I'll admit it: I was swept away by teacups dancing to “Tale as Old as Time,” the frivolous bobbing of the animated dinner table coming alive, and Belle: the shy literary girl who fell in love with a beast. So when I found out that Emma Watson, my feminist idol, is playing Belle in the upcoming 2017 rendition of The Beauty and the Beast, I had to store all my nerd-fan girl squeals (I was at an airport). But it made me reflect on some important things, and I was proud of my child-self for choosing Belle to be my favorite princess.
She read books
She valued education. As the other girls pinned over the town heartthrob, she pined over books. What more can us millennial women want from a Disney princess?
She fell in love. With a beast.
He was unlovable. Society deemed him as unattractive. But she saw more in him. While we have high beauty standards in society today, the lesson shows that there is always something more endearing than appearance: and that's who you can enjoy life with.
She sticks up for herself
She chose not to let anyone walk all over her, and didn’t care if people didn’t like it. She was strong enough to follow her heart regardless of whether or not she would be labeled as different.
She had her own style
Belle was content in her oversized hood and plain dress and cared more about other things rather than what she looked like in the mirror.
She didn’t marry the hunky, misogynist jerk
While the other girls swooned over the masculine Gaston with his overly hairy chest (ew) and his ability to swallow raw eggs whole (double ew), Belle was busy reading her books and getting educated. In fact, she was disturbed by his lack of humility. She showed him that he can't always get what he wants.
She was loyal to her family
She consciously looked out for her father, who may have been an oddity to the society, and stuck with him when he was in trouble.
She didn’t fit in
While Belle may not have fit into the society she grew up in, she showed that was a positive thing. Being different may make you stand out or even laughed at, but having the ability to follow your heart is truly special.
