“Above all, a princess STRIVES for perfection.” Being a Disney Princess
is the ultimate fairy-tale dream. “I would kiss a hundred frogs
if I could marry a prince and be a princess!” While princesses in the real world
simply marry or are born into royal families, in the wonderful world of Disney
they come from a more abstract place of magic, wish-fulfillment, and destiny. [Whispers] “The ocean chose you.” Across decades and her many iterations,
this figure is united by some common traits. “She’s nice, very nice!” The Disney princess
is virtuous and optimistic. “I don’t see how a world that makes
such wonderful things could be bad.” A picture of innocence,
she has a sunny disposition and a strong sense
of right and wrong. “We have all come here
with anger in our hearts, but she comes with courage
and understanding.” It goes without saying
that she's also elegant and beautiful, with big and bright features. “Let me see. Bright eyes,
working nose, strong teeth.” She wears opulent dresses
to grand ceremonies, but even in rags,
she’s effortlessly stunning. “Ya look great, kid,
ya look sensational.” EVERYONE is drawn to her—
even animals. “Hello. It’s always nice to make new friends.” Naturally, people fall in love with her—
including her handsome Prince Charming [Singing] “The gleam in your eyes
is so familiar.”
Because of this, she’s seen as
too demure and delicate to fend for herself,
“Pocahontas can’t keep running off.
It’s dangerous out there.”
and is frequently underestimated.
“You don’t seem to know how dangerous Agrabah can be.”
“Hmm, I’m a fast learner.”
Over the years,
modern Disney princesses
have become more and more outspoken,
adventurous, and even rebellious.
“I’ve decided to do what’s right,
and break tradition.”
Yet despite these advancements,
our culture has also become increasingly critical of the
Disney Princess archetype— and whether or not the very idea is sexist. The term itself has taken on
a negative connotation, suggesting helplessness and entitlement. “I didn't realize this place turned you
into a f-[BLEEP]ing Disney princess.” But is the Disney Princess
ultimately a harmful fantasy— or does it remain a crucial part of how
many of us shape our imagination and identities? Here’s our Take on why we can STILL dream
of being a Disney Princess, even if the meaning of that
changes with the times, and the importance of holding onto
the happily-ever-after she represents. “I never knew what I was capable of.” If you’re new here,
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Start listening today. There have been princesses
as long as there’s been royalty, but the Disney Princess
we’ve come to know and love originated with classic fairy tales. “Far-off places,
daring sword fights, magic spells.” In stories like Hans Christian Andersen’s
“The Princess and the Pea,” princesses were so delicate and pure,
they could sense a single pea beneath twenty mattresses
and twenty feather beds. “There seems to be something
under the mattress. I don’t mean to be so sensitive.” Even more importantly,
the princess of Andersen’s story appears at first to be an ordinary girl,
but there’s no mistaking the princess she is inside. “Never underestimate
the power of a pure heart.” This is crucial to the appeal
of the Disney Princess, who has long played a role in the process
of children developing their identities— particularly when it comes to
gender expression. “She’ll need a dress and a-“
“Oh no no not a she a he. He! He!” “That does make a difference.
HE’LL need a jacket” In “Cinderella Ate My Daughter,”
Peggy Orenstein discusses how important Disney Princesses are
for four-year-old girls in their inflexible stage— “The precise moment that
girls need to PROVE they are girls, when they will latch on
to the most exaggerated images their culture offers.” As Annie Murphy Paul writes
in The New York Times, “For a preschool girl,
a Cinderella dress is nothing less than an existential insurance policy,
a crinolined bulwark to fortify a still-shaky sense of identity.” “Oh it’s a beautiful dress!
Did you ever see such a beautiful dress?” But even young boys are drawn
to Disney Princesses— and as a 2016 study found,
boys who engaged with them were found to be better behaved. What’s more, these boys were found to be
more generally androgynous, rejecting hyper-masculinity in a way that
proved beneficial in the long run. “I lied to you. I am a boy.”
“Why does it matter if he’s a boy?” “He can be a princess if he wants to!” The Disney Princess offers
a model of femininity that’s useful for all children to explore—
although that hasn’t prevented the criticism that she’s reductive,
regressive, or even anti-feminist. “And that he will carry me away to his castle,
where we will live happily ever after.” MUCH of that criticism stems from
the earliest portrayals of the princess trope, which often revolved around
princesses who were not just demure— but trapped. “Cinderella was abused,
humiliated, and finally forced to become
a servant in her own house.” The “trapped princess”
is often cruelly forced into a life of isolation. Whether she’s struck
by a dangerous curse, or simply living under
an oppressive parent, she longs to be freed, [Singing] “Who’ll find me…” —usually by the prince she dreams
will come and rescue her. [Singing] “For the one I love. To find me.” Disney’s first full-length movie princess
was 1937’s Snow White, who is forced to work
as a scullery maid by an evil stepmother who resents her beauty. “Hair black as ebony.
