I recently read an article which eviscerated the collective group of Disney Princesses. As an avid fan of Disney for 22 years now, I was slightly peeved. Well, a lot peeved so I had to voice my opinion.
The article in question labelled Disney princesses as "brainless". This was the particular word that lit a fire in my Mickey-shaped heart. Using this word to describe Disney princesses told me a lot about the writer; they have obviously never watched a Disney film, because who can't help be utterly enchanted by that magical castle, or the theme from Pinocchio that builds to a crescendo which brings you to tears before the film has even begun. They are obviously Captain Hook (although not really cos he was a really cool and funny villain) and they seem pretty jaded, but that's nothing a good ol' Disney film couldn't fix!
So...
We'll begin with the first ever Disney princess; Snow White. Fine, she cooked and cleaned up after seven men and woodland creatures did help her out, but she was largely a product of her time. It was the 1930s; society has moved on from that perception of women...a bit, so give her a break.
Cinderella fought day in, day out against an evil stepmother and horrible step sisters who treated her like a slave in her rightful home, and to top it off she just lost her father whom she loved more than anything. Not to mention he was the only family member she had. She was always pleasant despite the torture she went through and never gave up her dream no matter what, and found time to make really cute outfits for all the mice in the house.
Pocahontas (both real and Disney) was said to have wisdom beyond her years and brought two warring clans together. Ariel did something similar in helping her father understand humans instead of hating them. She also saved Eric from drowning like a whole bunch of times.
Jasmine was the girl every guy wanted to be with and every girl wanted to be. She was beautiful, feisty, rebellious and crazy smart, and that hair....and although the film wasn't centered on Jasmine, she helped Aladdin realise he was worthy of her affections.
Mulan, although not a princess, fought to save her father and ended up saving an entire nation from destruction. The man she got at the end? An unintended, very welcome bonus. Belle was incredibly intelligent and to quote the film, she always had her "nose stuck in a book" and she refused the most gorgeous man in town and instead chose Beast - teaching kids it's not always looks that makes a person beautiful.
Yes, the more modern princesses such as Merida, Rapunzel and Anna and not forgetting to mention Queen Elsa, do bring a stronger female character to the Disney world but that doesn't mean the older ones can't teach us anything. And it certainly doesn't mean they're "brainless!"
Source: F***YeahDisney Tumblr, Oh My Disney, Disney's Frozen on Tumblr
The article in question labelled Disney princesses as "brainless". This was the particular word that lit a fire in my Mickey-shaped heart. Using this word to describe Disney princesses told me a lot about the writer; they have obviously never watched a Disney film, because who can't help be utterly enchanted by that magical castle, or the theme from Pinocchio that builds to a crescendo which brings you to tears before the film has even begun. They are obviously Captain Hook (although not really cos he was a really cool and funny villain) and they seem pretty jaded, but that's nothing a good ol' Disney film couldn't fix!
So...
Cinderella fought day in, day out against an evil stepmother and horrible step sisters who treated her like a slave in her rightful home, and to top it off she just lost her father whom she loved more than anything. Not to mention he was the only family member she had. She was always pleasant despite the torture she went through and never gave up her dream no matter what, and found time to make really cute outfits for all the mice in the house.
Pocahontas (both real and Disney) was said to have wisdom beyond her years and brought two warring clans together. Ariel did something similar in helping her father understand humans instead of hating them. She also saved Eric from drowning like a whole bunch of times.
Jasmine was the girl every guy wanted to be with and every girl wanted to be. She was beautiful, feisty, rebellious and crazy smart, and that hair....and although the film wasn't centered on Jasmine, she helped Aladdin realise he was worthy of her affections.
Mulan, although not a princess, fought to save her father and ended up saving an entire nation from destruction. The man she got at the end? An unintended, very welcome bonus. Belle was incredibly intelligent and to quote the film, she always had her "nose stuck in a book" and she refused the most gorgeous man in town and instead chose Beast - teaching kids it's not always looks that makes a person beautiful.
Yes, the more modern princesses such as Merida, Rapunzel and Anna and not forgetting to mention Queen Elsa, do bring a stronger female character to the Disney world but that doesn't mean the older ones can't teach us anything. And it certainly doesn't mean they're "brainless!"
Source: F***YeahDisney Tumblr, Oh My Disney, Disney's Frozen on Tumblr
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