The iconic princesses of Walt Disney’s world have been receiving criticism lately from the blogosphere for sending negative messages to young children. Disney has been accused of perpetuating female stereotypes, teaching girls to wait for men who will rescue them from their circumstances, and creating unrealistic images for young girls to admire. Though some of these claims may be true, there’s a large part of Disney princesses that offer other extremely positive qualities most people seem to ignore.
One of the greatest things Disney is able to accomplish through the princesses is the showcase of a wide range of diversity not only in skin color but also in cultural and historical backgrounds. There are princesses from all over the world in many different countries during different time periods. Every heroine fights her own demons and works through conflict to get what she wants or to solve her problem.
Princess Tiana is an excellent representation of what it means to want to work for your dreams and make something out of life that is both satisfying and rewarding. She doesn’t start out as a royal, and has no intentions of being noble, all she wants to do is follow in her father’s footsteps and open her own restaurant in New Orleans. Tiana shows girls that it’s important to work hard and save your money to realistically be able to get what you want in life, which doesn’t always have to be a title or a crown.
Then there’s Princess Mulan who just goes completely rogue and leaves her family so that she can save her older father from having to volunteer to join the army. Mulan takes it upon herself to do whatever is necessary, even if it means dressing and acting like a man so that she will be accepted into the army. In the end, Mulan’s secret is revealed and the male soldiers shun her but she does not let this stop her and ends up rescuing the emperor. Mulan shows girls that you can’t be discouraged or give up when others are telling you you’re wrong for doing what you think is right.
I could go on and on for days about the great role models Disney has created for young girls. Adventurous and creative Rapunzel, from the adorable film Tangled, escapes her controlling mother’s tower in the forest to learn more about the world for herself. She’s got a spirit for adventure and isn’t afraid to go out and find the answers to her questions.
Every girl who loves to read finds her hero in Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Belle isn’t just a pretty face with a killer voice, she’s got the wits and charm to go with it too. She knows that her love is a valuable thing for any man to have and that’s why she doesn’t just go around giving it to the first French hunk she sees (ahem, Gaston). Scottish Princess Merida of the movie Brave defies her family’s ritual custom of arranged marriage at a young age and defeats her proposed suitors in an archery contest. She believes everyone should be able to get married in his or her own time and to whomever they choose, making her a great modern day role model for girls.
Young girls in today’s society need strong female lead characters to look up to that can show them their dreams and goals matter. Girls need super-heroines, Katniss Everdeen’s, doctors, engineers, CEO’s etc. and every other positive example we can give them. It’s time to stop teaching girls they need to wait on men to rescue them from their problems and the whole world will be stronger for it.