Chiming in as well; my dad always rushed to point out dark-haired princesses/heroines, because in a world where there were really no Asian or part-Asian heroines, it was as close as he could find to heroines who actually resembled me. Brown eyes were even harder to find, but when he found them, he was always very excited.

When Beauty and the Beast came out and the heroine was brown-haired, brown-eyed, strong-willed, and a total nerd, I don't think I ever quite stopped being shocked.