, unlike
other Disney princesses, is not a princess by birth but rather becomes a princess through
marriage to a prince (297). Tianas social status is lower at the beginning of the movie
than the majority of the other Disney princesses, which makes her socially and
economically inferior. Some people portray this difference as a parallel to society
viewing African-Americans as inferior to white people. Personally, I respect Tiana more
than most of the other Disney princesses because she is a hard worker and she believes in
herself to make her dreams come true. She has a goal, and she will do whatever it takes
to obtain it. Disney made another mistake when it chose to not allow its first AfricanAmerican princess to romance and wed an African-American male (300). Instead of
showing a happy African-American couple, Tiana falls in love with a man whose race is
unclear. Although I do not believe that it is essential that Tiana marry someone within

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her same race, I believe that Disney had the opportunity to allow African-American males
to have a starring role in a Disney film, and they passed up on it. It is also evident that no
other Disney princess has married a man outside of her own race. They all marry white
men, enforcing the belief that white men are superior. Lester also points out that she has
to go through two white male bankers for the loan to purchase her warehouse space to
realize her restaurant-owning dream (302). Tianas dream is reliant on help from white
males, which puts them in a position of power and takes away her control. I also agree
that it is unfair that the first African-American princess spends the majority of her time as
a frog unlike the other Disney princesses who display their beauty throughout the entirety
of the film.
I believe that Lester brought up some very valid points about racial inequality in
Disney movies and was a fair critic of the way Tiana was portrayed in The Princess and
the Frog. Lester used a lot of outside critics to demonstrate his points, which was a good
strategy. I think that Tiana is a very admirable princess with a lot of heart and dedication,
but I believe that she should have upheld those characteristics while also receiving the
same kind of treatment as all of the princesses before her. Lester argues that Tiana was
created unequally to her white princess counterparts in the hope that one day, all
characters of any race will be equal in the media.
Work Cited
Lester, Neal. A., Disneys The Princess and the Frog: The Pride, the Pressure, and the
Politics of Being a First. The Journal of American Culture. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
2010. 294-308 Print.