Reply To: What's Next For The Disney Princess's?

You mean like Mulan? (Who saved all of China as a warrior in an actual war, only incidentally falls in love and doesn’t even kiss the guy in the initial film, and was celebrated for her brains, dressed as a man partly because she didn’t fit into her culture’s female mold, and incidentally was not white?)

Or Pocahontas, whose love story in the film was with the guy she doesn’t even end up with (by her own choice in the film to stay and lead her people), is also not white, and manages to STOP a war through her bravery.

Or Tiana, whose dreams of opening a restaurant totally trump everything else in her life, even when she DOES marry a prince? Oh, and she’s not white either. Hm.

Jasmine, who fights to at least have a choice in her marriage if she has to marry (and isn’t white…) (and was the 6th “official” Disney Princess, her movie arriving in 1992, but granted, the first of non-European appearance.)

Merida, who is white, but doesn’t fall in love at ALL and has better fighting skills than any man in Scotland?

Or maybe Elsa, who has no love interest at all even offered in the film, and who maybe doesn’t go full-on evil but comes dang close to destroying her kingdom, killing intruders, and oh yeah, killing her own sister.

Or even Belle, who is white and does find her adventure while falling in love…but who is also the hero of her own story. She certainly isn’t just waiting around for a Prince Charming.

Even if we limit ourselves just to the classic three princesses (1937, 1950, and 1959–Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora), Aurora’s the only one who really falls into the pure trap of the stereotype. And to be fair…Phillip is pretty much a puppet both good and evil fairies are using to win the day (he doesn’t even talk ONCE after he’s captured in the middle of the film…meaning he’s as silent as Aurora is–honestly, the film’s about the fairies, not them, and they’re all fascinating, powerful female characters).

Sorry. You hit a nerve. That stereotype bugs the heck out of me.

Incidentally, are you sure your sister is watching a Disney film? There are a lot of non-Disney princesses running around out there (including about a dozen princess films starring Barbie, some better than others).