If you’re anything like me, you grew up wanting to be a Disney princess. They’re beautiful, they have gorgeous glittery dresses, animal sidekicks, flawless singing voices and their princes (even animated) are hotties. What we didn’t realize as kids is that on top of all of that, they also happen to be some badass women worth looking up to. These princesses taught us among other things, to relentlessly follow our heart, that love is worth sacrifice and to never give up on your dreams. I mean, the princesses love self discovery almost as much as millennials do. Each princess takes a journey to either figure out who they are, face their fears in search of adventure, follow their heart to fight for their true love or push against the wall of female expectations.
So this is for all the real life disney princesses out there. Here is my list of the important life lessons my favorite disney princesses *and honorary disney princesses* taught us (that even at 23 years old, ring true).
By the way, before you read further, none of these life lessons include tips on how to make your hair look flawless under any circumstance even underwater, how to make your waist to hip ratio cartoon-like perfect, or where to find a fairy godmother or talking animal sidekicks. Sorry guys. I’m working undercover at disney relentlessly trying to figure that one out too.
“The greatest risk any of us will take, is to be seen as we are” Cinderella teaches us the importance of finding someone who loves you for who you truly are. She is the most beautiful ‘belle’ of the ball (I’ll get to her in a sec, don’t worry)…Cinderella squeezes into her glass slippers, wears a giant ball gown made of straight glitter but at the end of the day, the prince loves her for the dusty, rags wearing, beautiful, kind young lady she is.
“I want adventure in the great wide somewhere” If you know me at all, you know that Belle is my favorite disney princess of all time and she has been since day one. Belle is smart. She reads books even if her village frowns on female education. Belle longs for the adventures and fairytales in her books but she is realistic and knows she needs to wait for them not settle for them. Though she is often portrayed as a bit soft-spoken (cmon Emma Watson), she has a strong heart. She tells pretty boy Gaston straight to his face that she does not want to marry him. She has no trouble admitting she is worth more than a man who does not appreciate her mind. Belle is brave and patient with the beast…she is able to see the good deep down in him even though she has to remind him to respect her. Belle teaches us that beauty shines from the inside, one’s heart and mind are what make them beautiful. She sacrifices everything for her father and ends up finding one of the most epic and passionate love stories of all time with a hairy prince. Now that’s an adventure worth sacrificing for.
Let’s talk about the Disney princes for a hot sec. I’m going to speak candidly, the disney princesses seem to be putting in a lot more of the effort than some of the disney princes. Ariel trades her voice for legs just so she can meet Prince Eric and he has no freaking clue it’s even her. Regardless of the fact that he is the hottest of the princes, he has no game. When he figures out Ariel’s name is Ariel, he says “That’s kinda pretty”…kinda pretty? Then there is Cinderella who hurries through her chores, makes her own dress and accepts her midnight curfew just so she can get even a glimpse of Prince Charming and he doesn’t even speak once in the film. Not that this is necessarily the poor guy’s fault but it does make me chuckle how he is such a handsome but vanilla guy. Who even is Snow White’s prince? Has anyone ever figured out if he’s the same Prince Charming as Cinderella or are there just two princes running around with the same name who have a habit of singing with too much vibrato but not speaking? Prince Phillip fights a dragon to save Aurora which is pretty nice of him. Then there is Aladdin who has a special place in my heart. This handsome guy will do anything to win the heart of Jasmine until he learns that all she truly wants is someone true of heart who loves her for her. Flynn Rider is my favorite because he has the whole ‘womanizer with a heart of gold’ thing going on…chicks love that right? He is the perfect example of why women think if they date players, they’ll change them. In this case though, Flynn really does have a kind heart. By truly falling for Rapunzel, he realizes that love can be his next amazing adventure.
“One day I’ll be, part of your world” Our little mermaid friend Ariel has to be one of the most gorgeous princesses with the MOST daddy issues. But really, that scene where Eric wakes up and sees her face with the sun shining behind it, ORGANICALLY FLAWLESS. Ariel may be pro-following your heart but she also has a lot to learn…i.e. listen to your dad because sometimes he knows what’s best. Though Triton was a bit extra when he blew up all of her human treasures, he did only want what is best for her. It seems there is a fascination with princesses having daddy issues. Well I’ve begun to understand Triton’s motives. Dads are the best. Well, my dad is my favorite man alive. I could write a blog post just about the sarge (I won’t cause he’d hate it). One of my favorite things about my dad is that he will let me make my own mistakes even though I can tell he wants to speak up so I can avoid them more than anything. I think he realized how stubbornly independent I like to pretend to be. He jokes every time I bring up a new boy, “alright but don’t let this one break your heart, not again” but yet he is there for me every time they do. Dads never want to see their princesses hurt or sad or mute because they traded their voice to Ursula for legs. So if you can learn anything from Ariel, learn that the people who love you may do crazy, harsh things but they are done out of love and wisdom. The root of their protectiveness is love and love is something to hold on to. So listen to your dad or mom or aunt or brother because they probably know what is best for you.
