Disney Released a Short Film Advocating Body Positivity Entitled ‘Reflect’
Society plays a significant role in how people see themselves; sometimes, it can get immensely toxic. You never want to be too skinny, fat, tall, or short. People have created close to impossible beauty standards that badly impact a person’s mental health when they don’t meet those qualities. No matter how others compliment them, they still can’t see their beauty.
Those standards cause body dysmorphia — a mental condition that makes people focus too much on their physical flaws. Looking in the mirror becomes a bad habit when a person has body dysmorphia; they look at themselves and notice every flaw that society deems “ugly” or “unaccepted.” The chronic condition often happens to teenagers and young adults.
Body positivity is extra difficult when you see your insecurities more than yourself. Sometimes the root cause can be from family, friends, or the media the person consumes. That’s why consuming content that will alter your perspective is essential — something empowering and that gives you a new point to think about. It’s vital, especially to teenagers, since they are at the phase of building themselves, and they need content that advocates body positivity and self-confidence.
Nowadays, content producers are much more open about breaking society’s beauty standards. Disney has already made that move, and they used their platform to make people more aware of self-acceptance. Also, Disney films and shows have always inspired people of all ages — this time, their target audience is those with body dysmorphia. Their platform is the perfect start for kids and teenagers to learn about overcoming insecurities. In the short film “Reflect,” they introduced their first ever plus-sized main character, Bianca.
“Sometimes you go to the dark place to get to the good place. And that just makes the good place that much more beautiful,” says Hillary Bradfield, a director and animation artist from Disney. The movie’s goal is to help people feel more confident about themselves. In the short film, Bianca is a young ballet dancer who looks at herself in the mirror while practicing. Suddenly her reflection breaks apart, symbolizing the effects of low self-esteem and not feeling good about herself.
In the end, the mirror fades away as she starts to see that she’s more than her size and begins dancing again. The scene where the mirror breaks apart and she starts to dance is a beautiful depiction of how someone overcomes their insecurities. People were delighted about Disney finally releasing strongly inclusive content that portrays the side of characters who are usually made fun of.
An all-new Short Circuit Experimental Film has arrived! Stream “Reflect” and all the Short Circuit Experimental Films by Walt Disney Animation Studios artists now on @DisneyPlus. 🩰 🎆 pic.twitter.com/c0gw5U4ecc
— Disney Animation (@DisneyAnimation) September 14, 2022
Many people also expressed their wish that the film should have been longer than six minutes. Many kids consider Disney characters as a comfort, and it’s good that their plan to be more diverse has inspired more children than ever. “Reflect” is included in Disney’s Short Circuit series, which is available on Disney Plus. Hopefully, Bianca motivates kids to realize that size definitely does not matter. It’s time for people to realize that anyone can be the main character who inspires and symbolizes self-acceptance.
