Saint Hoax, a Middle Eastern artist, has created multiple campaigns using Disney characters to bring attention to social issues such as domestic violence and eating disorders. All of the posters have the same design. The Disney character takes up the whole frame. At the bottom is either a question or a fact about the specific issue at hand, with a smaller statement below.
Happy Never After is the first set of pictures. This series focuses on girls and domestic violence. Saint Hoax is encouraging them to report any and all abuse. The posters depict popular Disney princesses with cuts and bruises on their faces. There is a simple question at the bottom of the poster, “When did he stop treating you like a princess?” Right below it is says “It’s never to late to put an end to it.”
The second series is called The Royal Misfits. The goal is to raise awareness of anorexia in children. Disney characters are portrayed as ultra skinny. The tagline for this campaign in “Fit for a princess (or hero)? Don’t let anorexia eat you alive.”
Next is Princest Diaries, focusing on anyone who has been abused by a relative. “46% of minors who are raped are victims of family members. It’s never to late to report your attack.” The posters show Disney princesses being kissed by their fathers.
The final poster series is just like the first, except it is aimed at boys. Called Prince Charmless, it shows heroes of Disney movies abused. At the bottom of the picture is says “When did she stop treating you like a hero? Don’t be ashamed to ask for help.” It is rare to hear about the abuse of men because so many cases go unreported. The artist had this to say about it: “We continuously see campaigns about abused women but rarely encounter any campaign that targets male victims of domestic violence. I only knew these statistics about abused men last month after doing an intensive research around the subject. The information wasn’t out there, I had to dig for it.”
These campaigns are extremely effective. They not only target adults, but also children who are often overlooked when it comes to things like eating disorders. It takes innocent characters and puts them into corrupt situations. The first time I saw this I was very taken aback. It is weird to look at the characters I admired growing up and see them with bruises and cuts. Although these images may come across as disturbing, but I think it is exactly what society needs. It catches your attention right away and gets straight to the point. One glance at the poster and a person can tell what it is about, but is also intrigued enough to look more into the subject.
Couch, R. (2014, August 11). Battered Disney Princes Encourage Men ‘Not To Be Embarrassed To Ask For Help’ Retrieved September 3, 2014.
Saint Hoax. (2014, January 1). Retrieved September 3, 2014.
Loyola Digital Advertising [로욜라 디지털 광고] 
I think the illustrations could tell a lot of story at a glance and the short captions at the bottom of each picture are very impactful. It is smart of the of the artist to use the Disney princesses and heroes to express his concern because everyone knows who the characters are and can relate well with them because we see them on screens since young. Very impactful and effective.
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This is a common argument and has been since Disney began, however, do you think the argument is exhausted?
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While I applaud the artist for the creative use of pop-culture to send a clear and concise message, I got to say I have a bit of an issue with these ads. These are characters that are recognized and cherished by children to this very day. If a child were to see these ads it could disturb him or her greatly. I’m not saying children should always kept in the dark when it comes to serious issues. I just think we should give some second thought to the unintended effects of such an ad.
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