Quote Tweet. A man (or animal, if you will), kidnaps a girl and holds her prisoner. Matthew Wilkinson is a Senior Writer with Screen Rant and has been part of the team since 2019. We better go ahead and add an evil witch, a curse, some sleeping, and an unsolicited smooch to create some excitement here. Id like to skip right to the controversy with Princess Aurora, because she does not fit the mold of the strong, independent women. And while Snow White and Cinderella shared similar situations, Aurora became the focal point of an entirely different kind of story. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. Before Elsa came into the picture, Princess Merida in "Brave" heralded the arrival of a new type of Disney Princess who relied on her own strength to deal with problems instead of waiting for a prince to rescue her. But before she became the most badass warrior in the emperor's army, Mulan had a real problem with standing up for herself. Quote Tweet. Rather than waiting around for a prince, Jasmine sneaks out of the palace at night to explore her city alone. We're in full swing in terms of the revival of Disney films, whether it be live action remakes of old classics, or new reimagined princesses for a more independent generation of children. But she does not hear the same song as me. She's feisty, doesn't want to settle for anything less than the best husband-wise, and has a kind heart. But Auroras story is a great deal more fantastical. But the message that this princess sends to young girls is that they can get a man only based on looks, which is what Ariel did. On top of that, they bring their own unique flaws to the table as well because let's be honest, without flaws to fix there would be no character growth. However, when her father dies, Tiana's upbringing certainly takes a difficult turn. Look at her face now. For starters, her beauty is directly associate with her "purity." WebPeople always complain about how she's asleep most of the movie (not her fault) and needs a man to save her (also not her fault). Belle is super smart, for one; her favorite thing about a magical castle is the huge library. Best scene None really only the Once upon But, even though their love hasn't been confirmed by Snow White verbally, Prince Charming kisses her consent-less sleeping body anyway. She spends her time cooking and doing chores, relies only on the prince to save her, and becomes a princess through marriage. Reluctant but desperate, the king and queen agree to allow their daughter to be raised by the good fairies, hidden away in a cottage in the forest. Here, Ariel is completely willing to change her entire species, on the off chance that the hot guy she met a couple of days ago might be into her too. RELATED: 10 Of The Disney normalizes an infinite number of behaviors that should be considered alarming if they were to ever happen in everyday life, but the "true love's kiss" while in a coma takes the cake. She didnt know that the man shed met was Prince Phillip, her betrothed. Shouldnt those around us love us for us rather than the clothes we are wearing? Although her parental influence is largely to blame for shaping her, Elsa's attempt at restraint triggers the opposite of withdrawal when she freezes the entire kingdom simply because she's angry about her sister's engagement. To first-time viewers, Elsa is a complicated princess with cool ice powers. While this isn't always the case, it certainly is a stereotype that Disney has helped create for these characters. Look no further! This is against the well-considered advice of those around her while it's understandable that Jasmine yearns for the open spaces of the city, away from rules, regulations, and the confines of her palace,such restrictions exist for a reason. It had been made clear that the streets were treacherous, and Jasmine could just as easily have been accosted by thugs and held hostage for a literal king's ransom. The characters have become beloved for their incredible journeys, and that is often because they tend to start with a stereotypically tragic upbringing which the characters have to then overcome. After being cursed by Maleficent, Aurora spends her entire childhood living away from her parents, not knowing who they are as she lives with guardian fairies, who Disney is about hope, about the belief that good always triumphs over evil. The title of the move sets this standard from the moment you press play. She gets pushed around a lot by her stepmother and stepsisters, who, to the best of my knowledge, shouldn't have any coercive power over her. Beyond that, she has no personality or ambition. While updating my wardrobe for my four months abroad, I found that more modest, loose clothing was what I felt most comfortable and confident in. Here are some of the topics wed love to hear about: Whether you're an experienced writer or just starting out, we welcome anyone with a passion for writing and a desire to share their perspective. Sadly, the Disney Princess who ends up being the most independent, spunky member of the elite group also happens to be the one who made the biggest sacrifice for a man. Belle needs a beast in order to escape her "provincial" life. However, her destiny changes when a fairy godmother The movie Aladdin isn't even about Jasmine, it's about Aladdin, hence why it's called Aladdin! Sure, she is technically the main character, but the events of the movie happen "to" her rather than "because of" her. Stories are all about symbolism, representations, personification, allegories, clever hidden ways to say things without saying them outright. The