Although Snow White’s design is iconic now, her look was inspired by popular 1930s actresses, reflecting the values and beauty standards of the era.
Although viewers are now accustomed to Snow White’s iconic look in Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, her design was originally inspired by many popular actresses at the time. In Emily Zemler's book, Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara: The Stories. The Influence. The Legacy, she explores the Disney Princess’ origins and their evolution over the years. Stretching from classic films like Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs to more modern princesses like Moana, Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara follows the influence that each Disney Princess has had on society to become cultural icons today.
In addition, Zemler’s Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara examines how society shaped the Disney Princesses. According to the book, each princess reflects the cultural values and norms from the time of her creation. For example, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs premiered in 1937 during the Great Depression. Due to this, Snow White was innocent, optimistic, and made the best out of her unfortunate situation. Combined with the movie’s magic and positive outlook, this helped Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs to be popular with audiences that needed a source of escapism. Over time, Disney Princesses’ personalities have changed to reflect societal changes. While Snow White was more childlike and passive, modern princesses like Tiana from The Princess and the Frog and Merida from Brave have been in charge of their own destinies.
Similarly, Disney Princesses’ designs have also been affected by cultural beauty standards. Initially, early concept art for Snow White resembled Betty Boop due to animator Grim Natwick’s work on the classic character. However, it was common for artists to draw upon popular celebrities at the time for characters’ designs. Snow White was no exception to this practice, taking inspiration for her hair, face, and even movements from real people. These included famous actresses such as Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich, and Claudette Colbert along with the dancer Marge Champion.
How Each Actress Inspired Snow White's Design
While Snow White’s design was based on popular styles from many actresses during the 1930s, three were particularly influential. Jean Harlow was an American actress known for playing “bad girls.” Although this contrasted Snow White’s innocent personality, Harlow’s thin eyebrows and curly bob haircut influenced Snow White’s design. German-American actress Marlene Dietrich shared these traits and helped inspire Snow White’s makeup, featuring purple eyeshadow, rosy cheeks, and bright red lipstick. One of the best-paid actresses of the 1930s, Claudette Colbert, influenced Snow White’s round face, large eyes, and relatively small mouth. Although Disney artists made Snow White more childlike, her face and hair took inspiration from all these popular celebrities.
In addition, Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara explained that it used to be common for animators to use live-action actors as references to create realistic drawings. Due to this, characters tended to look and move like the actors who portrayed them. For Snow White, dancer and actress Marge Champion served as her live-action reference. While the animators did not precisely copy her actions, Champion’s fluid, playful movements shaped Snow White’s behavior. One of Zemler’s main goals in Disney Princess: Beyond the Tiara was to examine how the Disney Princesses have influenced society, but her book also revealed how princesses, such as Snow White from Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, serve as reflections of cultural values and beauty standards.
Related Topics About The AuthorA lifelong lover of writing and stories, Kristen Brown became a Movies/TV Features Writer for Screen Rant in 2021. She recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a major in Interpersonal and Organizational Communication and completed the UNC Hollywood Internship Program. This helped her obtain two development internships with Hollywood production companies, Piller/Segan and Chatrone. Her other writing experience includes self-publishing three young adult novels about superheroes, beginning with "The White Dove," under the pen name K. R. Brown. Growing up in North Carolina, Kristen lived on Scooby-Doo, Disney animated movies, the MCU, and especially Star Wars. This came in handy when she joined UNC Chapel Hill’s chapter of the A Moment of Magic Foundation, which trains students to visit pediatric hospitals and special events while portraying popular characters. Assigned as Princess Leia, Kristen gladly became an expert in all things Star Wars, especially the galaxy’s favorite rebel princess.
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