I unabashedly love Disney's take on fairy tales too, which puts a glossy finish on some very dark stories. The original The Little Mermaid is crazy depressing (thanks, Danish people). The original Sleeping Beauty is rapetastic. The original Hercules is tragic. Disney puts a fun, light spin on its stories so parents are more willing to take their kids to see these movies, and that's great. Sometimes light is good. I love the dark and freaky fairy tales too, don't get me wrong. But I love these Disney Princess movies.
It's now trendy to go back and look at how un-feminist these characters are. Maybe I'm just referring to the feminist blogosphere. Or maybe I'm just referring to a handful of college kids who have taken one class about pop culture's effect on gender roles. But I'm about to defend the feminism inherent in some of these films, because everyone keeps underestimating the badassery of Ariel and Jasmine and Belle and even Mulan and Tiana, and that is just crazy talk.
*This list is comprised of Disney Princesses, not characters that are necessarily princesses in their films. They are the female protagonists in films aimed at children. Call me out on using Mulan and see what happens, you racist son of a gun.*
1. Snow White
Before we start pointing out the complete lack of agency Snow White possesses in most of her storyline, let's remember she's FOURTEEN. And as a fourteen-year-old child, she's pretty incredible. A child of privilege, she manages to make a home for herself in the forest by getting a bunch of little critters to do her bidding because she's just so likable, and then she gets taken in by 7 dudes and earns her keep by doing the few things a fourteen-year-old is capable of doing. And then like a naive dumb dumb, she eats an apple a stranger gives her (word to the wise: avoid fruit at all costs) and dies, but because she's so pretty a prince kisses her and her life is perfect again.
Yes, in most of this story, Snow White is not in control of her destiny. She is incredibly lucky that a royal boy thought she was pretty and kissed her. But she's likable, she did what she had to do to survive despite being way under-equipped for dealing with real life, and she is a fourteen-year-old who communicates with animals. If that's not a feminist hero, I don't know what is.
2. Cinderella
Honestly, Cinderella is probably the most boring of the Disney princesses. This is not a fact so much as my opinion, but I'm like 99.9% sure I'm right. You can make the argument for Sleeping Beauty taking that honor, but a) Princess Aurora is a baller name, and b) Cinderella was awake the whole time, and she still doesn't use that to her advantage. At any rate, she's sweet, and teaches young girls that persistence in sweetness means you'll win eventually. It's better than telling young girls to be mean. At this point, the most compelling argument for her feminism is, "hey, a female protagonist in 1950!" Thanks, 1950s America. Not sad I didn't live through you.
3. Sleeping Beauty
Princess Aurora/Briar Rose gets points for wanting to do things. The first two princesses listed are sort of happy to float along, accepting the terrible fates placed on them by older, evil women who hate them for their youth and beauty. Briar Rose wants to explore the world and the people around her She isn't given much to do in her own story, but she is at least given a curiosity about life outside her designated sphere. She wants so badly to be an active agent in her destiny, and beyond making plans to meet a boy later that night (which is pretty rad, that she'd be that bold), that agency is taken away from her by magic. She is not given the opportunity to be the master of her fate, which is more tragic considering her curious and bold personality - what little we get to see of it - than it would be for someone like Cinderella.
Cinderella sucks.
4. The Little Mermaid
If I hear one more crack about Ariel changing for her man and leaving her whole life behind for him, I'll flip out. Ariel is shown from the get-go to be obsessed with everything human. Her father is demanding and controlling. She didn't give up her life for a man - although that was a nice addition. She gave it up because it was a lifelong dream of hers to be human. Not only that, Ariel gets to be the HERO OF HER OWN STORY. Ariel is the one who defeats Ursula. Ariel is the one who saves Prince Eric's life - twice - while his main purpose is to stand around and look pretty. Ariel is arguably the most badass and most feminist Disney Princess. She takes off on her own when she finds her current life lacking, and she doesn't need saving from anybody - not in any way, shape, or form. She falls in love and marries a man for her feelings, not for any sense of security. She can take care of herself, she's curious about the world around her, and she's got a killer singing voice.
Damsel in distress? Not in this story. Team Ariel FTW.
Damsel in distress? Not in this story. Team Ariel FTW.
