Many aren’t fans of Disney’s newest princess, Rachel Zegler. Well, at least a large portion of the Disney community isn’t. Controversy surrounding her role as Snow White in Disney’s next live-action remake has many fans tuned out to the young Hunger Games actress. Her most recent interview with NBC News, in which she insisted that her rendition of Disney’s original princess, Snow White, would have a more “feminist” approach, cited the need for change in the perception of how female leads are portrayed in Disney films. As Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is ultimately the animated film that led The Walt Disney Company down a path to entertainment domination, many took offense to this.
Many Disney Fans Are Unhappy with the Choice of Rachel Zegler as Snow White
Since Rachel Zegler’s comments, the Snow White remake has seen plenty of opposition. However, the West Side Story actress has also received a massive amount of hostile online harassment directed at her, some even considered abusive. Although trolls, as we affectionately call them, are no strangers to the internet, Rachel Zegler has received plenty of hate for her comments while filming the newest Disney live-action remake.
Although Zegler isn’t a huge name in Hollywood, working for Disney will surely put her in the national spotlight. Not necessarily for positive reasons, she is quickly becoming a household name as the focus of many journalism pieces that call her character into question. If that wasn’t enough, Disney fans have done their part to ensure everyone understands their dissatisfaction with Disney’s choice of Zegler as Snow White.
Rachel Zegler Is a Rising Star
The actress, who has recently seen roles in Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, also played the lead in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 West Side Story alongside Ansel Elgort (Divergent, Fault in our Stars). The award-winning musical also ensured an invite for Rachel Zegler to the Met Gala in New York City.
For those unfamiliar, the Met Gala is an annual event in New York known as the foremost feature of fashion and glamor. The Gala features some of Hollywood’s biggest names each year, all dressed to impress. It’s a high-society social event of the year, and Zegler made sure to turn heads in her gold Christian Dior dress.
Since then, while filming Disney’s Snow White live-action remake along with Gal Gadot, Rachel Zegler has been highly vocal regarding her feminist outlook on society and how those views will influence her portrayal of Disney’s original princess. Some followers on social media view her stance as extreme, and it’s garnered much hate online for the soon-to-be Disney royalty. One interaction, in particular, stood out as X, formerly Twitter, user @Phantomlordsin, took a shot at Zelger regarding the dress she wore to the Gala back in 2021.
https://twitter.com/Phantomlordsin/status/1700634872841421275
Using photos the actress had posted to her own social media, the user pointed out a stretch of back hair that could be seen through the backless dress that Rachel Zegler wore at the 2021 Met Gala event.
Trolls Beware, Zegler Isn’t Scare to Punch Back
Not to be upstaged, Rachel Zegler made sure to address the tweet, silencing the internet troll head-on. Acknowledging the photo and challenging the notion of embracing body hair growth among women was a huge hit for her followers. Many suggested that her refusal to adhere to the troll’s standard for women in Hollywood would help to “normalize” hair growth on women that some would consider to be unsightfly. Zegler didn’t let this instance of body shaming and online bullying impact her outlook on herself, and she made sure the troll heard her loud and clear.
no i think hair is natural and cool!!!!!!!! ❤️
— rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) September 10, 2023
Although this one instance has raised the perception of Zegler to her online followers, many still question if the actress is the right fit for Disney’s live-action take on Snow White. As Zelger’s mother is of Colombian descent, her skin is much darker than the original story character that Walt Disney adapted into his groundbreaking, award-winning 1937 film.
Other Instances Where Zegler Has Gotten Herself Into Trouble
Zegler also set herself up for failure regarding the SAG-AFTRA strike currently with a loud opinion regarding her compensation for playing Snow White, even though many impacted by the current strikes have not experienced the level of success the actress has, therefore, they are not financially secure enough to endure the strikes much longer.
@blackteanews #sag #sagstrike2023 #rachelzegler #disney #disneyplus #snowwhite #actorsstrike2023 #writersstrike
The incident made Rachel Zegler seem disconnected from the reality of the situation. As the up-and-coming actress is currently worth around $3 million, comparing wearing a dress for 18 hours on a multi-million dollar production to many who can’t afford to feed themselves without work left a sore taste in the mouths of many. As she is young, certainly her outlook on certain topics will mature with age. However, it seems that much of the internet oppostion to Zegler playing Snow White is undeserved.
Disney’s live-action Snow White is scheduled for release next year, and many feel that due to the importance of the film in the history of The Walt Disney Company, it is destined for failure. What are your thoughts? Is the internet being too hard on Rachel Zegler?
Is that how you see it? Owning the fact that her back looks like shaggy carpet is owning trolls?! Rofl!!!!