Can We Talk about The Idea of a Bald Princess (With James B.)

Tim: A while back James B. sent me a link to the Disney Hairless Princess Movement    This is a movement to get Disney to make a film starring a bald princess to show little girls who have lost their to things such as cancer to show that they can still be beautiful.   Now on the one hand,  I can support this idea but I don't know it needs to be a princess.


I can understand where they're coming from and while I do think this is a noble cause, I think it is a way off idea. Honestly, I think while this is a good idea, to me it doesn't need to be a princess.   Yes, I understand that Disney are known for princess characters but part of me thinks that doing a story about a young girl set in a modern setting dealing with losing her hair might work a little better.   Take for example,  my personal favorite Charlie Brown special, Why, Charlie Brown, Why?

This special deals with Linus falling for a girl that has Leukemia and this special handled the issue in a very mature manner.    I'm not saying that Disney can't do that but really, this is the standard that I look to when dealing with stories about stuff like this because this is one of the best.   This issue has been dealt with in many mediums outside of this and another great example is the song, Skin by Rascal  Flatts and that song think shows that even though things may not be okay right now, they can get better and you just have to have hope.  








That is something I can relate to because with everything that my life has thrown me, I relied on hope and things got better. Getting back to the bald princess idea for a moment.I think you could meld that with my idea to make it work. Who says you can't have a princess film set in modern times?   I know if nothing else, if Disney does ever decide to make a film, like this they'll have my support and honestly I don't see why they shouldn't. I mean if  the South African Sesame Street can have a Muppet with Aids/HIV,  why can't Disney have a bald princess?

Really, there are so many possibilities with this idea. Yes,  Disney would be walking a fine line with this issue but if Charlie Brown can tackle it, why not Disney? James, your thoughts


James B:  You've raised a good point, Moviefan, and one I didn't even consider when I initially saw this article. Does it even have to be a princess? A modern setting would be more appropriate for dealing with such a situation. Or even a futuristic setting, if they wanted to go that way. Disney has shown it can tackle science-fiction (Atlantis, Treasure Planet), so the concept could be utilized there. Maybe, say, an extraterrestrial girl sent to earth to learn about our planet. She's humanoid except for lacking hair, and it makes her self conscious among the humans, but over time she develops a greater confidence in her natural appearance. Or even a quest-based movie, like a young woman who's suffering from an alien disease (one of the side effects being hair loss) who's seeking a cure. This is just my creative writer aspect going into effect, though, so forgive the tangent.




Back to your initial point, a current setting would probably suit the situation best. The question, then, is how to handle it. Disney doesn't really tackle grim issues like childhood cancer in their movies. A proper portrayal of the issue would need to be handled well to avoid making it too maudlin, as well as to avoid making light of the issue. I can't really think of a writer who could pull off such a task, though Gail Simone does come to mind.




There are other types of hair loss that affect young women aside from cancer treatment. My mother's co-worker has a daughter with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that prevents hair growth. There's a national movement to spread awareness of this condition, so a heroine who's naturally bald could fit work in this scenario.




The big question I've had regarding the concept, and if it could be pulled off successfully, is how to address the issue of a bald woman. Usually in western animation, women lose their hair for the sake of a joke and it becomes a punchline (see the Total Drama Island franchise for one of the most recent examples of this.) So a hurricane of bald jokes is out. Constantly making reference to a female protagonist's lack of hair would be damaging for the message as well. If the heroine's baldness is brought up every two minutes, then that would be her defining trait and overshadow the other characteristics given to her. The best approach, at least in my opinion, would be an occasional mention of her baldness, but other than that the issue is hardly brought up. She would need to be defined based on a strong character - the lack of hair is just an afterthought. To me, at least, that would strengthen the message that it doesn't matter whether or not you have hair, it's your personality and inner beauty that count.



Tim:  I'm glad to see that you brought up the bald jokes that are seen in most cartoons because I feel that can detract from this situation, (although I'll admit Total Drama is a guilty pleasure)   I really like all of your ideas and I agree that reference does not need to be the protagonist's lack of hair as that would feel forced and there are many ways to go about doing this to where it doesn't have to be something that holds the character back. Last semester, for my Children's Lit class   I wrote a paper about literary characters with disablties and how for a character with a disability to be relatable there needs to be more than then their disability and I feel that the same is true here as well.


If someone is to write, this character yes the hair loss should be mentioned but it should not be the only thing about the character. The character should have more that defines her personality, her likes and dislikes. What kind of boys she's into?     These are things that should be taken into consideration with writing this character.




Jim: Definitely. One of the best bald female characters I can think of is Lady Macbeth (aka "Becky") from the old 90's cartoon Project Geeker. It was a show created by Doug TenNapel, the guy behind Earthworm Jim and The Neverhood, so it goes without saying that it was weird. Becky had no hair, and it was never brought up at all. her character was defined by other traits: a short temper, no-nonsense attitude, strong fighting spirit, ect.




I can think of another fictional heroine who fits this bill as well - Barbara Gordon, at least the pre-reboot version. After she was paralyzed by the Joker, she did not let her paralysis define her. Instead, she applied her vast knowledge and strageic skills to fight crime in an advisory position, becoming Oracle, confidant of many heroes in the DC universe. This was how to properly handle a character overcoming a disability, keeping Barbara three-dimensional rather than making her a flat, uninteresting character defined only by her being in a wheelchair.




I've tossed out a few ideas where a bald female protagonist could work, any you could think of that would suit a Disney film, Tim?


Tim:  Once again, you bring up many good points  and thanks for the lesson on Barbara Gordon, that is a great example of a well rounded female character.  Your so right that this character would need to be three dimensional.    I would love to see what Disney could come up with this type of character. At the end of the day,  this is still up in the air but James, I must thank you for bringing this up and  it was a pleasure having your here.






Jim: Not a problem, Tim. Thanks for discussing this with me. If the movement ever does pick up, here's hoping that Disney can handle the character and execution properly. Whether it's a normal girl or a princess, I think there's a place for a role model to inspire young women dealing with hair loss. Maybe Disney could use one of their existing princesses to spread the "bald is beautiful" message.

Just a thought. Again, glad we could talk about this movement and give it some more exposure. If there's ever anything else you want to discuss, hit me up and I'll be glad to help out. Until then, take care.