A few weeks ago, I saw some articles stating that Disney princesses were giving a negative image to children and that they are examples of promoting harmful gender roles. Needless to say as someone who adores Disney and plans on pursuing her career with the company, I was outraged. Yes, the first couple of princess movies were bland with not much dimension to the princesses, but as the years went by, their character developed. Culture from 1937 to now has definitely changed, personally to me for the better. Even as outdated as the ideals are of the original princesses, they do attribute feminist qualities.
Now before we get into this, let's define what exactly "feminism" is. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition is, "the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities." Here I rate the princesses with one to five stars.
1. Snow White, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937) Rating: 2 Stars
Well, she ran away from her oppressor at least and got the dwarfs to shape up and respect her. However, she falls into a pit of sleep like death due to being naive and the prince rescues her and gets all the glory.
2. Cinderella, "Cinderella" (1950) Rating: 3 Stars
I used to really not like Cinderella. Still don't but have a new perspective on her. Although she didn't have the courage to up and leave the abusive household, she did have the courage to leave one night and change her life with a glass slipper. She went back to her hum drum life, but came out with the other shoe, proving she was the girl the prince fell for. In the end, the prince technically gets all the glory, again.
3. Aurora, "Sleeping Beauty" (1959) Rating: .5 Stars
Let's just start with the fact that the title character got less than 20-minutes of screen time. She was unconscious for most of it due to being naive and going to the castle too early and falling under the curse. Didn't question at all that she lived with three women in the woods and never saw anyone else in her life until a stranger that she just immediately fell for. It might as well be called "Phillip" because he had the most action in the movie. No wonder it took Disney 30 years to make another significant princess movie.
4. Ariel, "The Little Mermaid" (1989) Rating: 3 Stars
Good for Ariel going after her dream! Bad for Ariel having her dream being a boy she wanted to be with so much to change her species and lose her precious singing voice. She does have a healthy curiosity with her collection of thingamabobs, and trying all the things while on land. Also, she didn't give up when "Vanessa" took her prince; she didn't accept the dark fate that was looming.
5. Belle, "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) Rating: 5 Stars
There is a reason that Belle was my original favorite Disney princess. She didn't accept social norms, educated herself, and understood the meaning of courage and sacrifice. Plus, she was the only brunette princess up to this point, like me. I can't wait for the live adaptation with Emma Watson, a self-proclaimed feminist, portraying her.
6. Jasmine, "Aladdin" (1992) Rating: 2.5 Stars
She's defiant of the outdated law forcing her to marry, but she doesn't do much other than sass and confront. It is Aladdin's movie, after all.
7. Pocahontas, "Pocahontas" (1995) Rating: 4.5 Stars
First off, Disney romanticized the mess out of this story. If you paid attention in history class, you'd know the age difference alone was inappropriate, and she doesn't end up with John Smith (see "Pocahontas 2" for the other half of the romanticized story). However with this historically inaccurate story, Pocahontas has a healthy curiosity, is open-minded and courageous. She realizes differences should strengthen, not divide us.
8. Mulan, "Mulan" (1998) Rating: 5 Stars
She saved China! Honestly, that could sum it up. Mulan didn't accept gender roles, committed civil disobedience to save her father's life, showed that a woman is capable of combat, and has the mentality to tackle warfare.
9. Tiana, "The Princess and the Frog" (2009) Rating: 5 Stars
This girl worked for her fairytale ending. Tiana realized that you can't just wish upon a star and wait for a prince to come get you, you have to go after the world yourself. She accepted help on the way but it was her determination and wit that got her through the predicaments in the movie.
10. Rapunzel, "Tangled" (2010) Rating: 4 Stars
The reason why Rapunzel doesn't have a five star rating is because, although she was curious and educated to an extent, she didn't bother asking why her hair glowed, how her mother aged decades within a vast period of time, or where her father was? Legitimate questions. Also, the fact that a guy had to pry her out of her tower. After that, she does a pretty good job taking care of herself on their adventure.
11. Merida, "Brave" (2012) Rating: 5 Stars
Definitely the most overlooked Disney princess movie; it flopped in the box office. However, Merida was the pure embodiment of feminism. She questioned outdated laws of marriage, had the wit to find the loophole. Even though she accidentally turned her mother and brothers into bears, she was courageous and worked through and found the answer to her problems, also while learning.
12. Anna and Elsa, "Frozen" (2013) Rating: 3.5 Stars
While "Brave" was the overlooked movie, "Frozen" was the most overrated movie. Honestly the wait times to meet these two skyrocketed to three hours within the first hour of park open and I don't know why. Good things about this movie was the courage from the girls, especially if you have to stand up to someone you love. Also, Anna's self sacrifice, her true love not for a man, but for her sister. However, there were still men involved that seem to be needed to get Anna unstuck from being isolated in the castle.
Keep in mind, the princess movies are just the surface of Disney movies, and that there are movies throughout this span of time that have great embodiment of feminism. Have a different ranking or opinion? Comment below.
