POWER TO THE PRINCESS!

Disney heroines get a stunning makeover as beautiful young black girls take their crowns

- KIM ABRAHAMS

THERE’S something instant­ ly recognisable about them. Snow White and her apple, Cinderella’s blue and Belle’s yellow ball­ gown, Rapunzel’s long braid, Ariel’s seashells . . .

But these are Disney princesses like you’ve never seen them before. They’ve come to life in the shape of 14 gorgeous young black girls who were excited to create versions of Disney characters that looked more like them than the ones they’d seen on screen.

Hairstylist and makeup artist La­ Chanda Gatson had always wanted to see characters she could relate to – so she made her dream come true by creat­ ing them herself.

“Growing up, I didn’t see much rep­ resentation in fantasy or enchanting fairytales,” LaChanda tells YOU. “So I’d always reimagine what it would be like in a more relatable way. I’ve now created the change I want to see.”

LaChanda teamed up with costume designers, makeup artists, hairstylists and photographers to deliver the Disney­ inspired cosplay series Once upon a Time, a Trip around the Sun. The images were recently shared on Facebook and have received praise from around the globe.

It was a labour of love for LaChanda.

“This is a passion project,” she says. “A different twist to a hair and fashion story. These princesses are some of my favourites, reimagined from all over the world. They’re here to show diversity in fantasy and imagination.”

She’s giving young girls something she never had growing up – a “special mixture of chocolate-blend princesses”.

LaChanda, who grew up in Clarksville in Tennessee in the USA, loved music and the arts in high school. But she most enjoyed expressing her creativity through beauty.

“I was that one friend who spent my weekends styling my friends’ hair,” she says.