\t\tIf hearing the words \u201cDisney Princess\u201d brings to mind images of damsels in distress waiting for their Prince Charming, you\u2019re skipping over Cinderella\u2019s determination to overcome the adversity she faced, despite her circumstances\u2014or Moana\u2019s daring quest to save her home and her people from an ecological disaster. As part of Disney\u2019s Ultimate Princess Celebration, ELLE is honoring real-life heroes and heroines who embody the spirit of Disney\u2019s beloved princesses, who continue to inspire people worldwide, regardless of age.<\/p>\n
\t\tCrop sweater, $690, brief, $390, Michael Kors Collection.
\n\tCeleste Sloman<\/p>\n
THE STRONG-WILLED GYMNASTSunisa LeeDisney movies played a huge role in gymnast Sunisa Lee\u2019s childhood. \u201cI just loved Mulan\u2014she was super powerful and knew what she wanted,\u201d Lee says. \u201cI could relate, because I always knew that I wanted to go to the Olympics.\u201d Lee, who was raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as part of a tight-knit Hmong American community, saw her goal come to fruition last summer\u2014a year later than expected. \u201c[The postponement] was really stressful because it was something I\u2019d worked my whole life for,\u201d says Lee, who lost an aunt and uncle to COVID. \u201cI didn\u2019t know if I really wanted to do it anymore. I had a lot of self-doubt. But once I got back into the gym, I worked even harder, and it made me want to go even more because it proved how strong I was and what I was capable of.\u201d After winning three medals in Tokyo, including the all-around gold, Lee competed on Dancing With the Stars. The Auburn University freshman is still coming to terms with her newfound fame. \u201cI always just wanted to go to the Olympics,\u201d she says. \u201cThere was never any thought that I would win or inspire others. It\u2019s honestly been amazing.\u201d \u2014Adrienne GaffneyStyled by Ashley Furnival; hair by Irinel de Le\u00f3n for Mane Addicts; makeup by Denika Bedrossian for Armani Beauty; set design by Julien Borno; produced by Aaron Zumback at Camp Productions.<\/p>\n
\t\tCape gown, Ali\u00e9tte, $4,795. Earrings, Marie-H\u00e9l\u00e8ne de Taillac. Ring, Tiffany & Co.
\n\tCeleste Sloman<\/p>\n
THE BRAVE ADVOCATEReshma SaujaniBefore their kids came along, Reshma Saujani and her husband shared household duties. \u201cHe cooked dinner; he did the grocery shopping; he did so much,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd then we had children. I took leave, he didn\u2019t, and our to-do tabs shifted.\u201d For Saujani, the debate over paternity leave is personal. \u201cWhen you\u2019re leaning into the workplace, but you still can\u2019t get it done because you\u2019re doing 86 percent of the domestic and cognitive labor, it\u2019s not your fault\u2014it\u2019s society\u2019s fault.\u201d As the mastermind behind the Marshall Plan for Moms, a movement to pay mothers for their labor, and the author of Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (And Why It\u2019s Different Than You Think) (out in March), Saujani aims to change that. She\u2019s already made strides in closing the tech gender gap through the nonprofit Girls Who Code. \u201cPerfectionism is ingrained in the way we raise girls,\u201d she says. \u201cThe antidote is bravery.\u201d Saujani sees this manifested in Brave: \u201cMerida is headstrong and fearless; she doesn\u2019t care what anybody else thinks. She\u2019s the perfect example of living life brave, not perfect.\u201d \u2014Melissa GianniniStyled by Sarah Zendejas; hair and makeup by Claudia Lake for Chanel; produced by Fiona Lennon. <\/p>\n
\t\tDress, Carolina Herrera, $2,890. Turtleneck, Kotn, $39. Bracelets, Foundrae, from $5,145. Platforms, Giuseppe Zanotti, $1,050.
\n\tCeleste Sloman<\/p>\n
THE SELF-MADE MODELHalima AdenToward the end of 2020, Halima Aden quit modeling. The Somali-American Muslim broke new ground as the first hijab-wearing model to find mainstream success in fashion, appearing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, on magazine covers, and walking the runway for brands like Yeezy. While designers accommodated her hijab, they often made adjustments to it that left Aden increasingly uncomfortable. She loved modeling, she says, \u201cbut it was also pulling me further away from family and my core values, and even the way that I viewed my hijab.\u201d Almost a year later, she returned\u2014on her own terms. She\u2019s now a global brand ambassador for modest fashion brand Modanisa, and is partnering with Vita Coco to aid coconut-farming communities around the world. She\u2019s also working on a children\u2019s book based on her childhood experience living in a Kenyan refugee camp. Aden loves Mulan as a woman driven by her principles\u2014much like herself. \u201cShe wasn\u2019t born or married into royalty; she had an interesting story. She\u2019s strong, fierce, and will make the necessary sacrifices to put her family first.\u201d \u2014AGStyled by Katie Keim; makeup by Christopher Ardoff for Christian Dior; manicure by Julie Kandalec for Chanel Le Vernis; produced by Fiona Lennon; special thanks to 620 Loft & Garden at Rockefeller Center.<\/p>\n
\t\tWrap gloves with train, Marc Jacobs, $4,420. Top, $570, Pants, $1,610, Miu Miu. Choker, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, $395. Pumps, Manolo Blahnik, $665.
