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9th August 2023
01:58pm BST
The video stitches the aforementioned interview with Zegler, and appears to challenge her take on Snow White as being contrary to feminism. "Thinking that a woman is any less valuable because she falls in love or because she accepts help from somebody instead of girl bossing her way through her problems is not feminist," she says. Another creator, @Lama.lha, claims that Disney is "trying to push an agenda onto young girls that you don't want Prince Charming, you don't want to be saved and you don't want love."@cosywithangie Just because a woman values something different, does not make her any less valuable. Some women want a career and not marriage. Some women want a marriage or family and not a job. Some women want BOTH. All are to be heard, and seen, and valued. Write stories about ALL women and depict them ALL as valuable and worthy, instead of trying to mold them into one specific image of what you deem worthy. Thank you. #snowwhite #snowwhiteliveaction #snowwhitecontroversy #disney ♬ original sound - Angie | Self Care
She continues: "Instead, you should only and exclusively want to be a leader that saves herself. That's not feminism." Lama then suggests that Disney is "pushing an agenda" that it's wrong to want both love and leadership. "This is not what we should teach our girls. We should teach our girls that you're able to have whatever it is you want. It's OK to want to be saved. It's OK to want Prince Charming. That, in itself, is feminism in my opinion." These creators' arguments that feminism means being able to choose love as well as freedom and autonomy is completely valid, and worth exploring. And it goes without saying that these videos cannot be compared to the outright racist abuse targeting Zegler online. However, the centring of this argument entirely on a snippet of an interview from Zegler is unwarranted. Zegler was merely expressing her own hopes for her princess in this one film. She never claims that it's anti-feminist to want the prince, or that the pursuit of love is contrary to women's liberation. Instead, she shares her vision for Snow White, who, in her perspective, is a princess who chooses to be a leader, and who doesn't want to be rescued. If feminism is about choice, and a variety of perspectives, then surely Zegler's interpretation of Snow White is just as valid as these other creators? [caption id="attachment_586323" align="alignnone" width="1549"]@lama.lha #snowwhite #snowwhiteandthesevendwarfs #snowwhiteliveaction ♬ original sound - Lama
Credit: Getty[/caption]
It's also worthwhile to note that as Zegler becomes the target of criticism from all sides of the spectrum, the argument ultimately shifts from nuanced conversations on modern feminism into a firestorm of hate.
At the bottom of the majority of videos on the topic, the suggested search bar from TikTok is "Rachel Zegler being annoying", while many of the comments sections of these videos have attracted derogatory comments about Zegler herself.
In this fierce backlash, Zegler has become both the target of racist and derogatory abuse while also being expected to replicate a very specific form of feminism. This demonstrates a truth we know all too well – we simply cannot win.
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