Princesses in Perspective: The Conclusion

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            And here we are at the end, all of the official Disney Princesses to date examined by yours truly. Snow White has a questionable romance, but she’s got some intelligence and spunk to her. Cinderella is pragmatic, understanding that to have dreams is one thing, but you have to deal with reality. Aurora is set up for failure and naïve. Ariel is curious but takes a huge gamble. Belle is an intelligent young woman who gets the adventure and romance she’s always hoped for in an unexpected fashion. Jasmine is a girl who refuses to be objectified or treated like a fool. Pocahontas has some historic concerns but as a stand-alone character, and while in her own tale she’s a decent role model, most of her actions are enabled by magical circumstances where other princesses just deal with magic. Mulan proves you can be loyal to your family without doing what they say, and you must be true to yourself. Tiana proves you don’t have to give up on a career or love, getting the man she loves and the business she dreamed of. Rapunzel demonstrates that someday you need to take charge of your life. Merida’s story cites the importance of family, communication, and thinking outside oneself.

            Admittedly it’s a bit irksome that until Brave, Disney couldn’t seem to give any of their Princesses a chance to be ‘victorious’ without tossing a man at them. And even the best of the stories should be taken with a grain of salt, their lessons situational. I know a young woman who refuses to break away from a relationship that’s toxic for her. She’s only 20, and she’s devoted to trying to make it work with a guy who won’t change for her. Instead of even futilely trying to change him, she’s resolved to change herself to make it work despite friends discouraging her. When asked she answers something among the lines of “love is hard work”.

A particular problem I have with the princesses who paired off is that it seems like every one of them married their first love. Many of these women are of the ages where they’re still finding themselves, and yet they settle in. True, their cases are extreme, but have we set up a mentality with Disney Princesses that girls must find love young and marry the first man they fall for? Why must my friend claim that she will try to make it work with a boy because they’ve been together for a year, and can give no other reason?

Not to mention, some of these situations if applied to life could end rather badly. Snow White convinces seven men to let her live in their home. Aurora tells a stranger where she lives. Ariel makes a deal with a rather nasty person rather then try to find her own solution. Pocahontas rather then grabbing her father’s arm to stop the execution of John smith, tosses her head over his. Mulan runs off and joins the army in a time of war-the least she should have been worried about was getting killed. Instead it’s displayed with several animated musical numbers, and portrayed as fun and games. Rapunzel walks into a bar of ruffians and thugs and manages to make them be good. Can you imagine if an eighteen-year-old girl with nothing more then a frying pan walked into a biker bar?

In conclusion, the Disney Princess movies are like video games or old cartoons. They alone do not cause problems in people or children. If they are used as babysitters, yes, children will believe that music and magic will save the day, like we seem to think children believe their friends will respawn if shot or people will survive strapping themselves to an acme rocket. However if the child has someone to clarify and explain things, and they aren’t constantly in front of a TV screen, they might just pick up some valuable lessons.