Opinion: The Kids Will Be All Right

The latest live-action reimagination of Snow White was always fated to become a farce. From the discourse over the casting of Latina actress Rachel Zegler in the titular role to the controversy surrounding the issue of dwarf depiction, Disney seemed comfortable banking on nostalgia alone. So when the Marc Webb-directed film landed at the global box office with a thud—scraping an $87 million opening weekend over a $350 million price tag—the so-called Hollywood think tanks scrambled for a sacrificial lamb.

Zegler was unfortunately an easy target. On top of her catching flak simply because of the colour of her skin, the 23-year-old has also angered the Disney purists who have taken issue with her criticism of the 1937 classic. During the D23 Expo in 2022, the actress gave a glimpse at what the film has in store for its fans and subsequently pointed out the romantic subplot in the original premise. “There’s a big focus on her love story, with a guy who literally stalks her. Weird! Weird! So we didn’t do that this time,” she said.

Her advocacy for the Palestinian cause as Israel extends its long-running genocide in Gaza continues to ruffle feathers. A simple ‘Free Palestine’ tweet had the studio’s top brass in panic mode. Producer Marc Platt even flew to New York to reprimand the actress, demanding she take down the post. Zegler, to her credit, refused. Her humanity, somehow, becomes a hot-button issue even though her co-star Gal Gadot, who served in the Israel Defense Forces, herself has been vocal in her support for the opposite camp.

MISSING THE MARK

So despite owning up to the film’s shortcomings, Hollywood took the easy route and fed into the outrage, throwing Zegler to the wolves. The smear campaign blasted by the major trade publications, however, is blowing up in their faces in real-time. Zegler’s courage in standing up to the establishment has received an outpour of online support. Many have also condemned Disney’s glaring bias in providing an added layer of protection for Gadot, whose narrative has been oddly shaped by the media as that of a defenceless onlooker.

The whole Snow White fiasco aside, Zegler has gained the respect of the politically conscious audience, positioning herself as a force to be reckoned with. Her willingness to go toe-to-toe with the industry’s power brokers, unlike the sea of spineless Hollywood elites that come before her, signals a hopeful tomorrow for the future generation. And she is not alone. Several up-and-coming artists have been making headlines of late for stating their principles and staying true to them. Those include Melissa Barrera and Hunter Schafer.

Also taking a stand on the Palestine-Israel conflict, Barrera put the mainstream media on blast for their complicity in perpetrating the genocide a couple of years back, which resulted in her being axed from Scream 7. Schafer, on the other hand, was arrested at a ceasefire protest. Outside of the ongoing tension in the Middle East, young talents fearlessly align themselves with movements that reflect their values. The Hate U Give star Amandla Stenberg, for instance, has been championing issues concerning the LGBTQ community.

DRAWING THE LINE

On the music side, Chappell Roan has been garnering support for her no-nonsense takes on celebrity culture. The 27-year-old has been taking pretty much everyone to task, from the insolent photographer who yelled at her at a Grammy after-party to her own fans for nonconsensual physical and social interactions. The ‘Good Luck, Babe’ singer also lambasted record labels during her acceptance speech at this year’s Grammys, where she took home the Best New Artist gong, for not providing new artists with livable wages.

These artists now stand at the vanguard of an evolution that reshapes the landscape of the industry. They are sending a message that artists are more than just numbers in the ledger; they can leave a lasting impact on the world. As they assume positions of leadership, meaningful changes are within reach, and we owe it to ourselves to see them through. But going by the cesspool of prejudice that is social media, where racism and sexism thrive under the guise of free speech, they still have a mountain to climb.

The backing of female artists, no matter how far-reaching it appears to be, is still conditional. We expect nothing less than perfection—one toe out of line and you’re done. The support is only there if they play by the rules they had no part in making, until they dare to form their own opinion, until they expose our own hypocrisy. But these women are fighting the good fight, setting new standards on how things should be, for our children. So if you can’t back them up, back the f*** up.

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