Recently Disney Pixar unveiled Brave heroine Merida’s makeover – they redesigned her with a completely different look; bigger bust, made-up face and thinner. Fans were so outraged that a petition on Change.org started to let Disney know that they should not sexualize a role model for little girls.

A Mighty Girl started the petition which garnered 200,000 signatures:

Merida was the princess that countless girls and their parents were waiting for — a strong, confident, self-rescuing princess ready to set off on her next adventure with her bow at the ready. She was a princess who looked like a real girl, complete with the ‘imperfections’ that all people have.

The redesign of Merida in advance of her official induction to the Disney Princess collection does a tremendous disservice to the millions of children for whom Merida is an empowering role model who speaks to girls’ capacity to be change agents in the world rather than just trophies to be admired. Moreover, by making her skinnier, sexier and more mature in appearance, you are sending a message to girls that the original, realistic, teenage-appearing version of Merida is inferior; that for girls and women to have value — to be recognized as true princesses — they must conform to a narrow definition of beauty.

Thanks to the power of the internet, Disney has quietly responded by returning Merida to her original character design on their official princess website.

A Mighty Girl is using the hashtag #KeepMeridaBrave on Twitter and tweeted: “Still no statement from Disney confirming madeover Merida not on merchandise. Keep spreading the word!”.

What do you think about Disney’s actions?