Sharon Williams

                                                                               123 Some Avenue
                                                            A City, PA 19015
                                                             610-123-4567
                                                      sharon.williams@gmail.com

 

July 20, 2015

 

Mr. Robert A. Iger
Chief Executive Officer


The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873
 

Dear Mr. Iger,
 
When I first became engaged to my husband, my mother’s reaction was to ask me, “Do you really want to be a stepmother?” Her thinking was that stepmothers have always been portrayed as evil or wicked throughout history. She was afraid that others would perceive me as such in my new role as a stepmom. Unfortunately, Disney Studios have helped to perpetuate this characterization of stepmothers in American culture. Disney has used Grimm’s Fairytales and their horrible portrayal of stepmothers as being abusive to their stepchildren in movie adaptations such as Cinderella and Snow White. It is time for Disney to change the world’s perception of stepmothers from being evil and wicked to understanding and loving women. 
 
The website Smart Stepfamilies documents that 100 million Americans have a step relationship. They include facts supporting that 29-30 million adults are stepparents, with 12% of them being stepmothers. With this staggering statistic in mind, doesn’t it make sense for Disney to create a stepmother with a positive image? Imagine the amount of revenue a movie with a positively characterized stepmother could make if it were marketed to the 12 percent of stepmothers and the 100 million Americans involved in step relationships. People tend to want to see movies that appeal to their circumstances, and it is my guess that a wonderfully imaged stepfamily example is just what they are looking for in a Disney movie.

In addition to the financial windfall a new-fangled, positive stepmother movie would make, think about the impact Disney could have on changing the perception of stepmothering in the eyes of the American public. Personally, I have turned to Disney Media to set positive life learning opportunities for my children, as have many parents around the globe.
 
In my classroom, I have used the story of Snow White to teach perception in my writing. I assign my students to rewrite the story from the perspective of Queen Grimhilde. Students have come to me and expressed that this activity was motivational for them. Many share personal stories of being in a stepfamily and state that being made to think about how the other side felt forced them to analyze how they interacted in their blended family.
 
I realize that some will argue not to change the perception of the evil and wicked stepmom, that it is a time-honored tradition in literature. This is not a valid reason not to tap into this market. The modern American family is proof of this. When the stories were first written, stepfamilies were few and far between. This is no longer the case.
 
The time has come for Disney to assist with changing the perception of the American stepmother. She is no longer a character that is evil and wicked. Just ask any American woman in the role of a stepmother, and she will tell you that she is a caring and loving mom who chose to mother someone else’s children.
 
Sincerely Yours,
Sharon Williams
An American Stepmom

 

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