I have heard some feminists complain about the prevalence of Disney Princess in our female children’s play things. Their concern stems from the fear of daughters feeling that their life goal is only to find a hunky piece of Prince ass to whisk them away to their happily ever after. While I understand the issue and I totally get that daughters need not place their value in finding a man (I am a feminist lesbian, after all) I find some fault in these arguments. My love of Disney caused me to peer further into the feminist princess ban, which on the surface can seem reasonable. I certainly don’t want my future daughter to think that she must wait around in an apron dusting cobwebs and calling out in song for her prince charming. I additionally don’t want her to feel that she has to play with princess dolls at all. She can wear camo, play football and hunt frogs for all I care. Or she can have tea parties with Ariel and Aurora. As long as she is active doing things she loves I will be happy. (Gender conformity is a topic for another blog and I promise I will do that one next, Kerry!)
Just like anything, children learn from movies the lessons that we help them learn. If we constantly praise Cinderella for finding her prince or encourage our little girls to act like princesses so that they can find prince charming then those are the lessons they will take from the Disney movies.
However, upon further investigation of most of the Disney Princess movies, the Princesses within are anything but your typical damsel in distress. Most of them are headstrong, individual, smart and kind. More often than not they buck the system and display characteristics that are atypical of the blushing submissive princess. Following are some examples of lessons to be learned from different princesses.
Jasmine – The princess in Aladdin certainly does not blindly follow the set rules for female royalty in her kingdom. She wasn’t going to have any of that “arranged marriage” crap and she warned her wimpy King daddy that she would choose a man that SHE liked. She made her point and did the triple snap before swinging that massive pony tail in a dramatic exit. Two points for you Princess Jasmine, you go Princess Jasmine. She also called out Aladdin on his tricks and if it weren’t for her help Jafar would be rulling Agrabah as we speak. Jasmine challenged the system and was seeking ways to change her country once she and her husband took the leadership.
Cinderella – Poor Cindy gets the worst rap of all; waiting patiently for her Prince to come and rescue her from her meanie pants step mother, her trashtastic step sisters and their evil cat named Lucifer. That’s really his name, Lucifer and he is actually the nicest of them all. However lessons to be learned from Cinderella are still there if we look! First and foremost I would like to point out that the true hero of this story is the Fairy Godmother. Now there is a powerful female character with a good heart, excellent problem solving abilities and a keen sense of style. The fact that she is an older lady just makes it all the better. Who says you have to be young and beautiful to make stuff happen!? And Cinderella herself was not just a subservient ditz sitting around cleaning for fun. She was kind to animals (she painstakingly made tiny clothes for those little mice which my Mom can tell you is no easy task since she made clothes for my Barbie’s,) she was tolerant of her “family,” she practiced her singing talents diligently (work with me here) and she was a very loving soul.
Mulan – Mulan REALLY bucks the system. When her crippled father is called up to serve in the army, she steps in for him disguised as a boy. She fights and defends her family first and foremost; falling in love was secondary to the story behind her courageous actions. I love some of the music in this movie and Mulan displays strength, creativeness and determination, all wonderful characteristics for children to witness. Additionally, as you may or may not know, I love a girl in drag!
Tiana – Princess Tiana was a girl who knew what she wanted and drove herself to that goal. She worked two jobs all the while holding back from smacking that over privileged terror of a rich blonde friend she had. I mean that girl and her Daddy ate up Tiana’s beignets in one bite! Did they even taste the darn things!? Tiana didn’t even WANT to be a Princess she just wanted that restaurant; and while keeping that goal in mind she fell in love with a guy who she didn’t even know WAS a prince. Well she got that fabulous restaurant and proceeded to make the Prince husband work in the restaurant with her. Excellent turn of events, in my opinion.
I could make a case for all of the princesses redeeming qualities but my point is that there are lessons in each of the Disney movies and it is up to the parents to watch these movies with our children and help them to learn what we feel is relevant for them. All while enjoying the artistry, award winning scores, well developed characters and meaningful story lines in these moving Motion Pictures that we have come to expect from Walt Disney Studios. (You didn’t expect me to get through this without a gratuitous moment of praise for my beloved, did you?)
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