lyrics seem to parade in one ear and out the other. However, there's no doubt that they certainly do add a lot of emotion and heart to the characters, but which of the Disney Princesses has the most tragic backstory? Sure, the motivations behind Elsa's tendency to be withdrawn from her sister for fear that she will hurt her again are selfless and brave, but the drastic isolation she chooses does just as much damage. Snow White is simply known as a beautiful woman who can sing and talk to animals. Rapunzel is pretty naive, I'll be honest. After a child watching a Princess absorbs this, she applies unfairness to every task in life that she doesn't think she should have to do. Even after making the decision to head into the oceans toreturn the Heart of Te Fiti to its rightful place, Moana is plagued by indecisions that get in the way of her quest. The Queen sends Snow White into the forest, along with a hunter who is charged with killing her until he has a change of heart, telling Snow White to escape into the forest. Brittany Morgan, National Writer's Society2. Nope, not our Mulan. Although Merida's intentions are probably innocent and meant to question traditions that aren't empowering, her approach could use some work. With Elsa locking herself away due to not being able to control her magical powers, things are made even tougher for Anna. In the end, she has to learn that being good at your job and being a hard worker is not enough. The conflict arises when magic comes into play, and magic is essentially the ruling force in this movie. She is supposed to be of Arab descent, just like Aladdin, but her fair skin and facial features say the contrary. While I think it is admirable that she's able to reform Flynn, she doesn't have the smarts or the capability that some of the other princesses have. However, her destiny changes when a fairy godmother transforms her, and she meets a prince charming. While the earliest princesses were content to sleep it off in a tower while waiting for their prince to rescue them, modern princesses are much more practical about relying on their own strength and ingenuity to solve their problems. (LogOut/ It may be that she speaks less and it may be that she spends the last half of the movie asleep. So, here is an account for how your finals week may have went or will be going as your final days left in school come to an end. Everything about the tale of Sleeping Beauty, including the way the story is drawn and narrated, alludes to the time in which it takes place: the fourteenth century. To sign up, email glorie@theodysseyonline.com. Cinderella has it rougher than most of the other Princesses growing up. Speaking of damsels in distressed, just about every Disney princess fails to be the hero of her own story. What was the name of the first So in essence, she endangered her own life and her father's power, all so she could have a night out on the town. Tiana's dream in life is to open her own restaurant, which is really cool to me. Disney glories "true love's kiss" as a romantic gesture, when in fact it's just rape culture encouragement. He is obviously holding her against her will, at least at first. This is Aurora later that same day, when her world has been turned upside down. Things did not get better when she disguised herself as a man and joined the army. After lying, apparently dead, in a coffin, Snow White is awakened by true love's kiss from her prince and lives happily ever after alongside him. This rejection appears to have left a deep scar on Anna's psyche, and as a young adult, she frequently places herself in the most dangerous positions on the off-chance that she would find love. Nevertheless, Snow White is one of the least popular Disney princesses due to her inability to think for herself and have her own goals. I think the best way for me to explain is to rank the Disney princesses, and maybe that will be an explanation in and of itself. So, let's take a look at a few of the worst traits these princesses have displayed in their stories. Beauty and charisma wins peoples heart and minds. Come on ladies, let's put our big girl panties on and take care of ourselves. Tangled. Recently, I was evaluating my pet peeves, and I realized that among my many political pet peeves (which you likely have read about extensively if you follow my blogs) there is one that is much less practical. Studying for seven hours straight, slightly brain dead and disoriented. Our analysis can reveal that the most eco-friendly princess is Aurora, from Disney classic Sleeping Beauty (1959). Off with her head for that nonsense. All Rapunzel can do is sing about how lonely and bored she is with the entire prison setup. Megha. Just a quick nota bene: if there are princesses who aren't on this list (I realize Merida and Moana are not, and there may be some others) it's because I haven't seen the movie. She actively risked her own life to save Surprisingly, this involves women typically. For example, at Miami University, I see a lot of girls in sororities wearing similar outfits throughout the day. On top of that, she's being forced to marry a suitor, despite the fact that she's not romantically interested in any of them, which is something she doesn't enjoy. There is a strong case for those who say Belle suffers from Stockholm Syndrome. A girl loves a boy enough to make a sacrifice to him, and a boy can fall in love with a girl even without her "best" feature. Ariel's father may be King Triton, who has plenty of power and status under the sea, but that doesn't lead to Ariel's upbringing being a smooth and enjoyable one.