The Disney Princess Lineup

Why I love the Disney princesses and why they should NOT receive the hate they do.

Childhood. Everyone has had one. And everyone has had something different in their childhood that has helped shaped who they are today. For me, I can tell you the name of one person that can describe my childhood; Walter Elias Disney. Disney has impacted the lives of so many people throughout the years. Even now as a sixteen year old girl, I find myself attached to all things Disney, and even more specifically, the princesses. You may see me as the typical teenager who wants to grow up and be a princess waiting in a tower for her prince to come and rescue her, but I see the Disney princesses as more than that. It is only now that I am older I am shocked to find that there are many people who dislike the princesses. But not just dislike, hate. Despise the princesses and what they stand for. And let me say, I think these people are refusing to see what the entire Disney princess lineup has to offer.

            Many people hate the Disney princesses because they are “pathetic”, “weak”, and “dependent”. When I was very young I told my mum that I didn’t want to be a princess who is boring and sits around waiting for a prince to come along. I wanted to be a princess who has fun doing everything and gets a prince in the end. How could I love the Disney princesses if they fit the description of the “boring princess” I didn’t want to be? Officially there are ten princesses in this Disney lineup, the first being Snow White. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was the first movie to be released by Walt Disney Studios in 1937 and Snow White is the first classic princess in the lineup. Yet, I find that Snow White receives the most amount of hate. Apparently she is completely dependent, weak, and pathetic. Really? What about scared for her life? Trying to stay hopeful? Too kind to cause a fight with her step-mother? Throughout the whole movie, Snow White did what she could in the situation she was in. She made one bad decision to take the apple from the stranger. Yes, it was a bad choice, but after all the pain you’ve gone through when someone offered to make your dream come true, would you not try to trust the person? A few years ago I was on a school trip to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, where we got the chance to look at many different planes from various wars. I remember noticing that on a few planes there were characters from Snow White painted on the noses. After asking why, we found out that these characters were painted on as a symbol of hope and a reminder of the soldier’s families who were waiting back home. That’s one of the qualities I think Snow White is trying to showcase: hope.

            Yet people refuse to see this side. Instead they just see the annoying side of the princesses who whine and complain until their heroic prince shows up to save them from their “tragic lives”. Oh, but not Mulan, Jasmine, or Pocahontas. They are the only “good” princesses because they don’t want a prince and they do things for themselves. Mulan went and saved her country! Jasmine wanted independence from her father! Pocahontas showed her true life to a supposed enemy! Don’t get me wrong, I love these princesses. But why are they the only ones people seem to like or say can be role models? To me it seems that these princesses are practically worshipped as being interesting just because their stories are not completely centred around love. Yes they do find love, but they seem to accomplish something greater as well. Just because the other princesses are more fairytale-esque doesn’t mean they should be considered more weak or annoying.

            Another element that may be overlooked in the eyes of these princess haters is the fact that the films were all created in different times. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was released in 1937. Cinderella in 1950. Beauty and the Beast in 1991. Has society stayed the same throughout all these years? Or has it changed? Obviously societies were different back in the 50’s compared to today! One of the biggest indications of a society is film. If you fully believe that these princesses are dependent and pathetic, take a minute to look at how women were treated in the past. Yes it was terrible, but that is a little bit like how the princesses could be seen. Maybe in another fifty years people are going to find these modern princesses to be annoying because they won’t fit their views in society. While this is not the best argument as to why you shouldn’t bash on the princesses, it is important to take into consideration what was happening in the world at the time these movies were created.

            About a year ago I was talking with some of my cousins about Disney movies. We were talking about our favourites and I said that my favourite princess is Ariel from The Little Mermaid. I then found out that my youngest cousin, who was about eight at the time, had never seen the movie because her mother wouldn’t let her. Apparently because the movie conveys a bad message to its audience. What is this message? That it is okay to make a deal with the devil and sacrifice everything you have to chase after a guy you have a slim chance of being with. Maybe this really burns me up because Ariel is my favourite and I am like her in many aspects so I feel personally attacked by this statement, but is that really the message shown in this story? Yes she did make a deal with an evil sea witch. Yes she did decide to leave her family. Yes she did take a big risk. But it was not for a guy! People never seem to understand this when I tell them. If you’ve seen the movie, then you should be able to realize this. When does Ariel sing the famous song “Part of Your World”? And, when does she meet Prince Eric? Yes that’s right, she had already expressed her desire to live on land before she rescued Eric. Meeting Eric was only the breaking point for her. He wasn’t the only reason for her to go out on a line and talk to the evil sea witch. This whole predicament gives me one main message: chase after your dreams. Isn’t that something we’ve been told since we were little? In school and at home I’ve always heard to follow my dreams and one day they may become reality and I’ll be incredibly happy. Is that really such a bad moral of the story?

            Now, you may or may not have heard, but coming this year there will be a new princess to be added to the lineup. Disney and Pixar are releasing the new movie Brave, about a young princess who is very headstrong and audacious and wants to make up for her offences towards the Lords of the Land. I have seen the trailer multiple times and it does look like a very good movie and Merida looks like a princess I will be able to relate to (for one thing, we both have red hair and a Celtic background). However, I follow a blog where people put their opinions about anything Disney and I have seen many opinions about Brave. While they are mostly positive opinions, I can’t help but feel like I’m not going to like Merida for the same reasons as everyone else. Most of the opinions I have read have said that they are so excited that there is finally a princess who is going to do something for herself and they really hope she won’t get sidetracked by a boy. Um, excuse me, but what about half of the other princesses who have done things for themselves? Like I said, I genuinely think that I am going to like Merida, but I am not going to like why a lot of people like her or for the same reasons they do.

            In every single one of these films, there is a happy ending with the magic of Disney. “Oh but that’s not reality! Not every girl will find love! Love like that doesn’t exist!” Is that not the point of movies? To demonstrate unrealistic events in a fun and entertaining way? I love the happy endings with the touch of magic. I am aware that it’s not reality and it has not changed my expectations for the world. Yes it is a lot of fun to imagine the future with a knight in shining armour carrying you off, but if you honestly believe that the point of these movies is to show something that could happen to you, you may want to take a second look at these movies. Most movies, Disney or not, end with a happy ending. Let’s face it, if you went to go see a ton of movies and every single one ended badly, would you enjoy them? Yes a sad movie every once and a while is good for purging emotions, but what is so terrible about having a happy ending? I know that these stories are not realistic, but I continue to love and believe in the magic that presents itself in each and every Disney film.

            Disney movies have shaped my childhood, and in turn made me who I am today. One of my many aspirations is to be a skater for Disney on Ice or a face character in Disneyland. It will never matter which princesses, Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, Tiana, or Rapunzel, I love them all. And I will always love everything that Disney does.