Skin white as snow.” “Snow White!” The jealous Queen poisons Snow White,
who falls into a deep slumber. And she can only be liberated
by a kiss from a handsome prince, who then whisks Snow White away to his castle. This basic formula would play out again
in 1950’s Cinderella, whose own evil stepmother
also resents her beauty, forces her into a life of servitude,
and keeps her locked away. “Oh no! Please. Oh, you can’t.
You just can’t.” Through more magical intervention,
Cinderella’s prince finally comes, and she too leaves her miserable life behind. In 1959’s Sleeping Beauty,
it’s an evil fairy, Maleficent, who curses Aurora. But she too is hidden away
before being put into her own deep sleep— again, until a handsome prince can save her. “I just love happy endings.” While all of these princesses thrive
under incredible adversity, their stories largely portray them
as helpless victims, robbing them of agency over their own lives. Disney itself even poked fun at this
in Wreck-It Ralph 2, wryly suggesting that
what REALLY makes a “princess” isn’t beauty, magic, or talking to animals—
but trauma. “Were you poisoned?” “No.”
“Cursed?” “No.” “Kidnapped or enslaved?” “No!” “Are you guys okay?
[Whispers] Should I call the police?” But while the trapped princess
has been the subject of criticism, ridicule, and even contempt over the years,
this point of view often overlooks her resilience. “They can’t order me to stop dreaming.” What’s more, the harsh conditions
these princesses faced, through no fault of their own,
reflected the truths of how women have been oppressed. "Scrub the terrace.
Sweep the halls and the stairs. Clean the chimneys." And throughout, the trapped princess
remains loving and optimistic, finding her liberation wherever she can. “And yet, through it all,
Cinderella remained ever gentle and kind.” These are qualities
that ANYONE should aspire to.
But beginning with 1989’s The Little Mermaid,
we met a new kind of Disney Princess— one who met her circumstances
with a bit more daring. "Ariel! Ariel, please, come back!" The Little Mermaid’s Ariel
has a lot of the same issues as the traditional trapped princess:
She’s kept on a tight leash by an oppressive parent. “As long as you live under my ocean,
you’ll obey my rules!” She’s cursed by a jealous witch,
who strips away her power. "What I want from you is...
your voice!" And while she doesn’t fall into a deep sleep,
she’s still left unable to speak for herself,
waiting for yet another handsome prince to rescue her. “Gee you must’ve really
been through something. Don’t worry, don’t worry, I’ll help you.” Yet Ariel also has a genuine personality.
She’s rebellious, brave, active and adventurous,
full of curiosity and concrete desires. “I wanna be where the people are.”
Belle in 1991’s Beauty And The Beast is also trapped— but like with Ariel,
this is due to her own choice-- a sacrifice she makes for someone she loves. “Take me instead.” Created by screenwriter Linda Woolverton
to be an unmistakable feminist, the headstrong Belle
loves reading more than anything, “It's not right for a woman to read.
Soon she starts getting ideas and thinking.” “Gaston, you are positively primeval” and desires to be much more
than just some handsome prince’s wife. [Singing] “His little wife.
No sir, not me.” In the end, Belle DECIDES
to be with the Beast, and only because he sees her
for who she is inside. “I’ve never seen so many books
in all my life!” “You--you like it?” “It's wonderful.”
“Then it's yours.” Disney’s “princess with personality”
became even more pronounced with Aladdin’s Jasmine in 1992. “How dare you? All of you.
Standing around deciding my future? I am not a prize to be won.” Like her earlier predecessors,
Jasmine is TRAPPED in her palace, “I’ve never even been
outside the palace walls.” and by the rules of her station. “People who tell you
where to go and how to dress. You’re not free to make your own choices.” Yet Jasmine is also determined
to control her own destiny. “If I do marry,
I want it to be for love.” Her decision to fall in love with
and marry a poor non-royal, Aladdin, marks another symbolic turning point
for the Disney princess— one that would forever change the rules. “From this day forth,
the princess shall marry whoever SHE deems worthy.” Significantly, Jasmine was also
the first non-white Disney princess, and it’s notable that the princesses who followed
were both increasingly diverse and more outwardly independent,
refusing to conform to ANY expectation. "You said you'd trust Ping.
Why is Mulan any different?" Like Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine before her,
Pocahontas doesn’t want to be told who to marry, “Father, I think my dream
is pointing me down another path.” but it’s even MORE notable
that she chooses to stay with her tribe rather than leave with John Smith. “Come with me?”
“I’m needed here.” The Princess and The Frog’s Tiana
is hardworking and entirely self-reliant. “This ‘stick-in-the-mud’
has had to work two jobs her whole life while you've been suckin' on a silver spoon.” And even when she gets
her happily ever after of marrying a prince, she STILL pursues her dream
of opening her own restaurant. As the Disney Princess
became more free-spirited, her story became even more
overtly about how society TREATS women. “She’s a hero.” “She’s a woman.
