So that little girls of color get to see a protagonist that they can relate to. White shouldn’t be the default and Snow White’s whiteness isn’t actually a defining characteristic of hers. It’s inclusivity, not white erasure.
Snow White’s whiteness isn’t actually a defining characteristic of hers.
Here’s a quote from the (translated) original German tale: “[A queen] had a daughter, with a skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony, and she was named Snow-white.”
That’s pretty much her definition
“Snow White” is the name of the princess because of her alabaster skin. It’s in the story.
“How I wish that I had a daughter that had skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood and hair as black as ebony.” Some time later, the queen dies giving birth to a baby daughter whom she names Snow White.
Sure, it doesn’t matter that she’s white, but this story specifically makes it a topic of the plot. There’s no reason to forcefully change this specific story. You can change literally any other story where it’s not a plot point.
But it has no actual impact on the story. If the characters within the story find her skin to be attractive, that’s all you need. White/alabaster was originally chosen because of the values those writers had. These writers have different but equally valid values.
There is no objective measure of beauty in this world. It’s all down to taste and preference.
Just FYI, the surname “White” comes from the same place that “Black” does, whitesmithing and blacksmithing. If we’re being pedantic, we have to assume that Snow White’s ancestor worked in tin and silver and not assume that she was given an arbitrary surname because her parents somehow knew she would have alabaster white skin.
I don’t know if this is a translation problem or people never read the story, but the story literally goes „Bald darauf bekam sie ein Töchterlein, das war so weiß wie Schnee, so rot wie Blut, und so schwarzhaarig wie Ebenholz, und ward darum das Schneewittchen genannt.“ i.e. “her daughter was as white as snow […], and that’s why she was called Snow White”. There’s absolutely no ambiguity why she was called the way she was.
I’m all for inclusivity and in most cases the race of the cast doesn’t matter. Make little mermaid black, have Cinderella be brown, have Cinderella be whatever. Or better yet, make new stories with varied cast. But in this case however, it’s literally in her name. She was named that because of her skin white as snow.
So that little girls of color get to see a protagonist that they can relate to. White shouldn’t be the default and Snow White’s whiteness isn’t actually a defining characteristic of hers. It’s inclusivity, not white erasure.
Here’s a quote from the (translated) original German tale: “[A queen] had a daughter, with a skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony, and she was named Snow-white.” That’s pretty much her definition
It isn’t really central to the content of her character or the story, though.
Are you absolutely sure that "Snow White"s whiteness is no defining characteristic of hers? I mean sure, change Ariel or whoever, but “Snow White”?
This is a new level of blatant and boring racism. If someone has a surname of brown, do they need to be non white? Weirdo shit.
“Snow White” is the name of the princess because of her alabaster skin. It’s in the story.
Sure, it doesn’t matter that she’s white, but this story specifically makes it a topic of the plot. There’s no reason to forcefully change this specific story. You can change literally any other story where it’s not a plot point.
But it has no actual impact on the story. If the characters within the story find her skin to be attractive, that’s all you need. White/alabaster was originally chosen because of the values those writers had. These writers have different but equally valid values.
There is no objective measure of beauty in this world. It’s all down to taste and preference.
Yeah, I completely agree, but then the story shouldn’t be about or called “Snow White and the seven dwarfs”. It’s just illogical.
Just FYI, the surname “White” comes from the same place that “Black” does, whitesmithing and blacksmithing. If we’re being pedantic, we have to assume that Snow White’s ancestor worked in tin and silver and not assume that she was given an arbitrary surname because her parents somehow knew she would have alabaster white skin.
I don’t know if this is a translation problem or people never read the story, but the story literally goes „Bald darauf bekam sie ein Töchterlein, das war so weiß wie Schnee, so rot wie Blut, und so schwarzhaarig wie Ebenholz, und ward darum das Schneewittchen genannt.“ i.e. “her daughter was as white as snow […], and that’s why she was called Snow White”. There’s absolutely no ambiguity why she was called the way she was.
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I’m all for inclusivity and in most cases the race of the cast doesn’t matter. Make little mermaid black, have Cinderella be brown, have Cinderella be whatever. Or better yet, make new stories with varied cast. But in this case however, it’s literally in her name. She was named that because of her skin white as snow.
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