Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World are currently shut down for the update of the “wench for a bride” scene. The entire scene is going to be redone as a revolt against the auction, with the famous redhead redesigned as a kick butt pirate wielding a sword. There was a lot of controversy over the announcement last year, but today we are going to revisit the argument.
We Wants the Bride
The Bride Auction scene is one of the most famous and cherished scenes in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. On par with the prisoners begging the dog for the key, this scene can be seen in merchandise, fan art, cosplayers and Disneybounders alike. Since the ride was created in 1967 at Disneyland, not everything is going to match the ethical standards of today, such as auctioning off women and public drunkenness.
They already made one change a few years ago by having the women chase the pirates around their houses instead of the other way around. So how much farther is Disney going to go to satiate the complaints of a few offended patrons who “don’t want their kids seeing this” or think “it’s not politically correct”? Should they take the hostile indigenous people out of Jungle Cruise? What about any slave-owning president in the Hall of Presidents? Or maybe the Country Bears are a little too stereotypical to be in a Disney Park?
Long story short, it is ridiculous to try to take the legacy of the older Disney attractions and make them “politically correct” because someone has their panties in a bunch. Besides, it doesn’t make sense to take one scene (and the most beloved one at that) in the Pirates ride and politically correct it while leaving the rest of the attraction exactly the same. Pirates of the Caribbean is a depiction of the times in how the pirate life was; don’t take out the bride auctions but leave sword fighting, public drunkenness and prisoners about to be burned alive. Don’t pick and choose. And don’t touch Walt’s legacy.
We Wants the Pirate
In 1967, Pirates of the Caribbean was an attraction in and of itself about the imagineers depiction of pirates. When Jack Sparrow was added in 2006, though, the ride and the movie series officially became one. Regardless of which came first, they are each the same entity now. However, the ride and the movie series currently have one extreme difference between them: the women. In the movies the women kick butt alongside their male counterparts, from Elizabeth Swan to Carina Barbossa.
In the Pirates ride, the only women you see are housewives desperately chasing invading pirates, women looking out their windows sobbing or gawking at the scene before them and brides being auctioned off. In the bride scene, most of the women are crying and upset, but the redhead seems eager to be sold. She is happily patting her hair and showing off her looks…like she wants to be sold. The Pirates ride is in serious need of empowered women…and what better way to do it than with the beloved redhead?
The Disney Parks are supposed to be for everyone. Referring to the reason Walt made Disneyland in the first place, it is supposed to be somewhere that parents, grandparents and kids can go together and have a great time. If a young girl, or even a grown women, loves the Pirates ride and wants to cosplay as one, what are her options? Be the pirate-chasing housewives? Be the redhead being auctioned off as a bride? Make up your own character that’s not in the ride? That’s about it. And I doubt most parents want their children dressing up as a slave-trade bride.
Once Disney adds the redhead as a pirate, though, girls will be able to go through that ride and see themselves. “I can be a pirate, too”. “I can wield a sword, too”. Inclusion is a responsibility that Disney shoulders as it creates the building blocks most children grow up with.
Our Opinion:
The Disney Parks are for everyone. Changing the redhead to a pirate is part of the necessary changes Disney needs to make to include every one of their fans. Their movies lately have included more characters that are female, have disabilities or are part of a minority race (Black Panther and A Wrinkle in Time, anyone?). These moves shouldn’t be seen as Disney submitting to the “politically correct agenda”, but as Disney having a greater understanding of how diverse their demographic is. Men can be feminine (Beauty and the Beast 2017 Remake). African Americans can be superheroes (Black Panther). And women can be pirates. Yes, we wants the redhead.
If you disagree with any of the points we made or think we overlooked something, please comment here or on Instagram @whatsthedbate. We welcome other points of view and will eagerly D-bate with you.
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