How Old Is Jasmine From Disney's Aladdin & Why Is Her Age Controversial Today?
It's well-worn territory on the internet to talk about how Disney princess movies haven't aged well. Many of the female characters lack agency and only seek to marry a man. Princess Jasmine from 1992's "Aladdin" bucks some of the more harmful trends, actually voicing her dissent to marrying young. However, there are still some dicey details about the character, especially when one asks, "How old is Jasmine from 'Aladdin?'"
Jasmine's age is never explicitly mentioned in the movie, but a webpage from Disney that's since been archived lists states how she must choose a husband before her 16th birthday, meaning she would be 15 for most of "Aladdin." This becomes a problem when most webpages list Aladdin's age as 18, meaning he's trying to get with a minor. Another problematic aspect comes toward the film's end when Jafar gains the Genie's powers and puts Jasmine in a scantily clad outfit. Not only that but Jasmine actually kisses Jafar to distract him, and he's much older than she is.
The live-action 2019 film tries to avoid this problem by aging up the actors. While their ages also aren't mentioned, Mena Massoud, who plays Aladdin, was 27 when the movie came out while Naomi Scott, the actress who plays Jasmine, was 26. With this, they could feasibly both be in their late teens or early 20s in that adaptation. But while trying to marry off a girl who's 15 or 16 may be frowned upon in the West, there are plenty of cultures where it's more readily accepted.
Many cultures allow people under 18 to marry
It's worth noting that Jasmine and Aladdin don't have official ages. Disney likely kept them purposefully mysterious, and without ages mentioned in the movies, anything else comes from an archived or fan page. However, assuming Jasmine is 15 and Aladdin is 18 wouldn't make a marital union out of the question in some countries. A majority of countries require both participants to be at least 18, but even then exceptions are possible. For example, in Australia, one participant must be 18, but the other can be 16 or 17 and still marry as long as there is consent from a parent or guardian as well as judicial approval.
The Pew Research Center lists several countries that allow children even younger than that to marry. In Sudan, girls can marry at 10 and boys can marry at 15 without requiring parental approval. "Aladdin" takes place in the fictional country of Agrabah, which appears to have influences from the Middle East and South Asia. So one would assume in Agrabah, girls can likely get married at 16 or so, which would explain why the Sultan wants her to find a husband right away so that the kingdom will be secure.
Jasmine's age isn't an outlier within Disney canon. Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" is supposedly 16 years old, while Prince Eric is 18. There are definitely some questionable things within these Disney movies, and one reason for the many live-action remakes may be to do away with some of those aspects. If a live-action "Aladdin 2" ever happens, perhaps they can finally confirm Jasmine's age once and for all.