Internet trolls attack Bella Thorne for sharing this Disney Princess on Instagram – but why?

Disney recently shared the first look at their Latina princess, Elena and Bella received a lot of backlash for sharing the character…

Bella Thorne

by Francesca Battson |
Published on

Bella Thorne has been hit by criticism after proudly sharing a picture of Disney’s first Latina Princess.

She captioned the post on her Instagram: “#finally a Latina princess !!!! Oh my god I hope they make a movie for her!!! So excited !! #Latina #iamlatina #proud #cuban”

However, some users were quick to comment about the face that Bella is “white” and “not Cuban”.

One wrote: “I hate when the people that are not Latin say that are Latin. You are north America, not Latin [sic].”

“Your the whitest girl ever how the f--- are you Latina?” another put.

One nastily added: “You don’t even look Latina..just coz you have 1% (or nothing at all) of it doesn’t make you one. U’r white. Stop embarrassing yourself [sic].”

Bella is in fact Cuban on her father’s side, and just because she doesn’t have tanned skin or brunette hair, doesn’t mean that she does not inherit her Latina heritage.

And some fans were quick to comment, supporting Bella’s post.

One said: “What is wrong with you people? Not all Latinos have dark hair and dark skin. Don't discriminate because someone has whiter or darker skin.”

“Many Cubans have her appearance. Just because she has a light complexion and red hair does not mean she is not latina,” another added.

Just because Bella does not look like the new Disney Princess, we shouldn’t assume that she is not Latina – and that she shouldn’t take pride in her heritage.

In December, Bella told HuffPost that she finds it “annoying” when people don’t realise she’s Latin.

“You don’t have to have brown hair to be Latin,” she said.

“People ask me all the time ‘How did you have a Quinceañera if you’re not Latin?’ It’s a little annoying that people don’t realize I’m Latin, but it’s okay because I’m like right up there to tell them that I am.”

What do you think of the new Disney Princess?

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