Fury as male Disneyland employee appears as Fairy Godmother’s apprentice at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
31 May 2023, 13:40
A male Disneyland employee appearing as the Fairy Godmother’s apprentice at Disneyland has caused fury among parents.
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There have been calls for a boycott after the cast member appeared wearing a blue and purple dress as they welcomed guests at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
Footage from the experience shared on TikTok showed the Disney employee saying: "My name is Nick I'm one of the Fairy Godmother's apprentices.
"I'm here to shop you around and make all your selections for the day."
The clip was shared by Kourtni Faber, a mother of three who was documenting her family's trip to Disneyland.
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Despite the company's efforts in recent years to become more inclusive, the clip has seen a backlash from parents.
One person tweeted: "Disney has a man in a dress working in the dress store for little girls at Disneyland. This is who Disney wants girls to see when they first walk in to pick out a dress."
A second person said: "I’m already boycotting Disney, so should everyone else."
A third person added: "I took my daughter to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for her Birthday. I had to make reservations months in advance and the cost was ridiculous but I did it for her special day. I would have lost my mind if I showed up and a man dressed as a woman greeted my little girl."
But others were quick to defend Disney's more inclusive approach for cast members and guests.
"Omg, get a life. I love Nick. Disney have it spot on. Tolerance and loving kindness are everything," one Twitter user said.
Another person on TikTok added: "Umm excuse ME can Nick be my bff? This made me tear up. Good job, Disney."
Someone else said: "Nick seems to love his job! So happy for him."
Cast members working at Disney's Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique were previously called "Fairy Godmothers in Training" but the title was changed to "Fairy Godmother’s Apprentices" last year to be more inclusive.
When they announced the change, Disney said: "This way, cast members that might not identify as female can still be part of the process to dress up & style the children without having to refer to themselves as a female Disney character."
The 'magical makeover' experience at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is for children between the ages of 3 and 12.
