Who has never dreamed of being a princess? Most (American) girls since their childhood grow up mirroring themselves in female stereotypes. One of them are the Disney Princesses.With all their beauty and kindness these characters taught us what was right and wrong. In addition to teachings, some princesses propagate toxic ideals.
It is a fact that contemporary princesses such as Elsa, Moana, Mulan, Tiana and Merida teach much more, they are symbols of strength and independence for girls. But, if we talk about the classic princesses, the subject is another. Each one, within its historical context, brings ideals that still impact the children.
- Snow White
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The Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is an adaptation of a german oral tradition that was compiled by the Brothers Grimm in a book of fables.
Snow White was the first Disney princess, and also the most passive one. The characteristic that is more accentuated in the princess is her beauty, “the most beautiful of all kingdom”, as it is said several times in the story.
Beauty, in this case, goes far beyond a stereotype imposition (lean, tall and white), it causes female competitiveness. The stepmother (The Evil Queen) hates her because she is considered the most beautiful of all. Every plot is generated by an ego competitiveness, which places women as enemies.
The subordination of the woman is something very present in these princesses, and the White of Snow doesn’t escape it. Let’s talk first of the seven dwarfs. Even though they have housed Snow White and shown great affection for her, they prove to be terrible hosts.
After all, what guest has to clean and make food for the owners of the house? In this episode, the man (the dwarves) abhor the domestic tasks, while the woman (Snow White) is happy to fulfill them.
We have to talk about the prince. The hero of the story does nothing but to kiss the princess. After the kiss, or the union of the man and the woman, all Snow White’s problems disappear. Only a man can make all the girl’s problems solved. It is worth remembering that he is a man totally unknown, nor his name we know, but Snow White knows that he is the love of her life, since he saved her.
Here we see sexist ideals and lack of female sorority being propagated.
- Aurora
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In 1812 the Brother Grimm published The Slepping Beauty, whose protagonist is Princess Aurora. Almodified by the Malevolent, Aurora was isolated from her kingdom so that the curse wouldn’t be fulfilled. But it didn´t help. Now, only a prince could save her, with a kiss.
The story begins with the princess’s christening, her fairy godmothers give her presents, but they aren’t ordinary gifts. The godmothers give Aurora virtues that she longs for during life. What draws attention is that the characteristics princess gains are qualities expected of a woman in the nineteenth century, and among them is the beauty, of course.
Strength or independence are not desired virtues for the princess, and much less encouraged during its creation. Aurora is isolated and created by the godmothers, and all her creation is based on teaching her housewife tasks, things that not even bridesmaids (as single women) often knew.
The prince in this case, like that of Snow White is also seen as the hero, doing nothing heroic, by kissing a woman unconscious. Again the girl does nothing to save herself and waits for a man to rescue her.
In this case the single woman draws attention. The godmother’s as Maleficent aren’t married and shows bad qualities. The godmothers even being good, are classificate as clumsy and misfits.
Malévola is the villain, shown as spiteful, bitter and evil. In the context this characteristics are man repellent. However, it is overlooked that these women are strong and independent of any man.
- Cinderella
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The famous history about the girl with the little foot is another example about stereotypes employed on Disney Princessess. Cinderella, an animation from 1950, is about a girl, who without her mom and dad, stayed on the care of her stepmother.
This woman, with her daughters, made Cinderella’s life miserable until the arrival of the Charming Prince, the love of cinderella´s life.
The first thing we can point out is the sexism, also present here. In this case it exist on both sides. Cinderella is perfect, is beautiful, thin, white, blonde with blue eyes, delicate, good singer and a good housewife. But the Charming Prince is also perfect, as his name says, he is charming, beautiful, brave a hero for the princess. The perfection of both is based on stereotypes of the time.
One thing that catches the eye is the great appreciation of Cinderella’s little feet. As if the size of the feet signaled all its delicacy and beauty. And all women who didn’t have small feet weren’t unique, and didn’t have the characteristics to become a princess. All the search for a princess was based on a somewhat awkward aesthetic factor.
The stepmother and her daughters are always at war with Cinderella. Throughout the story is perceived every contempt and injustice that the princess is treated. This all comes from the fact that the stepmother does not support the qualities that exist and Cinderella, and they lack in their daughters.
Thus, she always puts her daughters against the stepdaughter, creating a feminine rivalry in the girls. In addition to the suffering of Cinderella, the stepmother’s daughters also suffer, since they can’t match the standard of woman imposed at the time.
- Ariel
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Ariel is the princess of The Little Mermaid, animation based on a danish tale that was released in 1989 by Disney. It tells the story of a mermaid princess who has always dreamed of becoming a human. She meets Prince Eric and does everything to stay with him on dry land.
The meeting of Ariel and Eric takes place in a storm, where the mermaid saves the prince and they fall in love. Eric is enchanted by the voice of the princess and does everything to find it. Their passion is yet another factor that sharpens Ariel’s curiosity on the surface. So the whole plot revolves around Ariel’s sacrifice to become human.
The mermaid made a deal with the villain Ursula, in which she would lose her voice in exchange for gaining human legs and being able to walk on solid ground. Ariel would have to kiss Eric in three days not to become Ursula’s property.
Ariel sets aside her family and her kingdom to go in search of a man, since it was he who would take her from the life she did not like. She sacrifices her greatest talent to stay with the prince, which shows that for girls that dedication to relationship with a man matters more than anything.
Although in this story, we know a little more about the prince, he is also the one who ended up saving the princess in the end.
Ariel is a teenager who wants to have freedom, she is not happy in the life she led. But his happiness was with a marriage, what it is a pattern of happiness imposed among women.
All stories bring unattainable gender patterns. Woman is always placed as passive and subordinate to man. More than beauty the productions should encourage the strength and independence of the girls.