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Lessons Disney princesses taught us

I love a lot of the Disney princesses and always have, and not because they're pretty and insipid and get married.

The ones who do fit that role, like Snow White, are dead boring, yes, I'll grant you that, but a lot of those classic princesses are pretty awesome. 

In fact, while they're often stuffed into ridiculous dresses and made to line up and smile, all in all I think a lot of the Disney princesses are pretty bad-ass. 

I've seen women and girls say that Disney princesses make them feel like they need to be pretty little dolls. Maybe it's a failure on Disney's part, but I learned completely different lessons myself:

Ariel 

Ariel is expected to be a pretty little princess who sings lovely songs, but she shows no interest in sitting in front of a crowd looking and sounding pretty.

Instead, she goes out to feed her curiosity, breaking her society's strictest laws in an effort to educate herself.
Instead of showing mindless obedience and acceptance, she rebels against authority and questions the racist prejudices pushed on her, eventually uniting two societies who were previously at war.



Moral: Challenge the rules, take risks and follow your mind.

Belle 

While the other girls in her village are concerned about their appearance and marriage prospects, Belle is reading, and easily the most intelligent person in her town.

Gaston is strong and handsome, but she rejects him because he's a violent idiot, because he doesn't like women to think, and also because he expects her to become his little wife and stay-at-home mother to his "six or seven" children.

The Beast wins her over partly with the gift of the library, a gift that shows he admires and encourages her intelligence rather than fears and desires to repress it. 



Moral: Educate yourself as much as possible. Refuse to put up with anyone who tries to suppress your intelligence.

Jasmine

Jasmine has everything a little princess is meant to desire: Beauty, wealth, and a list of princes all lined up ready to marry her. Like any human being, these things aren't compensation enough for her freedom, and she both recognizes and hates her cage.

She loves her father, but is not willing to sacrifice herself just to please him, and tries to escape from her oppressive life several times.

Jafar's evil is reinforced when he attempts to force her into the position of subservient female. Eventually, she manages to have the sexist law changed, at least in part (she still seems to have to get married).



Moral: It's more important to have freedom of choice than to be the richest and most beautiful princess in the world.

Pocahontas

One of the first things Pocahontas does with her new lover is whip him soundly in a debate.

She, too, refuses to play the role of dutiful princess when that role includes marrying someone she doesn't want to or holding onto racial prejudices, but she also proves that her rebellion is neither irresponsible nor childish when she takes the dutiful path of staying with her people over the tempting path of staying with her boyfriend.

At the end of the story, Pocahontas is a leader, not a bride.



Moral: Real princesses are strong leaders

Mulan

Mulan is a victim of a sexist upbringing that teaches girls to be pretty useless, and she overcomes that through hard work and a strong will. She proves that the prejudices against women are utter rubbish when she becomes more capable than all the dudebros around her put together.

Even when everyone around her is telling her that women are not to be respected, listened to or given any authority at all, she never gives up fighting, and she eventually saves China as a result.



Moral: Never give up on the strengths you know you have, even if the society around you tells you that you can't have them because you're a girl.

Originally posted on Laura's blog. Follow Laura on Twitter.

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