\n\tCeleste Sloman<\/p>\n
THE SELF-ASSURED FUTURE ASTRONAUTAlyssa CarsonAsk Alyssa Carson what she was up to over the summer, and you\u2019ll likely hear stories about jumping out of airplanes and living underwater for over 24 hours. Considering the 20-year-old\u2019s unwavering mission since roughly age three has been to visit Mars, this shouldn\u2019t be too surprising. \u201cMars is still kind of the ultimate goal, but I\u2019m also not super picky,\u201d says Carson, who entered the Project PoSSUM astronaut training program at 15 and is currently studying astrobiology at the Florida Institute of Technology. Her proudest moments so far, however, have involved inspiring other young people to study STEM. \u201cA while ago, I was talking to some middle school girls, and one girl was like, \u2018Well, I like fashion and I also like space,\u2019 and I was like, \u2018You can make designer spacesuits!\u2019 \u201d Carson could relate as a self-proclaimed \u201cspace kid\u201d who also had a pink room with a Disney Princess border. \u201cFor Halloween, I typically dressed up as Jasmine\u2014I think I just liked her outfit the most,\u201d she says with a laugh. \u201cBut I loved how they all had adventurous spirits and were pretty princesses at the same time.\u201d \u2014MGStyled by Anatolli Smith; hair and makeup by Wendy Karcher; set design by Matthew Arthur; produced by Katherine Prato Productions.<\/p>\n
\t\tDress, Diotima, $850. Bracelet, Boots, $1,490, Dior.
\n\tMakeda Sandford<\/p>\n
THE COURAGEOUS DIRECTOR Chai VasarhelyiChai Vasarhelyi\u2019s 2018 documentary Free Solo ascended great heights, literally and figuratively. The film, which she codirected with husband Jimmy Chin, chronicled Alex Honnold\u2019s historic climb of El Capitan without a rope, and won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. But the duo\u2019s latest project, The Rescue, is set firmly underground, revisiting the daring recovery of 12 boys and their soccer coach from the depths of a flooded cave in Thailand. \u201cI think it\u2019s one of the great stories of the past decade\u2014you don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to turn out well, but people really rose to their best,\u201d she says. \u201cBecause of the pandemic, people are asking all these questions about the intentionality of their life, like, \u2018Why am I doing this?\u2019 It\u2019s a question that comes up in the film.\u201d In between shooting Free Solo and The Rescue, Vasarhelyi took her children to Disney World, prompting her daughter\u2019s quest for a Mulan doll. \u201cShe\u2019s not afraid to be who she wants to be, she\u2019s not afraid to fight, and she\u2019s very close to her family,\u201d Vasarhelyi says of the princess, adding that she\u2019s also a fan. \u201cPlus, she looks like us.\u201d \u2014AGStyled by Anatolli Smith; hair by Lindsay Block; makeup by Dani Levi; produced by Fiona Lennon.
\nTHE CREATIVE DREAMERJennifer Lee <\/p>\n
\t\tDress, $2,650, belt, $1,090, Alexander McQueen. Earrings, ring, Fernando Jorge. Ring, Carbon & Hyde. Stylist\u2019s own bracelet. Sandals, Giuseppe Zanotti, $1,396.
\n\tCeleste Sloman<\/p>\n
When Jennifer Lee was young, watching Cinderella helped her cope with the severe bullying she was experiencing. Years later, she was able to offer a new generation of children a similar sense of hope as the writer of Frozen, which she directed with Chris Buck. \u201cCinderella gave me something I could hold on to,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen we started hearing about what Frozen has meant to people and how it\u2019s affected their lives, I related because of Cinderella. It means a lot to be a part of something that can be there for people if they need it and speak to true emotions.\u201dLee, the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, joined Disney for what was initially a short gig on the writing team for Wreck-It Ralph. Since then, the Oscar winner has written and directed Frozen 2 and executive produced Raya and the Last Dragon and Encanto. \u201cAnimation is so collaborative. I can look at every shot and know the layers it took to get there and the number of people who were a part of every idea,\u201d Lee says. After several years in the business, she\u2019s still \u201cjust as much in awe of the process, and excited that I get to be a part of it.\u201d \u2014AGStyled by Christopher Campbell; hair by Aaron Light for R+Co; makeup by Kelly Shew for M.A.C Cosmetics; set design by Julien Borno; produced by Aaron Zumback at Camp Productions.
