Cartoonist Linnéa Johansson wants to break down the one-dimensional portrayal of Disney princesses with her new empowering coloring books. Tired of seeing the traditional princess trope relayed to young girls over and over again, Johansson set out to create an anti-princess coloring book that would appeal to boys and girls alike.
Titled 'Super Strong Princess,' the book takes 10 popular Disney characters and portrays them in a series of inspirational and imaginative roles. Johansson's empowering coloring books take the focus away from physical beauty and instead give each character action and a voice. For instance, one scene shows Belle as an intelligence female scientist, while another shows Mulan as an athletic roller derby champion. The clever and fun illustrations are a refreshing take on the Disney princesses that will resonate with women both young and old.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Gender-neutral Characters
- Creating gender-neutral versions of popular characters can appeal to a wider audience and challenge traditional gender norms.
- Empowerment Through Representation
- Providing diverse and empowering representations of characters in media can help empower underrepresented groups and disrupt traditional narratives.
- Interactive Storytelling
- Designing interactive and imaginative stories can engage audiences and provide new and dynamic perspectives on familiar characters.
Sectors Adopting This
- Children's Media
- Children's media companies can disrupt traditional gender norms by creating gender-neutral versions of popular characters and providing diverse and empowering representations of characters.
- Publishing
- Publishers can explore disruptive innovation opportunities by designing interactive and imaginative stories that engage audiences and provide new and dynamic perspectives on familiar characters.
- Education
- Educational institutions can use empowering coloring books that provide diverse and imaginative representations of characters to teach inclusivity and challenge traditional gender norms.
