So I understand that there is an expectation that as a man I should love all action movies, beer, and all things sports related. I know that is the expectation of me but what people may not know about me is that I like all kinds of movies (even Rom-Coms), I prefer wine and I literally only follow two sports teams -- IU Basketball and IU Football. But the biggest surprise that people don't expect from me is that I love Disney Princess movies. And I don't care if people think if it's girly! Because they'd be wrong.
Disney princess movies are fantastic films! They are terrific moments in storytelling and they contain some truly beautiful moments of cinematic animation. If you need examples let's look at when Belle and Beast dance to "Tale as Old as Time" in Beauty and the Beast. That is one of the greatest songs and best scenes of all fairy tales. Then when the entire country of China bows down to Mulan in the aptly named movie Mulan! That was such a cool moment and Mulan proved that she could kick some serious butt. And then there is my personal favorite scene- the releasing of the lanterns from Tangled. That was just a beautiful scene not only in the story but with how great the animation and the colors were and I don't know a single person who wasn't emotionally moved when Flynn pulled out those two lanterns for Rapunzel.
Now obviously they have to be good movies otherwise I wouldn't pay attention to them or even enjoy watching them. But I worry that most guys/men will just gloss over these movies because they are considered "girly" or even worse, judge other guys for watching them for that reason. Those people can't appreciate these movies for how great they are and are going to miss out on all those fantastic cinematic moments that I just mentioned.
So in general, people should try not to look so surprised when I say that I like to watch a Disney Princess movie. I'm not saying that everyone has the look of surprise but most people today would be surprised that I like these movies as a man and most people look with surprise when a girl says she likes to watch sports. Anyone can be a fan of anything as long as they enjoy it so people shouldn't get caught up in if it's meant for a guy or a girl. If you like a movie or a book then you call yourself a fan and don't be afraid what people think! We need to shake off these gender personas around things of what's "manly" or "girly" and people are just who they are!