She’ll never be worth ANYTHING.” The notion that women are powerless
or need to be protected is what motivates Mulan to prove herself. “Maybe what I really wanted
was to prove I could do things right. So when I looked in the mirror,
I’d see someone worthwhile.” These films marked a break
with the traditional Disney Princess, and the beginning of a more complex version
of the trope— one that aimed to subvert
everything about it. “I’m never going back.” While radically different
in their characterizations, Disney’s more modern princess stories
contain many motifs we’ve come to expect. “We’re trapped.” “No one goes beyond the reef!” But they’re also explicitly about interrogating
many of the trope’s more reductive or outdated aspects. “You can’t marry a man you just met.”
“You can if it’s true love.” “Anna, what do you know
about true love?” Most significantly, the Disney Princess
is increasingly the HERO of her story, in control of her own fate,
answering her OWN call to adventure. “What’s in there?” “The answer to the question
you keep asking yourself. Who are you meant to be?” She undertakes dangerous missions
to save her people from danger, and in the process,
she learns what it means to be a leader. “I vow to protect and defend
the kingdom of Avalor as crowned princess.” Because these contemporary princesses
are so empowered, they resist some of those
more limiting princess stereotypes. —and their films openly question them. “I’ll be shooting for my OWN hand.
Curse this dress!” Romance is often just
a subplot to their story— if it’s even there at all. In 2012’s Brave, the central relationship
is between the tomboy-ish Merida and Queen Elinor. “Mum, it’s just my bow.”
“A princess should not have weapons.” In the end, Merida’s happily ever after
doesn’t arrive with true love’s kiss, but the self-discovery that allows her
to reconnect with her mother. “But I’ve been selfish,
and I know now that I need to amend my mistake.
And mend our bond.” Similarly, Disney’s Frozen hinges
on the love between two sisters, Anna and Elsa. “Elsa, we were so close.
We can be like that again.” Anna’s love-at-first-sight
with the handsome Prince Hans evokes those tropes we’ve seen
so many times before in Disney movies— only to expose them for the fallacy they are. “Oh, Anna. If only there was someone
out there who loved you.” And as in Brave, the curse is lifted
and happiness restored by the two female relatives rediscovering their true love for each other. “You sacrificed yourself for me?”
“I love you.” “An act of true love
will thaw a frozen heart!” While Anna does still get a genuine love interest
whose main role in the story is just to support her, “This is not about me!” notably, Elsa doesn’t show
any interest in love at all. Her story is wholly about the personal progress
of overcoming crippling fears and learning to embrace her true self. “Let it go, that perfect girl is gone.” Today’s Disney Princesses
are role models of empowerment, far beyond what the term
has traditionally meant. “Our fate lives within us.
You only have to be brave enough to see it.” Even the 2019 live-action version
of Aladdin updates Jasmine to make her motivated not by love or boredom,
but her desire to become Agrabah’s first female Sultan. “It’s not that I don’t want to marry,
it’s just-” “You want to be sultan” “I was born to do more
than marry some useless prince.”
This self-conscious avoidance
of the Disney Princess stereotype has resulted in more complex stories
about strong young women discovering their individual identities—
not unlike how WE use Disney Princesses, when we’re first figuring out ourselves. [Singing] “You know who you are.” While the Disney Princess has become
stronger and more multifaceted over the years, her archetype is still viewed
as fairly two-dimensional. “Take these flowers to Nancy, please.” “What are you, crazy? They're birds!
They don't know where she lives.” She’s still stereotyped as fragile,
out of touch, and privileged: After all, another interpretation
of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess And The Pea”
isn’t that princesses are inherently pure, but fussy and spoiled. “I just can't sleep here.” In our flesh-and-blood world,
what we regard as a princess is the rich socialite familiar
from so many reality shows, living in a detached fantasy
and looking down on everyone else. “I’m starting a charity to help raise money
for dwarves, because they need our help, because they’re not real people.” These negative feelings manifest
in what could be seen as the Disney Princess’s evil stepsister trope,
the spoiled rich girl, who’s immature and longs only for selfish, hedonistic pleasure. [Singing] “I’m expensive sushi
on a huge, huge yacht. I’m a little bit single even when I’m not.” Often we exorcise that animosity
toward the princess by putting them in fallen princess stories
where they lose their status and fortune, growing into a better person
only by REJECTING their “princess” tendencies. “To use this as an opportunity
to become maybe hopefully a better version of myself.” But as much as the criticism
of the Disney Princess archetype is supposedly feminist, there is an implicit sexism
in looking down on a character just for exhibiting girly qualities,
and rooting for her only when she abandons them. To compare Cinderella to Moana
and reject one over the other is inherently anti-feminist— both have individual strengths
that can be equally aspirational. “For with each dawn, she found new hope
that someday her dreams of happiness would come true.” "The ocean chose you for a reason." And tempted as we might be to look
at the Disney Princess franchise with cynicism, the hope and empowerment
that it provides to children— and even adults—
is indispensable. Without the Disney Princess,
life would feel noticeably more bleak. She encourages us
to approach each other with kindness, to never stop dreaming,
and to imagine a better world— even in the darkness. “I won’t stop.
For every minute of the rest of my life, I will fight." This video is brought to you by Audible,
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