Disney has come under furious fire after debuting a ‘woke’ new look for Minnie Mouse, which sees the beloved character abandoning her signature red polka-dot dress in favor of a ‘progressive’ blue pantsuit designed by Stella McCartney.
Disneyland Paris unveiled the famous character’s new outfit on Tuesday via Twitter, announcing that Minnie has undergone a high-fashion makeover in honor of its 30th anniversary. However, within minutes of the tweet being posted, dozens of users began voicing outrage over the style change.
Minnie – who was created almost 100 years ago, in 1928 – has famously worn a red and white polka-dot dress in the park for years. Until now.
Stella created the new costume for her – in honor of Women’s History Month, which takes place in March, and in celebration of the French park’s anniversary.
Disney sparked outrage after debuting a ‘new look’ for Minnie Mouse – ditching her iconic red polka-dot dress in favor of a ‘progressive’ blue pantsuit designed by Stella McCartney
Disneyland Paris unveiled the famous character’s brand new outfit on Tuesday via Twitter – but many people were not a fan and quickly put the company on blast for the change
Minnie – who was created almost 100 years ago, in 1928 – has famously worn a red and white polka-dot dress in the park for years
She opted for a blue polka-dot blazer with matching pants – in an attempt to make her a ‘symbol of progress for a new generation.’
She also replaced Minnie’s red bow with a blue one and swapped her beloved yellow pumps for a pair of black shoes.
Stella (pictured) created the new costume for her – in honor of Women’s History Month, which takes place in March, and in celebration of the French park’s 30th anniversary
Despite having a few different outfits over her years as a cartoon, Minnie’s signature red dress has become a staple for the character’s look in the theme parks.
She has also always worn a skirt or dress – and has never rocked pants before this, making her new outfit one that will go down in history.
‘I wanted Minnie to wear her very first pantsuit at Disneyland Paris, so I have designed one of my iconic costumes – a blue tuxedo – using responsibly sourced fabrics,’ Stella – who is also the daughter of Paul McCartney – said in a statement.
‘This new take on her signature polka dots makes Minnie Mouse a symbol of progress for a new generation.’
The designer, who launched her own clothing line in 2001 and has since gone on to make a major name for herself in the fashion industry, said that Minnie has always had a ‘special place in her heart’ since they share the ‘same values.’
‘I am delighted to be working with the one, the only, the iconic Minnie Mouse,’ she continued.
‘Minnie has always had a special place in my heart. We share the same values.
‘What I love about Minnie is the fact that she embodies happiness, self-expression, and authenticity, and that she inspires people of all ages around the world. Plus, she has such great style.’
Despite having a few different outfits over her years as a cartoon, Minnie’s signature red dress has become a staple for the character’s look in the theme parks
She has also always worn a skirt or dress – and has never rocked pants before this, making her new outfit one that will go down in history
However, the change was met with a very cold shoulder from fans, launching a vicious attack against the company – with one person calling Minnie’s new look ‘more woke BS.’
Some even compared her ‘fit to something that former First Lady Hillary Clinton would wear.
‘Way to go Disney, you turned Minnie Mouse into Hillary Clinton,’ one person wrote.
Another added: ‘People: “Hey Disney, you should actually give gay/queer characters storylines and also maybe pay your employees a livable wage.”
‘Disney: “Minnie Mouse wears a pant suit now.’
‘I was never a Disney mascot fan but WTF?’ someone else said. ‘A covert Hillary homage or just woke pandering run amok.
‘What’s next, will she transition into a Michael so Mickey can full express himself?’
However, the change was met with a very cold shoulder from fans, launching a vicious attack against the company – with one person calling Minnie’s new look ‘more woke BS’
Some even compared her ‘fit to something that former First Lady Hillary Clinton would wear
Another disgruntled user tweeted: ‘Oh Hell no. I’m re-designing this. Love the idea… despite the execution. But it’s not even red?’
‘More woke BS. The design’s nice but we’re talking about a character that is almost 100 years old,’ someone else pointed out.
‘The OG look is timeless, and the whole point of it was to differentiate her from Mickey (especially back in the ’20s).
‘Minnie in a suit makes her look like Mickey in a suit.’
Author, talk show host, and conservative political commentator Candace Owens even got involved, and she blasted Disney for the change during an episode of Fox News on Wednesday.
‘I am so glad they are doing this,’ she said sarcastically.
‘This is why people don’t take these people seriously, they are taking all of these things that nobody was offended by and feel they have to get rid of them and destroy them.
A second new look was also created for Minnie, which consisted of a pink shiny dress with white embellishments throughout, as well as a top hat that had a giant pink bow on it
Mickey will also be wearing something different for the anniversary. His new outfit will be made up of blue pants, a white vest, purple coat, and lavender bow-tie
Author, talk show host, and conservative political commentator Candace Owens even got involved, and she blasted Disney for the change during an appearance on Fox News
‘[This is] because they are bored, they are absolutely bored, they are trying to destroy the fabrics of our society pretending that there are issues.
‘This is so everybody looks over here, look at Minnie Mouse, don’t look at inflation. Look at Minnie Mouse, the world is going forward because we have got her in a pantsuit.
‘Never mind that you can’t get anything in the grocery store and you can’t buy a piece of bacon unless you have got thirty dollars in your pocket, at least we are addressing the real problem which is Minnie Mouse.’
She also brought up the recent controversy that candy company M&M faced after they gave their characters a makeover in an attempt to make them more ‘inclusive.’
The green M&M’s changes, in particular, came under fire – since her high-heeled boots were swapped out for a pair of ‘cool, laid-back’ tennis sneakers – which the company said ‘reflect her effortless confidence.’
‘It goes back to what they did with the M&M’s and now they are making [Minnie] more masculine, I’m glad they are seeing that this needed to be addressed,’ Candace added.
This comes days after candy company M&M had controversy of their own, after they gave their characters a makeover in an attempt to make them more ‘inclusive’
The green M&M’s changes, in particular, came under fire – after her high-heeled boots were swapped out for a pair of ‘cool, laid-back’ tennis sneakers
A second new look was also created for Minnie, which consisted of a pink shiny dress with white embellishments throughout, as well as a top hat that had a giant pink bow on it.
Mickey will also be wearing something different for the anniversary. His new outfit will be made up of blue pants, a white vest, purple coat, and lavender bow-tie.
For years now, Disney theme parks have been making subtle changes to their rides in an attempt to become more progressive.
In 2020, it was announced that they were completely re-doing the ride Splash Mountain so that it would no longer be based off of the 1946 movie Song of the South.
Song of the South was previously removed by Disney from all streaming services due to allegations of racism and stereotypes of African Americans.
Last year, they also revealed that they were going to update the ride Jungle Cruise and remove all ‘negative depictions of natives.’
‘We want to make sure everybody has the best time – that guests from all over the world can connect with the stories we share and that how we bring those to life are respectful of the diverse world we live in,’ Chris Beatty, Walt Disney Imagineering creative portfolio executive, told D23 at the time.
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