Breaking Down the Rachel Zegler 'Snow White' Backlash

Rachel Zegler has found herself at the center of an internet controversy because of comments she made about the Snow White live action remake back in 2022.

You may have heard whispers about the backlash, but if you're unsure what exactly is happening, let me break it down for you.

Last year, Zegler (Snow White) and her costar Gal Gadot (the Evil Queen) spoke to Variety about the upcoming movie, which is set for release in 2024.

In said interview, the reporter asked Zegler about the film's modern take on the original Disney animated film

"I's no longer 1937, and we absolutely wrote a Snow White that is not..." Zegler began, with Gadot chiming in, "Gonna be saved by the prince."

Zegler continued, "She's not gonna be saved by the prince, and she's not gonna be dreaming about true love.

"She's dreaming about becoming the leader she knows she can be, and the leader that her late father told her she could be, if she was fearless, fair, brave and true, and so it's just a really incredible story for I think young people everywhere to see themselves in."

But the young people of TikTok apparently beg to differ, with many arguing that Zegler's comments aren't as feminist as they might appear.

Creator @cosywithangie made a video in which she said, "Criticizing Disney princesses is not feminist. Not every woman is a leader. Not every woman wants to be a leader. Not every woman wants or craves power, and that's OK.

"It is not anti-feminist to want to fall in love, to want to get married, to want to stay at home, to be soft, to want to be a homemaker. None of these things make you less valuable as a person or a woman."

This video went so deeply viral that the creator disabled the comments.

@cosywithangie

♬ original sound - Angie | Self Care

Meanwhile, TikTok user @nuttybutter96 also shared her take, calling Zegler's comments "smug" and captioning her video, "If you hate the original so much, why would you want to make the remake. Pls make it make sense."

@nuttybutter96

♬ original sound - Nuttybutter🧈

But on the other end of the spectrum, people are expressing valid concerns about this piling onto Zegler over comments that really weren't that out of the ordinary.

"you would think rachel zegler shot someone the way guys are crucifying her over her comments. is snow white your mate?" tweeted one person.

"leave rachel zegler alone you freaks and go touch some grass," advised someone else.

"what's frustrating about the rachel zegler hate train is that it happens with every f***ing woman in this industry. eventually, they will always, ALWAYS be sh*t on for no other reason than the fact that the internet just hates successful women," observed another Twitter user.

"the millions of people who participate in the misogynistic hate campaign against Rachel Zegler don’t do it because they have a 'passion for feminism' and it is beyond absurd to see people suggest otherwise," commented someone else.