The new Disney short about a girl with body dysmorphia

The protagonist of the new and successful Disney short is called Bianca. Her dream, like that of many other girls around the world, is to be a dancer. This wouldn’t be anything special if our girl didn’t show some body insecurity. Her figure is not like that of most ballet dancers. However, that does not take away one bit of grace or technical virtuosity from her movements.

However, the discomfort, the doubts and even the rejection of one’s own image are there. In a world that tries to convince us of the existence of “normative and non-normative bodies,” it does not take long for children to integrate these harmful messages. They do it by looking in a mirror and comparing themselves with those unreal figures that the film and advertising industry brings to them.

Bianca fights her own reflection because our culture has made her believe there is something wrong with her. Her large size, her shapes and her image are not in tune with the beauty models to which she has validated. How to enjoy and grow with dancing when you are a child and suffer from body dysmorphia? That is the interesting message that Disney’s latest production sends us.

If there is one goal that we should have as a society, it is to empower children’s self-esteem.

Bianca, the girl with body dysmorphia

In 2016, the Disney factory began an interesting project called Disney Short Circuit . It consisted of the company’s own employees being able to present ideas for animated shorts. Each season a series of proposals are selected and materialized in beautiful films. This year, among all those carried out, one stood out.

reflect It has been the short that has achieved the most attention and views. Its director is Hillary Bradfield, a prominent animation artist who has already been behind titles such as Frozen 2 either Charm. A few hours after its premiere, it went viral on TikTok, becoming the topic of conversation for millions of young people who explained that they had found themselves in the same situation as the protagonist.

Hillary Bradfield commented that for the creation of this short she was inspired by the movement of body positive. He also insisted that, sometimes, people must take a trip to that other, darker side of the mirror. Only when we hit rock bottom and give way to self-acceptance does the most beautiful thing in us emerge.

From reflection to reflection

Bianca is a dancer and does not fit the image of the hegemonic bodies that dominate advertising, film and television. While she is in the classroom and sees her other classmates, she feels self-conscious. It is perceived differently, as well as insecure. He fails at the dance steps, and can’t keep up. Our little protagonist suffers from body dysmorphia, that condition in which the person rejects their own body.

At one point, something happens; The mirror breaks and the girl enters another dimension dominated by fantasy. Also because of his mental universe, so variegated with fears, insecurities and hatred of the reflection that mirrors always return. Now that surface is broken, it is shattered; However, she continues to look at them and make mistakes again in her movements.

However, Little by little our dancer lets herself be carried away by the music and as she does, the mirrors fade.. His movements are graceful and perfect. She is perfect, she feels good and when she notices her, she is dancing with her other partners in perfect harmony. She trusts herself.

Disney and diversity

reflect It is part of a set of productions that seek to promote diversity. He body positive It defends that any body is acceptable, normative and beautiful, beyond its size, shape and even skin color.

Disney wants to be a pioneer in diversity issues and has had several titles delving into this topic. There we have Moana, Charm, Network either Coconut, being a set of attractive samples of cultural, ethnic and aesthetic variety. Lightyearfor its part, sought to be a nod to the LGBT community, by showing, for the first time, two women kissing.

Many children can see themselves reflected in Bianca and in that journey of acceptance she takes by crossing and breaking mirrors.

The need to empower children in self-esteem and self-acceptance

There are those who still wonder if it was necessary to make a short film about a girl with body dysmorphia. We’ve spent a lot of time selling children images of ideal princes and princesses with fantastic lives. And the truth is that Disney has contributed to distorting many bodily and even emotional models, convincing us, for example, of the wonders of romantic love.

It is time to break taboos and broaden the spectrum of those who also deserve to be protagonists in a Disney production. Creations like reflect Yes, they are necessary because they are a “reflection” of our population, so diverse as bodies. Large children also exist, they also dream of dancing, of succeeding, they are talented, beautiful and capable of anything.

We need to empower the little ones in self-esteem, self-love and body acceptance. Disorders such as body dysmorphia are the origin of depression, anxiety, self-harming behaviors and eating disorders (ED). Short films like Bianca’s are a model of inspiration and normalization.

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