'I became a Disney princess for hire after being told I could only play Tiana'

08 February 2024 , 23:02

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Black Princess DMV, and similar companies, were born out the demand for more Black women playing princesses (Image: blackprincessdmv /Instagram)

Simone Brown, a 30-year-old from Maryland, loved Disney princesses as a child but noticed the lack of princesses that looked like her.

She was thrilled to play Cinderella in her school play when she was in the 6th grade, even though the role was usually given to older students.

However, she could sense some people didn't approve of a Black Cinderella. She recalls: "My mum had volunteered to help with makeup for the shows, and she overheard (some) students ... saying something along the lines of wishing something bad happened to me so I wouldn't get to perform."

She also remembers a teacher telling her to 'tone it down' because she was 'making the other girls in the show feel bad.' This made her wonder if a white Cinderella would hear the same comments from a teacher.

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Disney movies with Black actresses have historically gathered blowback from certain groups (Walt Disney Co/Everett/REX/Shutterstock)

"Your skin, your hair, your braids, your curls all of those things are princess-worthy. Girls need to hear that" (blackprincessdmv /Instagram)

After earning her Masters in Voice from Johns Hopkins' Peabody Conservatory, Brown tried to get a job as a 'princess for hire' at children's parties, but didn't get a response.

A friend suggested they might not need a Tiana right now, referring to Disney's first Black princess from "The Princess and The Frog."

This made Brown think - why wait for an opportunity? So she became her own fairy godmother and started her own princess-for-hire service, Black Princess Parties DMV.

Across the UK, many companies hire actors to play princesses at children's parties. However, only a few have Black princesses who don't just play Tiana. Brown's company is unique because she, a Black woman, plays most of the princess characters. She doesn't just play Tiana, but also Elsa from Frozen, Rapunzel and more.

US singer and actress Halle Bailey arrives for the world premiere of Disney's The Little Mermaid (AFP via Getty Images)

Brown says, "It's my way of being an activist. I get to show kids, you belong here, you get to have fun here. This is a place for you to find joy and be silly and sing and dance. And you don't have to look a certain way to find that joy."

She adds, "Your skin, your hair, your braids, your curls - all of those things are princess-worthy. Girls need to hear that."

Another pioneer in this field is Bianca Ottley. She started A Princess Like Me NYC in 2017 after hearing stories about Black girls being bullied for dressing up like Princess Elsa.

Ottley's clients can hire Black and Hispanic women to play fairy tale princesses, Barbie, unicorns, pirates, classic mascots and more. Ottley, 30, tells TODAY.com, "A lot of the times people request specifically a Spanish-speaking princess or a Black Ice Princess for (their) daughter."

Ottley said, "A lot of parents said, 'Wow - I didn't even know this was possible and it's such a cool concept.' The memories definitely last a long time with the kids ... We sing the same songs and it's like, 'This person looks just like me too.'"

Like Brown, Ottley has been told she should only play Princess Tiana. She shared, "I always have that fear whenever going to a party ... more so if there are older kids there .... sometimes they can make snarky remarks or ruin the magic a little bit," but she added that most times, "For the most part, the parents and kids are excited."

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Patricia Davis, a scholar from Northeastern University, says people like Brown and Ottley are super important because Black kids often don't see themselves as heroes in stories.

"Most little girls are conditioned to believe in the princess narrative, an ultra-feminine image that (many) will aspire to at some point," Davis explained to TODAY.com.

She said, "Black girls have historically been denied the ability to subscribe to that ... They can't necessarily see themselves in that world, so having Black women play this role for little girls can be seen as a mode of resistance, a way of telling little girls that yes, you can aspire to it."

Yelena Mandenberg