Earlier this summer, I did a stint as a counselor at a day camp for preschoolers, which was half hard physical labor and
I'm not embarrassed to admit that I loved "Frozen"when I saw it in theaters, and I still love it now. I grew up on a steady diet of Disney musicals: my brother and I used to bond by singing off-key duets from "Mulan"and "The Lion King," and the film gave us a whole new set of catchy tunes to belt out. I was especially captivated by Elsa, the queen whose hidden powers plunge her kingdom into an endless winter—and I quickly found I wasn't alone. Although Anna is ostensibly the heroine of "Frozen," Elsa is blazoned on every piece of merchandise, her ice dress covered in sparkles and a carefree, confident smile on her face. When I ask adults why they like Elsa, I tend to get similar responses: she's independent and in control of her fate, a good role model for young girls, unlike Disney princesses before her who lived only to find true love. Inone YouTube videowith almost a million hits, she leads the other princesses in an empowering musical number, declaring, "Why keep on assuming men will save the day? I can be the hero and do it my own way!"
There's just one problem: this character doesn't actually exist.
In the movie itself, Elsa is an anxious wreck who uses her cold, aloof demeanor as a defense mechanism to hide her crippling fear and insecurity. She spends most of the movie running away from her problems, isolating herself from her kingdom and her sister because she thinks they're better off without her. She might not need a prince to sweep her off her feet, but she doesneed her sister to save her: from the villain's attempt on her life, yes, but mostly from her own despair. This is a complex, sympathetic character, but hardly strong or independent in the traditional sense. I was drawn more to her weaknesses than to her
I would guess that media and advertising portray Elsa as a powerful, self-assured ice queen because female characters are expected to be "strong" in a homogeneous and
I can't say with any certainty why Elsa is such a popular character. Maybe it's