\nTHE POWERFUL ATHLETE Naomi Osaka<\/p>\n
\t\tTop, skirt, Louis Vuitton.
\n\tDjeneba Aduayom<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing authentically myself is the value I most strive for,\u201d says Naomi Osaka. \u201cI\u2019ve never wanted to feel pressured into conforming to what other people think I should be.\u201d This sentiment rang true during 2020\u2019s US Open, when the 23-year-old tennis champion wore masks printed with the names of victims of police brutality, and was reaffirmed more recently, when she withdrew from this year\u2019s French Open and Wimbledon to prioritize her mental health. Osaka stays true to her values off the court as well. This month, she launched Kinl\u00f2, a unisex skin care brand that \u201cfills a gap in the need for skin and sun care for melanated skin,\u201d she says. And in May, she expanded Play Academy, her initiative to increase girls\u2019 participation in sports, which now has a presence in Japan, where she was born; Los Angeles, where she currently lives; and Haiti, where her father is from. While Osaka acknowledges she\u2019ll always love Ariel\u2014\u201cmy sister Mari and I watched The Little Mermaid millions of times growing up\u201d\u2014the princess she most relates to today is Mulan, \u201cbecause she saved people rather than waiting to be saved.\u201d \u2014MGStyled by Karla Welch; hair by Marty Harper at The Wall Group; makeup by Autumn Moultrie at The Wall Group; produced by Crawford Productions.THE SPIRITED TRAILBLAZERJosie Totah<\/p>\n
\t\tShirt, $1,450, trousers, $1,450, boots, $1,490, Fendi. Rings, Chanel Fine Jewelry, from $3,550.
\n\tCeleste Sloman<\/p>\n
As a child star, Josie Totah stole scenes. But now, as a 20-year-old woman, she\u2019s defining her own path, and leading Hollywood toward a more inclusive future. After memorable turns in Glee and Other People, Totah has landed a starring role in Peacock\u2019s Saved by the Bell. The actress, who opened up about her experience as a transgender girl in a 2018 essay, plays a trans character on the show, and is also a series producer. \u201cBeing a producer allowed me to tell the most authentic story possible for my character\u2014I felt that without that title, I wouldn\u2019t have been able to do that,\u201d she says. Born in August 2001 to parents of Palestinian and Lebanese descent, Totah recalls being inundated with negative stereotypes of Arab and Middle Eastern people while growing up. She didn\u2019t see \u201cthoughtful, accurate representations of Arab people just being who they are, which is normal people,\u201d she says, until watching Disney\u2019s Aladdin. \u201cGetting to see myself [in Jasmine], who has a little bit darker hair, a little bit more melanin, was amazing and made me feel proud. She\u2019s a Middle Eastern queen.\u201d \u2014AGStyled by Sarah Zendejas; hair by Ro Morgan for Bumble & Bumble; makeup by Yinna Wang for Dior; set design by DJ Repoman; produced by Fiona Lennon.
\nTHE GENEROUS MULTIHYPHENATEEva Longoria<\/p>\n
\t\tCAFTAN, OSCAR DE LA RENTA, $3,290. EARRINGS, FENDI, $370\u2013$590 EACH.
\n\tCeleste Sloman<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople think I\u2019m an actor turned producer\/director, but I\u2019ve always been a producer\/director who fell into acting,\u201d says Eva Longoria. Before too long, that ambiguity will be gone with the release of Flamin\u2019 Hot, the Searchlight Pictures biopic of Frito-Lay executive Richard Monta\u00f1ez, and Longoria\u2019s first feature-film director credit. After that, Longoria will produce, direct, and costar in the Kerry Washington\u2013led comedy 24-7 and the action comedy film Spa Day. Throughout her career, Longoria has been active in immigration advocacy and Latinx causes. This past winter, she helped deliver meals and water during the disastrous winter storm in Texas. \u201cCareerwise, directing, producing, and acting, that\u2019s what I do, but who I am is more important,\u201d she says. \u201cAffordable housing and health care, access to quality education\u2014those things are a little more important than who\u2019s watching my TV show.\u201d But in terms of feeling seen onscreen, Longoria says the film Aladdin was a revelation. \u201cI loved Jasmine,\u201d she says of the spirited character, who also happened to be Disney\u2019s first princess of color. \u201cShe had dark hair and dark skin. I was like, \u2018She looks like me!\u2019 \u201d \u2014AGStyled by Sarah Schussheim; hair by Amaran Asylum at Illumemanagement; makeup by Elan Bongiorno at Rouge Artists; produced by Aaron Zumback at Camp Productions.
