When one tends to think of a princess, the image is of a passive, beautifully dressed girl wearing some sort of crown and waiting for her prince charming.
Thankfully, times are changing and so are the images young girls are seeing on the big and small screen.
Black Panther hit movie theaters this weekend akin to the same way an asteroid hits a planet. The mark this film left on the audience will not be forgotten anytime soon.
The title character is surrounded by strong, capable women. None more so that his younger sister, Shuri, played by Letitia Wright.
A princess by birth, Shuri breaks stereotypes on multiple levels. Not only is she a woman of color, but she is a fierce warrior, a bad ass in her own right. She is also a technology wiz whose inventions help her brother to win the battles he needs to win to protect their people and their kingdom. And, of course, like any little sister, she knows how to add in a some good-natured ribbing of her brother to the conversation.
I don’t know if the people at Disney know this, but they have a new princess on their hands. If they don’t, then they are loosing out on a character whose reach goes beyond the standard princess imagery.
Welcome to the world of Disney Princesses, Shuri.
Writergurlny 