Mom Who Looks Like Buff 'Encanto' Character Speaks Out On Representation

In November 2021, Disney released Encanto, a heartwarming flick about a family from a magical village in the mountains of Colombia. Kids and parents have been raving about it and praising Disney for its inclusive representation of skin color, hair texture, and body types.

A mom-of-two recently went viral on TikTok for looking "identical" to one of the film's characters, Luisa.

Disney released their latest sensation, "Encanto" in November, and children and parents alike are loving it.

It's a story about a Colombian family living in a mystical, remote, mountainous village known as, Encanto. All but one of the children in the family, Mirabel, are blessed with a special ability. In spite of that, she winds up being their last hope after discovering the security of their home has been compromised.

What fans love most about the movie, however, is its inclusiveness.

Encanto has received endless praise for including representation of various skin colors, hair textures, and body types. Notably, viewers have applauded the main character, Mirabel, for having glasses and a realistic body type, unlike most animated, female Disney characters.

Maribel Martinez, a mother-of-two, found herself identifying with Luisa, quickly drawing a resemblance between the two on social media.

She has shared a few videos of herself cosplaying Luisa, one of the sisters in the movie, and she's garnering quite a bit of attention on TikTok.

"I was surprised to see a masculine-yet-feminine-presented female [character],” Maribel later told BuzzFeed.

“I’ve always been told I look too 'masculine' to be feminine, but seeing Luisa just made me feel comfortable with loving myself even more."

Maribel's followers were the ones who urger her to watch "Encanto" in the first place, after noticing the comparison.

“People kept commenting that I looked like [Luisa], so I saw one of her songs on TikTok,” she said.

“I was shocked because I was so glad to see that I could see myself in somebody else,” she added.

She went on to explain how the movie helped her reflect on her own childhood. "Growing up as a middle child, I felt so much pressure to take care of my siblings and handle adult responsibilities,” she said.

“I never really had the opportunity to be just a child," she went on. "I was my mom's emotional support and a role model to my younger siblings. I felt like I had no choice but to take on so much weight."

"As a child, I endured a lot of abuse and trauma. With that being said, I also adopted my siblings once I got old enough. It did provide healing,” she shared.

Maribel admitted that she was surprised to see how many people could relate to her after embodying "the real life Luisa."

"I was surprised and shocked that so many people could also relate to Luisa," she said. "Honestly, I feel honored to be called the real-life Luisa."

See Maribel as Luisa here:

Do you think Maribel looks like Luisa from Encanto? Should there be more representation like this in future Disney movies? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

h/t Buzzfeed