Things I've Learned from Disney Princesses

Written by Shae Rufe

It's hard to think of Disney films as more than just kiddy cartoon movies, but the brand is dominating all our beloved nerdy things. From Star Wars to Marvel, it's weird to think that they're owned by the little Mouse, but they are! Today, I'm going to talk about what Disney movies taught me, more specifically those Disney princess movies. So, settle in, sing your favorite Disney tune, and let's talk princesses, shall we?

Tiana isn't born a princess, and honestly The Princess and the Frog is quite the underrated movie. Still, this film has a lot to offer, and kids really need to watch it. Tiana is our first African American princess, and it's been a long time coming. Her story isn't about finding true love and being whisked away, instead Tiana just wants to work hard, save money, and open her own restaurant. She's the first Disney princess to willingly work herself to exhaustion; by way of the drive of her dreams and a desire to stop at nothing. Tiana's message is all about hard work and making your own dreams come true, no magical fairy godmother required. Our leading lady doesn't set out to find love, instead she just stumbles into it. It's Tiana who teaches our spoiled prince the values of working hard and making your own way in the world.
 
Rapunzel is a highly over looked princess. Tangled was an excellent movie and has a lot of the classic themes we know and love. Kidnapped princess, rescued by a guy who becomes a prince, simple, right? Wrong. Tangled may have not been the modern princess story we were looking for, but it actually dealt with a lot of themes. Rapunzel deals with a lot of anxiety about leaving her tower. To say she grew up sheltered is an understatement, but she overcomes that to achieve her own dream. She's a bit naive when it comes to people and the outside world, however she is the most genuinely kind person around. Despite being terrified of Flynn, she trusts him and gets him to help her. She makes friends with everyone she meets, and even manages to get a known thief to buy her something. On top of that, our golden-haired princess is so honest it hurts. She keeps her promises, no matter what, and doesn't break them. She may tell a few white lies, who doesn't, yet she does it only to the person who kidnapped her. In the end she was willing to sacrifice herself to save someone she loved. Now that's a pretty strong message.
 
Belle is a well-known princess from an era where princesses literally did nothing to get a guy, other than sleep, or fit a shoe. Not to criticize the previous girls before her; but Belle changed a lot of things when she came around. She broke the idea of what a princess should be, she was smart, sarcastic, stubborn, and not about to settle. Above all, Belle was willing to imprison herself in order to save her father. We can argue Stockholm syndrome later. That aside, Belle is also pretty compassionate and loyal. She returns to the Beast to save him, which is cool, but the real message here should be how Belle stood up for herself. She wasn't a push over, instead she had no problems telling Gaston no, and pushed away his many unwanted advances. She was focused on finding her own adventure, and boy did she get it. She wasn't going to change for Gaston, or anyone for that matter. Belle had no problem making friends with talking furniture, which means she's open minded and into diversity. Truthfully, Belle has a lot of redeeming qualities, and she's a princess worth admiring, ish....

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