Elsa from Disney's "Frozen" (2013) is one of the most underrated characters since she is commonly known for her sexy blue dress and her hit song, "Let It Go." Regardless of these attributes, I noticed that Elsa is actually quite relatable to me. Realizing this made me feel like an outcast since girls I knew immediately identified which Disney princess they were. In order to be one, I compared myself to Disney princesses to see which one I was. Watching Elsa in "Frozen" helped me see I was selling myself short by striving to become someone that I wasn't. I'm not another carbon copy of a Disney princess, and I'm fine with that. These are 5 reasons why Elsa is literally me.
1) She's afraid to hurt people she loves the most.
When they were kids, Elsa struck Anna's head with her ice powers. As a result, Anna almost froze to death. The guilt of almost killing Anna traumatized Elsa to the point where she decides to isolate herself from Anna. Isolating herself from Anna throughout the course of her life shows that Elsa constantly beats herself up for what she did. When I hurt people I care about, I take it out on myself for hurting them. Seeing Elsa's sensitive side throughout "Frozen" made me feel less misunderstood.
2) Her strength is her weakness.
While the head troll heals Anna from Elsa's attack, he reveals at one point during the encounter that Elsa's ice power is her greatest strength, yet her greatest weakness. Elsa's use of her ice powers is determined by her emotional state. Elsa's negative feelings, such as anxiety and fear, cause her to misuse her power. Meanwhile, Elsa’s positive emotions, such as love and happiness, cause her to channel her powers properly. Like Elsa, the situations I'm thrown into can either make it easier or harder for me to keep my emotions under control.
3) She was too afraid to accept herself.
Since the incident that took place while she was a kid, Elsa keeps hiding her ice powers until her coronation day. She wears gloves on her hands and stays in her room constantly. Elsa does not fully accept her ice powers until she leaves what is familiar to her. She leaves her cushy lifestyle as a queen in order to use her ice powers freely. By abandoning her old life, Elsa chooses to embark on a journey to self-acceptance, even if it means leaving Anna behind. Like Elsa, self-acceptance is tricky, yet liberating for me because I get to give up the things I was used to. Though I lose some, I gain some!
4) She sees love as a process, not a party.
Hans is hands down a jerk, don't you agree? When Anna introduces Hans to Elsa and says that they want to get married after meeting each other, Elsa basically says, "Hell, no!" to Anna's face. Elsa points out to Anna that love is more than a celebration. She also implies that as Anna gets to know Hans, Anna is going to see his dark side and completely regret falling in love with him. Like Elsa, I believe love is a process. I prefer taking things slow. Building connections with guys who are interested in me are important because I don't know what may go on behind closed doors.
5) She makes the most out of her loneliness.
When Elsa leaves her kingdom, she sees her loneliness as an opportunity to build an ice castle in the mountains and to own her magical abilities. In the number "Let It Go," Elsa changes out of her traditional clothes into a sparkly blue dress to signify that she wants to embrace the abilities she was forced to hide. Like Elsa, I learn how to use my loneliness as a period to get to know myself. I separate myself from situations I'm in or people I know well in order to feel comfortable in my own skin. Taking time off for myself also helps me to clear my head and to get a new outlook on whatever I'm facing.
If you want to get more acquainted with Elsa, here is a video that summarizes her character development.