\n This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.<\/p>\n
THE GRACEFUL DANCERMisty Copeland<\/p>\n
\t\tBODYSUIT, SKIRT, $2,195, GIORGIO ARMANI.
\n\tCeleste Sloman<\/p>\n
Misty Copeland is back in the studio. After more than a year of training remotely, the American Ballet Theatre principal\u2014and perhaps the biggest name in American dance\u2014is hard at work on Flower, a short dance film and \u201clove letter\u201d to Oakland, California, which addresses the city\u2019s history of redlining and gentrification. \u201cThis time has been a beautiful transitional learning process for me,\u201d says the Armani Crossroads ambassador of the pause in her grueling schedule. Copeland, who became part of the Disney family when she starred in the 2018 film The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, says that Disney films were her first introduction to dance as a child. In conversation (and while performing), the creative powerhouse embodies the grace and warmth of Frozen\u2019s Elsa, but growing up, Copeland felt a strong connection to Belle of Beauty and the Beast. \u201cI loved the way she would move throughout the town, with such poise and grace, even though she wasn\u2019t this wealthy, elite princess,\u201d she says. \u201cI also loved The Little Mermaid. Ariel and Belle were my two favorites\u2014I was obsessed with them.\u2014AGStyled by Sarah Zendejas; hair by Jeff Francis for Living Proof; makeup by Victor Henao at B&A; produced by Fiona Lennon.THE BRAVE JUSTICE-SEEKERAmanda Nguyen<\/p>\n
\t\tDRESS, TROUSERS, \u00c1O D\u00c0I, TAILORED AND CODESIGNED BY THAI NGUYEN, TIM NGUYEN, AND AMANDA NGUYEN. EARRINGS, RINGS, FROM $2,100, TIFFANY & CO.
\n\tCeleste Sloman<\/p>\n
Amanda Nguyen just passed a law. Her thirty-seventh, in fact. After being raped in college, Nguyen started the organization Rise, which put together the Sexual Assault Survivors\u2019 Bill of Rights, designed to make the reporting process more streamlined. It\u2019s been passed federally and in 30 states, as well as Washington, DC. \u201cIt\u2019s absolutely possible to create change,\u201d she says. This year, in the face of an epidemic of racist violence, Rise pivoted to include work on advocacy for the AAPI community. Nguyen, who grew up loving Mulan, appreciates how Disney princesses and queens show that bravery doesn\u2019t have to stick to only a masculine presentation, \u201cthat you can be brave while being vulnerable, that courage doesn\u2019t mean lack of fear,\u201d she says. \u201cI think Disney princesses and queens are such feminists.\u201d Even with all she has achieved, Nguyen, who interned for NASA, still has one big goal: space. She\u2019s long been vocal about her dream of becoming an astronaut and hints that it just might come true. \u201cI\u2019ll just say that I\u2019m very excited for my future, and I still very much want to be an astronaut.\u201d\u2014AGStyled by Sarah Zendejas; hair by Nicolas Eldin for Bumble and Bumble; makeup by Misuzu Miyake for Chanel Beauty; produced by Fiona Lennon. THE TENACIOUS FOODIEPadma Lakshmi<\/p>\n
\t\tGOWN, $6,990, SANDALS, $595, MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION.
\n\tCeleste Sloman<\/p>\n
When Padma Lakshmi\u2019s daughter Krishna, was very young, the Top Chef and Taste the Nation host told her stories of food bringing families and cultures together. A version of those stories has evolved into Tomatoes for Neela, Lakshmi\u2019s debut children\u2019s book, out now via Viking Books for Young Readers. Krishna is 11 now, \u201cbut books for kids take a long time!\u201d Lakshmi says with a laugh. \u201cIn our fast-paced lives, one of the things we\u2019ve lost\u2014which I hope we\u2019ve regained a little bit [in quarantine]\u2014is the art of just spending time together, and passing down skills and knowledge and all of those family stories.\u201d Another story involving family and food that Lakshmi and her daughter bond over is Disney\u2019s The Princess and the Frog. \u201cWe love Tiana because she\u2019s very steadfast and doesn\u2019t expect an easy way out,\u201d Lakshmi says. \u201cA lot of success in life comes from talent, but more sustained success comes from diligence and working hard and understanding that there\u2019s no one set, fixed goal you\u2019ll arrive at where you\u2019ve \u2018made it.\u2019 I think that is truly a fairy tale.\u201d \u2014MGStyled by Sarah Zendejas; hair by Reyna Garcia; makeup by Raul Otero at The Wall Group; produced by Fiona Lennon.This article appears in the March 2022 issue of ELLE.GET THE LATEST ISSUE OF ELLE<\/p>\n