Evan McLeod is an austistic four-year-old who lives in Orange, California with his mom and loves Disneyland, princesses, and wearing dresses. Now as mother Eeka Rocha McLeod said in a new interview with CBS News, every time he goes to Disneyland with his family, he’s also the most fabulous Disney orincess since Belle walked down those stairs in her gold dress.
The first time he asked to wear a dress to Disneyland, his mom kept encouraging him to try a knight’s armor instead. But Evan insisted he wanted to be a princess, because that’s exactly what he is.
“I thought at first he was confused,” McLeod told CBS News, “so I kept showing him the knight outfit, and he was adamant that he wanted [to be] Snow White.”
Now every time the family goes to Disneyland (once a week), he gets to wear a beautiful dress! Big shoutout to Evan’s mom for being a real life Fairy Godmother, making her kids’ dreams come true and helping them look fabulous at the same time.
Because the family has become regulars and Evan has a distinctive mohawk, many of the characters see him coming and instantly recognize him. This is especially true of his favorites, the princesses, who he often twirls and dances with as he walks through the park.
While McLeod says that sometimes other kids or parents will make fun of Evan or criticize her parenting, she’s proud to stand by her son, and she wants judgemental parents to just let it go.
“I want Evan and all my kids to know that they are loved and accepted for who they are and will always be,” she wrote on Instagram. “[...] As a parent I choose to encourage confidence and kindness because that’s what ultimately makes the difference in the lives and hearts of kiddos like mine.”
“If nothing else, I hope Evan’s courage and joy encourage you to go out and own your most glamorous self,” she added. He’s definitely encouraging me!
Evan recently got the chance to experience the magic of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, where he enjoyed a makeover and was pampered like a princess. In a video posted to Instagram, his smile stretches farther than a Disneyland line as he points at himself in the mirror, twirls with Snow White, and shows off his hair extensions, glittery face, and beautiful sash.
Evan is who I want to be like when I’m in public. Ariel can go back to the ocean — I’ve got a new favorite Disney Princess.
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