Like most kids I know, I grew up on Disney movies. I adored many of the characters, both princesses and otherwise, and often set about emulating them as best I could. Now, as an mostly grown adult who still rather embarrassingly hauls her entire Disney VHS collection whenever she moves, I occasionally hear talk about how women in Disney films aren’t worthwhile role models. The misinformation that is often spouted as evidence for this claim hurts my animated musical-loving heart.

So here’s a (totally not exclusive) list of examples that prove without a shadow of a doubt that these are intelligent, strong, and capable women worth looking up to.

1. Belle loves books and reading, even though it’s improper behavior for a woman and makes her an outcast in the eyes of her entire town.

Belle’s utter adoration for literature marks her as strange and unusual among the small-minded townsfolk, with Gaston even outright claiming it's “not right” for women to read. But Belle couldn't care less about what anyone else thinks. She continues to read and to educate herself for her own happiness.

2. Jasmine refuses to marry for anything but love, and calls out her father and her potential suitor for discussing her future without any regard for her input.

Throughout the entire movie, Jasmine proves herself to be a clever, spirited young woman. And as such, she will not stand to allow other people to decide her life for her, and she is certainly not shy about letting them know that. Jasmine maintains a level of independence and confidence that should be free to inspire young children to take the same kinds of stands. Their life is their own to lead, just as it was Jasmine’s.

3. Esmeralda stands up before all of Paris and frees Quasimodo, demanding justice for all the citizens who have suffered abuse and mistreatment from Follo’s bigotry.

Imagine the sheer bravery it must take to stand before all of Paris, including the man who has sworn to do everything in his power (which is a lot) to crush you and your people, to stop the abuse and humiliation of one man. Throughout the entire movie, Esmeralda embodies kindness and justice and hope. If any child watching took even one of her lessons to heart, then the world is a better place for it.

4. Merida knows that she is not ready for marriage, and fights against the traditions of her family to decide for herself when, to whom, or even if she will marry.

If you’re telling me your favorite part of this movie wasn’t Merida striding out in the archery competition for her marriage and declaring, in the heaviest possible Scottish accent, that she’d be shooting for her own hand, then you and I probably won’t be friends. Merida took on family tradition, the patriarchy, and most frighteningly of all, her mother in order to stay true to herself.

5. Colette breaks down the patriarchy of the culinary world for Linguini, proving that she was the toughest chef in the kitchen because she had to work twice as hard to get there.

Despite her relatively minor role in the overall plot, Collette quickly carved herself out as one of my favorite characters in cinematic history. She blatantly calls out the gender-skewed politics of the professional kitchen, and makes no attempt to be humble about her skills and hard work simply because she is a woman. Collette has a winning “I’m awesome and I know it” attitude that I would absolutely want my children to admire.

6. Ariel acknowledges herself as a bright, curious young women, ready to learn about the world and gain her own independence.

Ariel is one of those characters who, by an unfortunate twist of fate, everyone seems to think is entirely un-feminist. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Ariel had always been an independent, intelligent young woman/mermaid who was desperately curious about the human world and the way it worked -- even before she met Prince Eric.

7. Mulan joins the army to spare her disabled father, even though being exposed as a woman in the army meant certain death, and she ends up saving all of China.

This one is pretty much a given. A girl disguises herself as a man, becomes the best warrior in China, saves her love interest on multiple occasions, and defeats the terrible Hun army. Oh, and did I mention that she beats the Hun by fighting with tricks she learned as a woman? You don’t get much better female empowerment than Mulan.