Being in child care, one would think I'd be the first adult to keep up with kids' pop culture. However, I felt dreadfully behind-the-times because I had yet to see the biggest Disney movie since Frozen. I righted the wrong this past week; that's right kids, I buckled down and watched Moana for the first (of many) times.
I thought the movie was fantastic, and not just because it was cute and entertaining. Moana of Motonui is the ultimate feminist icon. I can hear the haters from here:
*GASP! A Disney princess can't be a feminist! That's just counter-intuitive!!
Well, the haters are always going to hate. Here is why they're wrong.
1. She sailed a boat across the ocean... without knowing how to sail a boat.
Okay, so, maybe Maui helped her out once she found him. But this girl set out on a cross-ocean adventure without knowing the first thing about sailing (because her crazy father banned her from even going near the ocean.) She decided that once she put her mind to it, she would be able to figure it out. And that she did.
2. She wouldn't let Maui ignore her request.
I mean, Maui threw her in a cave, locked the door, and sailed away. This would stop pretty much anybody. Not this girl. Moana climbed out of the cave, jumped off the top of the island, and became a thorn in Maui's side until he bowed down and listened (as he should.)
3. Furthermore... she wouldn't let Maui bulldoze or bully her.
Try as he might, Maui couldn't help but succumb to Moana's awesomeness. He tried to toss her off the boat, she just came back. He tried to tell her she couldn't sail, she practiced until she was perfect. He tried to belittle her and keep her away from the action; well, she let him fall on his face and cry for her help.
4. She defies the "feminist stereotype."
Moana can sail a rickety boat across an ocean and outfight a demigod, and she can do it in a crop top, skirt, and flower crown. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's tired of the assumptions that cool, tough women can only look and act like tomboys. It's ridiculous, and thank you Moana for proving these idiots wrong.
5. Moana is not just a Disney princess, but the future chief.
Moana is the future leader of her island, Motonui. Her father (and, apparently, all of the rulers before him), brought the typical male monarchy to Motonui. The exciting news? Her family, and the rest of the island, are happy to embrace Moana as the female leader of the people. This is pretty groundbreaking stuff for a children's movie!
6. MOANA SAVED THE WORLD!!!
So, the obvious reason for Moana being a new feminist icon: Moana saved the world from certain doom! Maui was supposed to restore the heart of Te Fiti (since, you know, he's the one who stole it.) However, Maui failed. He couldn't defeat the lava monster, so he gave up and left Moana to fend for herself. Again, that she did.
Moana outsmarted the lava monster and made her way to Te Fiti. Only then did Maui decide to rejoin the fight! However, Moana noticed that Te Fiti was destroyed. Then, she truly showed that she has the brains to back up her toughness: she discovered that the lava monster was Te Fiti. So, she called a screeching, wild lava monster over, calmed it, and put her heart back. This transformed the monster back into Te Fiti and saved the day.
Long story short, show this to all our girls (and boys!) 10/10, highly recommend.
