This princess is Pocahontas, and the\u00a0people are Native Americans.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The Disney producers\u2019 goal in creating Pocahontas was to \u201caddress the rise in public criticism from various ethnic groups over racial stereotyping in their most recent productions\u201d (1<\/sup><\/a>). In order to prevent another cultural appropriation outbreak in Pocahontas, the producers hired Native American advisors to join their team and cast Native American performers to provide the voices for the main Native American roles.<\/p>\n (Gary Edgerton and Kathy Jackson’s article, “Redesigning Pocahontas: Disney, the ‘White Man’s Indian,’ and the Marketing of Dreams.”)<\/p>\n However, by creating a story about Pocahontas (while attempting to incorporate love, drama, and music), they risked continuing the stereotype of the \u201cHollywood Indian,\u201d as outlined in Gary Edgerton and Kathy Jackson\u2019s article, \u201cRedesigning Pocahontas: Disney, the \u2018White Man\u2019s Indian,\u2019 and the Marketing of Dreams.\u201d This stereotype is an image focused on representative types and traits that are typically used to depict Native Americans in films, such as dress and spirituality (1<\/sup><\/a>). Beyond the \u201cHollywood Indian\u201d stereotype, the producers of Pocahontas also allowed the \u201cVanishing Indian\u201d theory to strengthen.<\/p>\n It all began in their marketing campaign, specifically their partnership with McDonald\u2019s. \u00a0A 20 second McDonald\u2019s commercial from 1995 opens with a flute-like instrument playing, accompanied by a rhythmic drum sequence. The camera zooms in on two children, wearing what looks like modern-day Native American Halloween costumes and feathers in their hair, playing with the Pocahontas toys from the McDonald\u2019s Happy Meals. Next, an older man beckons the children into a teepee, where they start watching the Disney movie Pocahontas. The commercial concludes with two individual dressed in what looks like wooden masks and armor playing with the Happy Meal toys. This commercial exudes stereotypes from the \u201cHollywood Indian\u201d stereotype, such as the dress, non-historical teepee, and the men in wood, which seems to inaccurately symbolize spirituality and tradition.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/593\/2019\/09\/Screen-Shot-2019-09-16-at-9.41.51-PM-300x261.png\")
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