Emma Watson is willing to “not be beautiful” in Beauty and the Beast to protect her voice.

The costumes of Disney princesses are always of interest to audiences in adaptation projects. If you were ever “dazzled” by the beautiful version of Cinderella’s evening gown in 2015, most audiences were extremely confused, even bored when admiring Belle’s dress in Beauty and the Beast . In fact, Emma Watson – the female lead playing Belle, had many changes to her character, especially her dress, which led to not very enthusiastic results.

Sharing with Entertainment Weekly , Emma Watson shared that she proposed many changes for Belle compared to the original or the Disney animated version. ” What does Belle do when she has free time? She doesn’t feel isolated just because she loves reading ,” said Emma Watson. For that reason, the actress wanted Belle to have a profound story, and that’s when the crew decided to turn Belle into an inventor like her father.

Not stopping there, Emma Watson’s change to make Beauty and the Beast heroine become stronger and more independent also came from refusing to wear a corset. In ancient times, corset was a form of clothing to shape women’s dresses, with many different designs. However, many types of corsets create pressure and constriction to shape the “ant” waists of beauties. Typically, with Cinderella’s blue dress, the presence of a corset helped make it more floating and beautiful.

However, Emma Watson refused this method. According to designer Jacqueline Durran, from Watson’s perspective, Belle is a proactive girl. So, Belle definitely doesn’t like stuffing herself into a corset that’s a major hindrance. On the other hand, Emma Watson is also a famous feminist activist, and therefore does not wish to continue to maintain the image of a “passive” Disney princess like in the past.

That’s when the corset completely disappeared from Belle’s dress, sparking controversy. Besides many comments praising Emma Watson’s decision, many viewers said that the lack of a corset made the dress much less colorful. Compared to the outfit of “Cinderella” Lily James, Belle’s dress is completely overshadowed, more like a costume than created by Disney.

In the end, Beauty and the Beast is still a successful adaptation project in terms of revenue, but Emma Watson’s significant changes in the story and Belle’s character image are still controversial topics with the audience.