This Latina Artist is Shattering the ‘Princess’ Stereotype With Her Digital Art
Lots of Disney artists have re-imagined Disney princesses, but this latest rendition we stumbled upon has us shook and inspired
Photo: Instagram/@fdasuarez
Lots of Disney artists have re-imagined Disney princesses, but this latest rendition we stumbled upon has us shook and inspired. A Latina artist put a modern twist on all of our favorite princesses and the results are stunning. Somehow modern and classic at the same time, this is art we’d be proud to share with our kids. Sassy, fearless, and bold, we hope all little girls see a piece of themselves in at least one of these portraits. We got lost scrolling through her profile. Here are a few interesting things we learned about her and her amazing art.wp_*posts
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Fernanda Suarez is the artist behind these cool modern princesses
Fernanda Suarez, originally from Chile, has garnered over 200 thousand Instagram followers, creates her art through digital media, somehow creating and depicting characters that are incredibly realistic. Perhaps it’s in the eyes of the characters or how she totally nails complexion, texture, identifying marks, etc., to make each of her subjects look so completely human — they all seem to just ooze soul and a certain fierceness.
Most notably, in her “Modern” series, Fernanda tackled the task of recreating famous Disney princesses and even some of their villainous counterparts.
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There’s an Esmeralda
Who would dare mess with the street-wise gypsy princess Esmeralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame? Esmeralda as a character is fiery and stands up against social injustices. She’s a free-spirit and strong in her beliefs and we totally get that from this depiction.wp_*posts
There’s a Princess Jasmine
When I was a child, the Middle Eastern Jasmine from Aladdin was my favorite Disney Princess — I was obsessed, in part because she was brown like me. She was smart and thoughtful and totally sheltered —but she was so not into being used as a pretty prop or figurehead. Her rebellious spirit is absolutely evident in Fernanda’s iteration.wp_*posts
There’s a Pocahontas
In Fernanda’s re-working of Pocahontas, she looks every bit the empathetic badass the real-life indigenous princess likely was. She looks kind and powerful.
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There’s a Princess Tiana
If the Tiana of Disney’s 2009 The Princess and the Frog had been more like what we see in Fernanda’s depiction, I might have enjoyed the movie a bit more. Not only does this piece capture her chocolate skin perfectly, but the strength and pride in her face are undeniable.
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There’s a Megara
The character Megara from the Disney movie Hercules is sultry and snarky and so not here for the drama that men bring. While Disney made a bit of a caricature out of her, Fernanda shows her as a modern woman who looks like she knows exactly what she wants in life.
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There’s a Moana
Moana is the most current of the princesses featured in the “Modern” series, and Fernanda’s depiction of her does seem the truest to the original character. She’s gorgeous and we love that the artist gave her more muscular definition.
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Nala will leave you shook
Perhaps the least of expected of Fernanda’s renderings are her re-imagined Nala of The Lion King. Nala, of course, isn’t human (she’s a lioness in the original The Lion King), so it had to take a lot of creativity and imagination for the artist to come up with this depiction. Her Nala is bold and sassy and SO stunning— she’s kind of everything we think Beyoncé will bring to the character in the upcoming remake.
To see more of Fernanda’s beautiful and empowering work and find out how to get your hands on some prints, check her out on Instagram, Patreon and DeviantArt.
