Disney Princesses that Rock

I love Disney movies. I love the stories and the characters, but mostly I love the princesses. They get a lot of criticism for being sexist and teaching children that the roles of a woman are confined to a very small skill set (cleaning, being domestic, being the damsel in distress, etc, etc, etc.), but I must admit that I thoroughly disagree. Many of the princesses are subtly empowering figures for young girls (and boys) to view and look up to. So, without further ado, here’s how the following popular Disney princesses are awesome:

Cinderella:

Yes, for the most part, Cinderella stays at home and does as she’s told, but one thing is often overlooked in her story: how she is clearly discontent with always being told what to do and how to live her life. Maybe she wasn’t seeking out her escape, but when the opportunity came knocking, she did her best to go to the ball.

Of course, it’s easy to criticize her for giving up when her step-mother and –sisters rip her dress to shreds and tell her that she’s not worth the ball, she doesn’t deserve to be in the presence of Prince Charming, let alone all of the other guests in attendance. But in all honesty, that would be enough to beat anyone down. And when her fairy godmother shows up, Cinderella agrees to go through with it – she gets herself up and decides to finish what she started. So why is it wrong for her to accept help from someone who tried (for the first time in years) to increase her self-esteem and get help? Isn’t that what we are trying to teach children, teens, and adults alike, who are subject to such abusive situations by ruthless bullies? If young girls see that Cinderella can do it, maybe anyone who feels trapped in this sort of a situation will feel like they can too.

Mulan:

She saved China. Need I say more? Not really, but I will. Mulan comes from an honor-based Asian community, wherein sons are preferred and daughters often lamented. Despite that, when danger is looming over her father’s head, it is his “docile” daughter who comes to his rescue. She saves Shang from an avalanche and attack, and then she saves an entire nation. The best part of this movie is that Mulan did that which grown men were too scared to do, and that which Shang and his leadership failed to do.

The biggest lesson in Mulan is that women can do whatever men do. They are able to fight side by side with men, and they are brave enough to step up and take charge when their families are at risk.

Ariel:

This little mermaid gets little credit for her attempts at pursuing her own desires. But Ariel is so, so, so brave. She did what no other mer-person had dared to do, and she did not give up on her dreams, despite her father telling her repeatedly to. Ariel felt misunderstood and out of place, so she did what she had to: she paved her own way out of the sea.

Was it a bad idea? Sort of, yes. Ariel definitely shouldn't have made a deal with Ursula, and maybe she should have tried for a better bargain. But she believed in her ability to convince Eric in who she was without her voice. Ariel teaches us that we are defined by our actions just as much as our words; would it have been much easier to do with her words? Yes. BUT, Eric saw what kind of a person she was before he ever got wrapped up in her (potentially false) words.

Another thing that Ariel is criticized for is her mad pursuit of Eric. Many argue that she would not have ever made it out to land if it weren't for him. But is that really true? Hasn't a persistent 16-year-old ever begged you for anything? Weren't you once a persistent 16-year-old hell-bent on accomplishing something?

And even if Eric was the last push she needed to get out of the water, so what? Once she got up on her feet, Ariel spent less time trying to win over Eric than she did combing her hair with a fork and admiring what life on land is actually like. Her friends had to follow and almost hound her to try harder to get Eric to fall in love with her. He may have been what finally got her out of the water, but he sure wasn't the only thing that kept her from getting back in.

Tiana:

The fact that Tiana is a Disney princess is so incredibly important. She firstly makes us question why she is the first princess of color. Every girl deserves to look at the princesses and see one that represents some core part of their identity -- and like it or not, the way we look is a substantially important part of our identity.

But Tiana isn't just awesome because she was the first African American princess. She is super-duper awesome because she challenged gender and racial norms in New Orleans in the 1920s. Was the story impractical? Maybe. But that's not because she was a black working class woman with a dream, talent, and a thirst to prove herself. It was because all of her challenges were pinned on the fact that she happened to be poor, and rich people happened to want the same things as her.

That being said, she proved that it's important to work for what you want. No fairy godmother is going to come out and just poof whatever you want into the palm of your hand. If you are capable, and if you really want something, then you should work for it. Tiana never lamented her struggle -- in fact, she shows us that the struggle is part of what makes the reward so sweet. And if in the end she got a Prince, what's wrong with that? She didn't use that as a reason to stop working towards refining her dream, and she didn't let it get to her. Maybe in some far off land she's a princess. But in her hometown, she is a strong-willed, self-sufficient, dedicated woman. She had every opportunity to buy into the glitz and glamour of the royal life, but she denied it, time and time again.

Anna and Elsa:

Anna and Elsa are not the first princesses in Disney to depict the power of a woman, nor the fact that they don’t need men to save the day. What they bring to the table is actually very heartwarming: sisterly love and coming to peace with whatever makes you different.

Sisters are too often seen in the media as continually at war with one another, always trying to establish themselves as their own person, always trying to be better, or prettier, or smarter. There is always inner anguish over being different from your sister, but also this inherent distaste for being like your sister, as well.

It's not hard for siblings to get distanced from one another when each of them is struggling with their own experience of growing up, growing into who they are, and facing their personal struggles. Anna and Elsa remind us that even if we lose touch with those we love, they are always willing to reach out one more time and willing to help us out whenever we need it. Simply put, some people are worth melting for. No matter what.

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