As part of Disney’s Ultimate Princess Celebration, ELLE is honoring real-life heroes and heroines who embody the spirit of Disney’s beloved princesses, who continue to inspire people worldwide, regardless of age. The Modern Heroines series kicked off in August and now ELLE is celebrating new trailblazers.
What’s Happening:
- As part of the “Modern Heroines” campaign, ELLE and Disney are focusing on real-life heroes and heroines who embody the courage and kindness of the beloved Disney Princess characters.
- Available now online and featured in the March 2022 issue, ELLE is profiling “Modern Heroines” who dream fearlessly and inspire future generations to create a better world.
- This month ELLE’s Modern Heroines include:
- Jane Fonda
- Marsai Martin
- Jane Fonda has always been a fighter, crusading for civil rights, social justice, and peace. Today she’s leading a battle against climate change. In the fall of 2019, the now 84-year-old actress moved to Washington, DC, and began holding Fire Drill Fridays, weekly protests on Capitol Hill to draw attention to the climate crisis.
- Marsai Martin is looking ahead while her hit series Black-ish closes out its eighth and final season this year. Next month, the 17-year-old—who set the world record as the youngest executive producer on a film with 2019’s Little—will begin shooting Saturdays, a Disney Channel series centered on a young girl with dreams of becoming a pro roller skater. It’s one of the latest projects from Martin’s production company, Genius Entertainment, which recently implemented a “no Black pain” initiative.
Modern Heroines on their Favorite Princesses:
- Jane Fonda on Elsa: Fonda favors bravery, citing Frozen’s Elsa, who ventured into the unknown to embrace her true purpose and help save her kingdom. She’s also a fan of the snow queen’s fashion sense: “It’s quite a look. I think it would be a great look [for me].”
- Marsai Martin on Tiana: “Everything was falling down on her, and she worked her way back up on her own terms. That’s something that I can totally relate to. In my industry, you will hear a lot of ‘no.’ So you gotta find your ‘yes’ and show people that whatever you have in your dreams can become a reality. That’s what we’re doing right now.”
Other Modern Heroines:
- ELLE’s “Modern Heroines” series launched in August during World Princess Week with four women featured in the first group of heroines:
- Eva Longoria (Jasmine): The Generous Multihyphenate
- Misty Copeland (Belle): The Graceful Dancer
- Amanda Nguyen (Mulan): The Brave Justice-Seeker
- Padma Lakshmi (Tiana): The Tenacious Foodie
- In September ELLE profiled two new heroines:
- Naomi Osaka (Mulan): The Powerful Athlete
- Josie Totah (Jasmine): The Spirited Trailblazer
- For November the focus was on:
- Jennifer Lee (Cinderella): The Creative Dreamer
- December and January Celebrated:
- Alyssa Carson (Jasmine): The Self-Assured Future Astronaut
- Chai Vasarhelyi (Mulan): The Courageous Director
- February Highlighted:
- Reshma Saujani (Merida)
- Halima Aden (Mulan)
- March Featured:
- Suni Lee (Mulan)