“A flower that blooms in adversity, is the most rare and beautiful of all” A common theme among the princesses is to go against the expectations of their community and family to forge their own path and follow their own heart. My favorite two ladies who exemplify this are Mulan and Moana, the two M’s how ironic. Mulan is probably the most badass of the princesses and the original feminist. I mean, she wins a freaking war. She disguises herself as a man to protect her father and figures out how to defeat the huns while Shang is busy moping about the fact that she lied to him. Not to mention, she never gives up even when she fails time and time again, she proves she can keep up with the strong men…did you see her climb that pole? GO GIRL. She refuses to settle into an arranged marriage as women are expected to and puts herself at risk of death in order to bring honor to her father. Mulan shows young girls that they are capable of anything if they work hard, never give up and sacrifice for their loved ones. Not to mention, “dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow” is a staple in my everyday vernacular.
“All this time wondering where I need to be is behind me, I’m on my own, to worlds unknown”
Moana, though new to the disney world, is special to me. She longs for adventure. She longs to forge her own path almost to a fault…(her first attempt is done out of stubbornness and finds her almost hurting her little pig friend). Moana sings “it seems like it’s calling out to me so come find me”…she admits how her adventure calls her, she cannot control the longing she has to follow it. That line where the sky meets the sea can be anything to us…for me, it’s the line between the shadows of the audience and the bright stage lights I see while I am onstage…that sight is the adventure that calls me. The things you’re passionate about will always have a power over you that you cannot explain, that is what makes your adventure so worth fighting for. At last, Moana learns that when love fuels our attempts at independence, they truly succeed. Funny how that works, right? You need fuel to be independent, independence does not come about by simply being alone. Moana succeeds in her mission because she has a drive. She feels the support of her people, her grandmother and finally, her father. When there is something driving us, the wind in our sails becomes that much stronger and we reach our goals faster. Love is power.
Speaking as one of the most impatient beings on this planet, I’ve immediately taken note that princesses seem to understand that following your heart not only takes courage but patience. And the minute they become impatient, they seem to just fall asleep and wait until all the madness is over and their prince kisses them awake (i.e. Aurora, Snow White, Gisele). Unfortunately we live in a world where sleeping for a year is considered socially unacceptable so living our patience will simply have to do. Stay hopeful, patient and courageous. Dreams sometimes take a bit longer than we planned.
“Waiting just around the river bend” Pocahontas is the only disney princess who doesn’t end up with her prince in the end. She chooses to stay with her people rather than follow John Smith back to England. Contrary to the other princesses, she follows her heart away from true love and rather, holds on to the faith that it will happen at the right time. Which it does!…I mean, I’ve always loved that she is the only disney princess who falls in love with two different men (John Smith then John Rolfe in Pocahontas 2). Though this movie is an entirely fictional take on historical events (Pocahontas was actually kidnapped and brought to England against her will to marry John Rolfe), the story and music Disney has created is absolutely stunning. She is definitely the most underrated princess of all time. To start, she immediately questions the expectations her family has set for her. “Or do you still, wait for me dream giver?”…she refuses to settle for Kokoum because she does not love him. She longs for adventure, passion and “goes wherever the wind takes her”. Pocahontas teaches us that listening to our heart is the only way we can truly decipher what path to take. Accepting the differences of others brings peace and discovery.
Princess problems I’ve compiled a list of quotes overheard from my princess friends. Enjoy! “I’m just tired of sucking in when I sit on the magic carpet” “I need to warm up my face before I smile so hard” “My arm hurts from waving” “What is that, tofu? I want something with guacamole on it”
“At least out loud, I won’t say I’m in love” In my opinion, the all time BEST disney princess is Meg from Hercules. Yes I know she is not an official princess…but why be a disney princess when you can be a disney goddess instead? Meg is the most relatable of the bunch because like most women, she’s had her heart broken before…the man she loved left her for someone else after she sold her soul to Hades to save him. What a prick. The girl’s got baggage. Not all of us are Cinderella’s or Rapunzel’s who end up falling in love with the first guy we ever set our eyes on. We have to go through quite a few Prince Charming’s and learn to fight our own dragons before we meet the right one. Meg doesn’t give her heart away too quickly regardless of how charming, kind and loving Hercules is to her. She is stubborn, independent, knows how to use her sex appeal to get what she wants and refuses to ever be a damsel in distress. Even when she decides to fall deeply into the abyss of love, jumps in front of a falling building and saves his life by getting crushed herself, she manages to maintain her badass sarcastic nature by finally admitting, “People do crazy things, when they’re in love”. Meg doesn’t let her past stop her from following her heart but rather lets it be a part of her story, only making her more dynamic and interesting and the pay off so much more worth it when she finally does find her prince (or rather, greek god with an 8-pack). She also sings one of the best songs ever.
“Our fate lies within us. You only have to be brave enough to see it.” We grew up with some beautifully strong, kind and courageous princesses to look up to…but I’ll tell you a secret, there is a beautiful, strong, kind and courageous woman looking back at you in the mirror…and you’re not animated! If these princesses have taught us anything it’s to listen to your heart and believe in your dreams. Your dreams are what keep your heart floating in the clouds so never let it fall. If we don’t have our dreams, we’ll be lost and boring so never stop fighting for your adventure regardless of how many dragons you have to face (or sleep through depending on what kind of princess you are).
xoxo Mags
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