First off, I have to give a major shout out to Disney.
Of course they are one of the largest contributors to childhood happiness, but seriously? They are really stepping up to the plate lately.
Frozen II is a perfect example of this.
Okay, okay…..
It’s not like I’m this supreme feminist that is intolerable of the traditional Disney Princess movies.
I grew up on all of the classics- Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Aladdin- the list goes on.
As the mother of 3 daughters, it was imperative that I purchase Disney+ as quickly as possible to saturate my daughters in my childhood.
The common theme in all of these movies? The Princess’ happiness relied on the presence and performance of the Prince.
Until recently.
When I was growing up, I became accustomed to waiting for the Prince to show up. Then, and only then, would the Princess be free to be her true self.
In the movie Beauty and the Beast, the Prince was always there- beneath the abusive Beast that occupied his body.
Only her patience, kindness, and love was enough to bring him out. Then her freedom would be returned to her and her true happiness would be revealed.
This is not the message I want to share with my daughters.
Recently we have seen the emergence of movies like Brave, Moana, Frozen- all movies in which a Prince either does not exist, or his existence is inconsequential.
The beauty in these films is the Princess herself and her ability to be her true self, sometimes in the face of what is expected of her.
Well done Disney!
Finally the masses have realized that little girls do not need to grow up believing that their happiness depends on the elusive “Prince” walking in one day and “waking them up” from the nightmare they have been living in.
They do not need to be rescued.
They do not need a kiss from a handsome man to wake them up.
They do not need to simply get away from their overbearing mother to find their inherent value.
They need to be shown, over and over again, that their value relies on no one other than themselves.
This is why characters like Elsa, Moana, Merida, and Anna are so important.
It’s important for my daughters- OUR daughters- to see characters that show them that their power relies within themselves.
They do not need to wait for the handsome prince to step in and rescue them from their reality and bring them into the light.
The light exists within them. The light is theirs for the taking.
No one is stopping them but themselves.
Recent Comments