In a previous post, I discussed the differences in my childhood perceptions of the Disney princesses, and my views when I watched them with Madeline over the past couple of years. Oh, Snow White. Such a pretty dress, yet so little substance.
The princess get a lot of flack for being, essentially, vapid beauties who can't think for themselves and therefore need a man to rescue them.
Come to think of it, this is a pretty accurate description. Don't even get me started on Sleeping Beauty and her lack of emotional response to anything other than the idea that she might never again see the guy she met twenty minutes ago.
I'm not one of those people who thinks that if my daughter watches the princess movies, she's going to be influenced to become like Ariel and give up her entire life for some stranger she sees passed out on the beach. I like to give my children a little more credit than that. They're not stupid and I don't believe they will be so easily brainwashed by something as simple as a 1.5 hour cartoon.
That said, allow me to let you in on a little secret. Not all the Disney princesses are vacuous damsels in distress. I'd like to introduce you to a few of the Disney women who, if she were to allow herself to be influenced by the media, I would want Sweet Pea to try to emulate.
Mulan: Her world tells her that the only way for her to have any honor is for her to find a man, obey his every command, and be a human gumball machine for his babies.
Mulan responds by saying, "Um, yeah. That sounds great and all, but, I think I'm going to put on some armor and singlehandedly save China from the Huns, instead. Y'all have fun with that whole being enslaved to your husband thing."
Sweet Pea actually quotes this one fairly often. The other day, she was mad at me and told me, "Mommy! You are the craziest man I have ever met!"
I had to turn away and laugh for a second at this one, because, well, how do you control your laughter after your three-year-old says that?
Merida (Brave): This is a more recent discovery. Women of Merida's age and station must have their suitors, and eventually their husbands, chosen for them. It is, according to her mother, what she has been preparing for since birth.
Merida's response? "Nope. You can bring all the men home for me that you want. I don't want to get married, yet. I'm going to take my bow and arrow and have myself a little adventure before I settle down. Oh, and if and when I decide I want to be someone's wife, I'll be choosing the husband by myself, thanks."
Tiana (The Princess and the Frog): Here, we see an African-American waitress living in New Orleans in the 1920's. Her dream is not to snag a man, as she reminds us several times that she has no time for such nonsense, but to own her own restaurant. It may seem that the odds are stacked against her, but she has a goal in mind and she will not sleep until she achieves it. She gets her restaurant through determination and hard work. She gets the prince, too, but he's really just a bonus.
Rapunzel (Tangled): Rapunzel is kidnapped as an infant as locked in a tower for eighteen years. She has never been outside and has no clue who her real parents are. Yet, she refuses to play the victim card. She overcomes her hardships through her own merits without ever once feeling that she is entitled to make poor life choices, simply because she didn't have a great start. Again, yes, she gets the guy. Again, just a bonus. Her real accomplishment is freedom. She also chops off her long, flowing blond tresses in favor of a short, mousy brown 'do, which could be interpreted as her thumbing her nose at conventional ideas of beauty.
So, see? Princesses are not all going to turn our little girls into future Stepford wives. But, hey, if your daughter's dream is to be exactly like Cinderella someday, take heart. At least she's not watching Teen Mom.
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