Or Danica (Patrick) before her own makeover (or maybe just after her first makeover when she actually looked more masculine in an ultra feminine dress and heels, kind of lunging around wide stance before she became an unnecessary pinup. Which some would argue was more about appealing to women than lessening the threat to men or attempting to gain male respect… or even recognizing she was more woman than just being one of the guys… in american pop culture, more of a fear of homosexuality/lesbianism than truly the games of men vs women. Which is likely part of the reason Merida wasn’t a full on tomboy.)

but nah, Kaylee comes to mind more… in the fictional realm, sure Merida was less of the timid sort, but Kaylee seems more of a realistic ending to what an empowered youth in childhood might become in our various gender role wars… with Zoe, Inara and River setting up the triple goddess for supportive references too. All on the pretty side but less conventionally so… with character and caricature aspects that balance their place in the (fire/serenity) universe or the conflicts of appearances and gender roles… (‘course we do see other women, particularly the stronger sort living on the fringe planets, but I’d digress.)

with all this outcry… there isn’t much of a thought to what sort of person Merida would become instead it seems its the same of the fantasies of parents’ dreaming of their child’s wedding or careers… an obsession with caste that in organically narrows the path of personal growth.

Merida particularly for her universe setting as well as its reflection on our own and its historical bent… doesn’t have much room developing into something else. Will she become a pirate queen… a warrior princess (It didn’t fare too well for Xena… a lonely and complicated life.) …

then there’s the questions of another Disney character, Lilo Pelekai, from Lilo & Stitch… which eventually does offer us a glimpse of her grown up, resembling her sister Nani and with a daughter, mini clone, of her own… that’s entertaining by contrast to the socio-political debates represented here. albeit Lilo as a child, even a fictional one, was expected to grow out of her some of her (antisocial) behaviors.. ‘course aside from the scifi fantasy elements, she was allowed to be more ‘human’ and ‘real’ than Merida that perhaps is more akin to Punky Brewster in both fiction and reality, that the public wasn’t able to handle her ‘growing up’ both physically and socially/mentally… that a a public we like strong characters but we aren’t too keen on creating strong environments and communities for them to actually live with the rest of us rather than to standout alone, ever on the outside… whether as fantasy heroes or real life villains.

‘Merida’ is setup to become a goddess (Athena), a figurehead, a poster child for a cause… there’s little in the way of humanity (Earth Girl Arjuna… ) for her to be.

(as to the actual differences on appearances…. on first glance, I cringe at the shaving down of her bone structure and the plumping of her lips… the make up, distracting to thoughts, perhaps she was covering up bruises and injuries, wearing such clothing to draw attention away from them. Less the route of being abused or self injury per se than trying to keep the rest of the world off her back while she’s doing her thing… her supporters aren’t likely keen on watching women in the ufc, unless their on the sidelines… and at least that crowd can be pleased at least she didn’t go all muscular. You know it’s often worst from women, when you’re muscular and a chica than if you were fat or too skinny. ‘course though that’s more of a debate for the comics of superheroes crowd and the lady hulk debate.)