5. Beauty and the Beast
She's an intellectual, she's not interested in marrying the best looking guy in town (because he's positively medieval), she knows there must be more than this provincial life, and she likes to help her dad tinker with his inventions from time to time. Sure, she develops a slight case of Stockholm Syndrome, but Beast lets her go, fully expecting to never see her again. And she is definitely not about to let him act, well, beastly towards her, as evidenced by her constantly standing up for herself and pointing out when he's acting like a bit of a brat.
Belle was my favorite Princess growing up, and while since I've converted to loving Mulan, Rapunzel, and Ariel just a tad more, she will always hold a special place in my heart.
6. Aladdin
Jasmine is tougher to categorize, I think, than the other princesses. In every other Disney Princess movie, the Princess is the protagonist, and you can argue whether or not she controlled her own destiny, whether or not her choices were all about her man, whether or not she wanted more than just a marriage, without necessarily having a conversation revolving around the Prince (which is pretty feminist of Disney in its own right, if you think about it). But in Aladdin, the main character isn't Jasmine, it's, well, Aladdin. Jasmine is, by nature, the love interest, functioning solely as a romantic foil to Aladdin's street rat hero. Luckily, Jasmine's pretty badass (especially when you consider she's about 15). She dreams of freedom, she wants to be more than a political pawn in Jafar's marriage machinations, and she knows how to use the one weapon a woman in her situation has - her sexuality (remember? The scene where she seduces Jafar?).
Jasmine loses some points for being literally the only Disney princess who is not the main character in her story, but she more than makes up for it by being totally in charge of her own destiny.
7. Pocahontas
Pocahontas is the first princess with a legitimate cause - the first Disney Princess environmentalist. She has a lot more to teach John Smith than he has to offer her. She's spiritual, loyal, graceful, in amazing shape, adventurous, and wise beyond her years. She is not impressed with John Smith's crew and their plans for her land. She stands up for her beliefs.
I don't have anything to add to Pocahontas. I respect her, but hers was not a movie I went back to over and over again.
8. Mulan
HECK YES MULAN. While as a little child I related to bookworm Belle, as a slightly older child I 100% related to Mulan. Outspoken, clumsy, independent, not traditionally feminine - I could not get enough of Mulan. And then she went to war in her father's place and ended up being the best soldier in her division? Over everyone else? Saving China from the Mongols? MULAN. YOU ARE A HERO. Like Ariel, she saves everyone else, not the other way around. She is no damsel in distress. She is kick ass.
Mulan has always been seen as one of the most feminist Disney Princesses (when people aren't too busy complaining that she doesn't count because whateverwhateveryou'rewrongshe'sdefadisneyprincess), and that's probably because of her acts of heroism and dressing up as a dude to get the job done. If anything, her dressing up as a dude in order to be respected as something outside of docile femininity is a comment on society's refusal to take women seriously, only seeing her as a person worthy of opportunity when they believe she is in possession of other genitalia. Really, Mulan is a sociological masterpiece.
Also, Eddie Murphy is super funny.
9. Tiana
Tiana was not interested in any man. Kiss enough frogs and you might get a prince, but she didn't care enough about getting married to kiss any slimy amphibians, thankyouverymuch. She was going to run her own restaurant, and she was working for it too. She was going to be an independent lady. Instead, she found true love and got the cash money funds to open that restaurant after all. Tiana is a modern woman and a positive role model.
I don't have a lot to say about Tiana either, because I only saw her movie once, but I got respect for that princess.
10. Rapunzel
I love this movie. I watched it on Netflix (during the brief period of time it was on Instant), and then I immediately started it over to watch it again. Rapunzel wants out of her tower to see the world and explore, but she's also emotionally manipulated by her "mother" into staying. Her kindness gets Flynn and her farther than his streetwise cunning, but she's not so sweet as to be boring (like Cinderella, who sucks). She has a thirst for knowledge about everything and is truly compelling and fun to root for. If my daughter ends up like Rapunzel, I will be stoked.com.
Except for the part where she has a terrible mother. Because that would be my bad.
11. Merida
I haven't seen this movie. All I know is that she has red hair, she's Scottish, she's aces with a bow and arrow, and her mother is played by Julie Andrews. Also, she doesn't have a discernible love interest, not really, and that's pretty great that Disney trusted little girls to watch a movie about a Princess with no Prince. Way to go, guys. That's really chill.
I'll watch it eventually.
Well, I think I acquitted my princesses pretty well. I'm not alone in defending the Disney Princess as Feminists, but I wanted to add my two cents anyway. This blog post was Very Important. Thank you for reading.
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