Growing up as an Asian-American millennial in the Diaspora, I had my fair share of being exposed to western media, specifically the family favorite franchise, Disney. Eventually, my seven-year-old self encountered a Disney's Mulan, and completely identified with the non-white female lead, reenacting the scene where Mulan makes it to the top of pole by climbing any tree possible in my youth. But hey, there were boys out there that posed as their favorite superheroes, so why not climb a few trees?
Then, I was introduced to anime, namely Cardcaptor Sakura, as being my favorite. These shows were classified as 'mahou shoujo' (MAH-hoh SHO-joh) or 'magical girl' genres, meaning these shows often featured female leads with fantasy elements, such as using magical powers or having animal-like familiars as sidekicks. The shows often handled coming of age themes, as well as female empowerment, and the roles of friendship and its impact on personal strength. Sounds a little similar to Disney Princesses, doesn't it?
The Disney franchise shares a lot of similarities to the Japanese mahou shoujo, and recently, I have been seeing the magical girl concept spread to non-Japanese works, such as tv series Winx Club, Steven Universe, LoliRock, and the web series Bee & Puppycat.
I've listed five reasons why Disney Princesses are really magical girls in disguise:
1. Every Disney Princess and magical girl starts off with a bedhead sequence.
It may be an overused trope and scene sequence at this point, but seriously this gives me life. We are #flawless and can say #iwokeuplikethis and still to do this day, these are the images that pop into our minds when we think about beauty.
2. What's a magical girl or Disney Princess without a fluffy friend to guide them?
Whether it's a break up or a bad test grade, your animal companion is there to cheer you on. For these super heroines, their animal friends are there to offer a listening ear and some guidance for the hardship that is growing up, and saving the world/kingdom.
3. The girls are pretty and strong, period. Welcome to the values of intersectionality (well, an analogy to it).
These females are a force to be reckoned with. You do not want to get on their bad side, unless you want a fierce whooping. Time and time again, female characters are proving to be a match for their male counterparts (e.g. superheroes), able to hold their own ground and save it all.
4. Friendship is Magic.
Cliche as it may sound, the Disney Princess franchise and mahou shoujo genre bring us back to the important theme of friendship. These girls embody compassion, empathy, courage, and admiration; girls being girls supporting girls.
5. From zero to hero!
It's not just a wardrobe change. It's the journey to self-actualization that all of these young women go through that we can relate to, though having a killer #ootd doesn't hurt.
