Disney Princesses were the role models of our childhood. Even as college students, we hold them dear to our hearts. I asked 40 people (ages 16-24) to tell me who their favorite princess is and why she is inspirational to them.
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5. Belle of Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is a story about a cursed prince (the Beast) and a young French maiden (Belle) falling in love. Belle has no idea that he is not just a beast, but a cursed human, when she initially falls in love. She breaks the curse by telling him that she loves him and he turns back into his human form. Belle is loving and kind and sees beauty on the inside, not just the outside.
“I love Belle because she always taught us that looks aren’t everything, it’s what’s on the inside that counts.” – Laura Reece
“Belle [is my favorite princess] because she’s an outcast and see’s people for their heart and soul and not their money or looks.” – Lexi Arrieta
4. Ariel of The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid is about a mermaid princess, the daughter of King Triton, who has always dreamed of becoming a human. The king does NOT want her to become human, but she falls in love with a human prince, which fuels the fire to becoming human. Ariel goes to an evil sea witch, Ursula, and trades her voice to become human, and has three days to get a true loves kiss to make her human permanently.  Ariel tries to grab Prince Eric’s attention but he doesn’t know that she is the girl he fell in love with on the beach; he only recognizes her by her voice. Ursula then uses Ariel’s voice to cast a spell on Prince Eric, and kidnaps Ariel. Prince Eric comes to rescue her and King Triton sees their love and agrees to let Ariel stay human. Ariel is adventurous and curious. She’s sweet, but isn’t afraid to break the rules.
“Ariel [is my favorite princess] because she’s bad a**.” – Casey McGraw
3. Jasmin of Aladdin
Aladdin is a poor street urchin and Princess Jasmine is, well, a princess. Jasmine’s father, the Sultan, is trying to marry her off, but she dresses as a peasant to go into the city and is nearly arrested until Aladdin saves her. Jafar, the right hand man to the sultan, is the villain. Jafar is trying to take over the Sultan’s throne. Jafar throws Aladdin in jail, only able to retrieve his freedoms by getting the blue diamond for Jafar. Here, Aladdin finds a lamp with a genie in it and wishes to become a prince to marry his love, Jasmine. Jafar tries to convince the Sultan that he should marry Jasmine and gets rid of Aladdin to do so. Jafar steals the magic lamp from Aladdin, getting his own genie. Jafar wishes to takes over the palace and traps Jasmine in an hourglass, so Aladdin must trick Jafar into using his last wish to turn himself into a genie. By doing this, Jafar will be sucked into the lamp, taking away his freedom as a human. The Sultan decides that Aladdin has proven his worth and can marry Jasmine. Throughout the story, Jasmine is sassy and knows what she wants. She doesn’t want a wealthy prince, she’d much rather have an honest, humble man.
“Jasmine [is my favorite princess] because she’s Arab like me, and has a pet tiger! She also was the most defiant and ended up changing the laws of the country so that she could marry whomever she wanted. She was also quite sassy if I remember.” -Arianna Khalil
2. Pocahontas of Pocahontas
Pocahontas is a Native American woman and the daughter of the chief of her tribe. Her father wants her to marry the best warrior of the tribe, but she doesn’t love him. When British settlers come to the “New World,” Pocahontas meet settler John Smith and teaches him that skin color doesn’t matter, and that the earth is beautiful if he opens his eyes. During the story, the Chief decides to spy on the settlers and they take it as an attack. The settlers fired shots and injure one of the Native Americans. A battle breaks out between the two groups, but after some fighting, Pocahontas convinces the chief to end the conflict, until one of settlers shoot at him. John pushes the chief out of the way and takes the bullet for him. He is to be sent back to England to get treatment. Pocahontas sees him off and promises him that he will always be in her heart. Pocahontas is free spirited and brave. She is an advocate for equality and she passionate about the earth.
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“I identified with her the most growing up .” -Shayna Mendez
“Pocahontas ’cause she a bad b*tch.” -Danny Duran
“I love Pocahontas. She tried to see [John’s] world while showing him the wonders of everything and other cultures around him. She opened up his eyes. She was brave and strong.” -Alyssa Sedgwick
1. Mulan of Mulan
When a terrifying group of warriors, the Huns, invade China, Mulan’s father is drafted to serve in the military. Her father, however, is old and weak, so she dresses as a man, takes his armor and weapons, and takes his place. Though this is a brave venture, if she is caught, she will be killed. Mulan trains with the other soldiers and eventually gets sent to battle. She saves her captain, Shang’s, life but gets injured but gets injured herself. While getting treated, they discover Mulan’s true identity as a female, but Shang spares her for saving his own life. After she gets back on her feet, Mulan helps her fellow soldiers save the emperor from the Huns and kills their leader. The emperor and her family both praise her for her bravery. Mulan is brave, strong, and intimidating, with the heart of a warrior.
“I’m a huge fan of Mulan because she kind of broke the girly girl princess stereotype she didn’t go to war for love. She went save her father which I think is pretty selfless and heroic.” – Carley Pickel
“She choose to sacrifice herself for her fathers life despite her family’s wishes & her cultures’ perspective on women. Defining that women are more than just damsels in distress waiting on a man to fulfill their lives. Also showing that women are strong, empowering, and, like men, able to serve their country/complete a task.” -Amber Mole
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