Meet Anoosha Syed, a freelance illustrator and character designer based in Ontario who re-imagined Disney princesses and illustrated them as modern day girls living in the 21st century. 

Oh, you got to read these facts about her:

So, stop whatever you are doing right now and take a look at the illustrations of these punk-rock-Iphone-carrying Disney princesses. Anoosha has also written their backstories, so read on and excuse us while we go fan-girl ourselves. 

1. Merida the Punk Rocker

Merida goes horseback riding every weekend with Angus (when she’s not being pestered by her brothers) and has an archery scholarship. Being the rebel she is, in this AU she discovers the world of british punk-rock. Mor’du is probably her favourite band, and though Merida’s mother always complains about it, Elinor is always humming the tunes the next day.

2. Snow White the Social Media Queen

Snow White, better known online as @poison_apple7, is a fashion blogger with a love for nature, vintage fashion and old movies. She is never seen without her iPhone, talking selfies with her roommates or posting her #ootd. Snow quickly gained a large following because of her humble nature, how she would promote self-love and that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Though she tends to get into a lot of online drama with makeup guru, @therealevilqueen, Snow White is still the fairest of them all (at least according to their follower counts!)

3. Ariel the Anthropologist

Ever since she was little, Ariel knew she was going to be a marine biologist, just like her father. It wasn’t her dream, but she knew it made him happy. She even joined her school’s swim team, the Flounders for him. But after taking an Anthropology class in her freshman year, she knew she had to change her major. Her sisters think it’s because of Eric, the cute T.A for the class, but that’s not true. Ariel loved studying humans and different cultures. It was just so fascinating learning about people, and she knew this was the world where she belonged. She couldn’t wait to go someplace exciting on the annual anthropology trip; maybe get a souvenir for her collection! Her father wouldn’t be happy about it, but he’ll come around…. eventually.

4. Pocahontas the Linguist

Pocahontas, with her love of languages and her heritage, works part time as a translator while studying Linguistics in college. She’s not all work though; Pocahontas is a bit of an adrenaline junkie and loves to go mountain hiking, kayak through dangerous rivers or go cliff diving! Her dream is to work as cultural advisor in the film industry, making sure that Hollywood movies are respectful of other cultures and stay accurate to their source material. (Don’t worry, that raccoon tail on her bag is totally fake!)

5. Esmeralda the Ballet Dancer

As a child, Esmeralda has arrived in France as a refugee, but she has come a long way since then. She is the coryphée at a prestigious ballet company in Paris and has worked hard to get there despite the prejudice she faced along the way. She has never forgotten her roots, which is why she’s always in the front lines for every pro-migrant protest and rally, volunteering at refuge camps or being an active member of the social justice community. Esmeralda loves Paris, but her favourite place in the whole city is definitely the beautiful Notre Dame.

6. Mulan the Cadet

Mulan, hoping to follow her father’s footsteps, wanted to join the military school that he went to when he was young. The only problem? It’s all-boys. With the help of her gym trainer, Mushu, she secretly disguised herself as a man and enrolled. Of course, she was eventually discovered, but Mulan had proven herself to be an excellent cadet and her actions led to the school opening its doors to female students the following year. Her father was proud, to say the least. Apart from being a total badass, Mulan’s favourite movie is She’s the Man. Obviously.

7. Tiana the Entrepreneur

Tiana’s on the ‘25 most Successful People Under 25′ list for good reason; she’s one of the youngest restaurant owners in the world, with wildly popular Tiana’s Palace cafe’s scattered all over the country. Her cafe’s are famous for her fantastic family recipes, beignets, and weekly jazz shows.

8. Belle the Fangirl

Belle is a still a bookworm and loves well-written characters; but in this AU she’s also obssessed with TV shows and movies. She’ll stay up till 4am reading fanfics, or bingewatching Game of Thrones. Obviously she has a tumblr where she fangirls constantly, (but she won’t tell you her url!)

9. Jasmine the Travel Blogger

Jasmine is a travel blogger, exploring the world and immersing herself in different cultures. While she loves going to new places, one of her favourite parts of the trip is always looking out the plane window, while soaring through an endless diamond sky. She is also studying to be veterinarian, and is a devoted animal rights activist. Jasmine, of course, has five cats (and counting!)

10. Jane the Artist

Jane Porter had just graduated from Central St. Martins with a scientific illustration degree when her father surprised her with an incredible opportunity. He wanted Jane to assist him in his research of African gorillas in the Congo rainforest for the rest of the year. It was one thing to spend your weekends sketching animals at the zoo, but to leave her life in London and go the the dangerous depths of the jungle where she’d be face-to-face with ferocious beasts and the possibility of being lost forever and who knows what else… It was reckless and dangerous, to say the least. She couldn’t wait.

From Cindrella and Aurora who depended on men to get them out of trouble to Tiana and Mulan who instilled the idea in young girls that you can be empowered and fight your own battles without the help of men, Disney has come a long way in its depiction of women. 

However, artists like Anoosha Syed are taking it to yet another level with their fresh mind and sense of freedom.

Want to see more of her work, check out Anoosha Syed’s tumblr page here!