Envision a Disney Princess.

I'm certain everyone reading this article just pictured a demure and prim young woman in some kind of impractically ornate dress, delicately balancing a tiara atop her perfectly tamed hair. She goes on adventures or gets into mischief, but never too much as to be unladylike. She also almost always has help from someone. The implications, I believe, speak for themselves. There are several quite serious implications, that could be an enormous detriment to young girls who consume these movies, and, resultantly, absorb the dynamics portrayed in them. Thankfully, in recent years, this archetypal princess has begun to be challenged by some newer additions to the network of Princesses. As a gender equality advocate (read: feminist), I am grateful for the new dynamics and images of princesses that are presented in these princesses' stories.

One of the more exemplary moments of the beginning of this shift occurred, for me, in "Aladdin." Princess Jasmine overhears Prince Ali, the sultan and Jafar discussing her marriage prospects. She enters and asserts that she is no "prize to be won." She calls attention to the sheer absurdity of a group of men attempting to make her decisions for her. She unapologetically stands up for herself. Many people likely saw this scene as merely a dramatic outburst, because of the tone and the context that she was eavesdropping. However, for me, the content of her comment speaks louder than the way she delivers it -- and that is that she has no time for men to sit around and talk about her like she doesn't have the sense to make her own decisions (especially about something as important as who she's going to marry). Also, Jasmine is the first Disney Princess to be animated wearing pants.

In 1998, enter Mulan: the independent, Hun-butt-kicking, military conscription-defying, gender-bending, witty, resourceful young woman who literally, single-handedly saves a whole country. This new image of an independent, rebellious princess who can keep up with and even beat out all the boys, and who isn't afraid to stand up to anyone (her father, her military superiors, large bad guys with falcons, etc.) directly contrasted the preexisting images of her princess predecessors -- who still had great qualities (Belle: intelligence, bravery, selflessness; Ariel: curiosity, determination; Jasmine: impartiality, independence). Now, Mulan isn't technically a princess, but she often gets lumped in with the princesses because she is a female protagonist. She never backs down from speaking her mind and will do anything to help her friends. Even in the face of adversity (read: no one has to listen to her because she is a woman), she finds a way to do what she knows is right. Her military friends help her, but she was going to do it with or without them, which is pretty kick ass. Like most of the other princesses, Mulan finds love, but Shang loves her because of her independence and skill as a warrior -- not because she's pretty and soft-spoken. Also, Mulan is the only other princess who wears pants.

This next princess is right up there with Mulan as the feminist crown jewel of all the Disney princesses in my opinion. In 2012 we get Merida, the high-spirited, talented, determined, cleans-up-her-own-messes princess who is a wicked archer. When Merida learns she has to marry one of the sons of her father's allies, she resists. Now listen to this, this is important. Unlike Jasmine, who is faced with an arranged marriage and insists she doesn't want to marry without love, Merida says she doesn't want to marry. Period. She isn't ready and simply doesn't want to. So she devises a way to prove she is eligible for her own hand and absolutely slays in the competition being held to determine her suitor. She not only rejects the idea of being married but goes so far as to shoot for her own hand in marriage. This then causes a myriad of other issues, all of which she not only fixes but also for which she accepts responsibility. She manages to fix all of her messes, including mediating a mature compromise with the other clans regarding the marriage alliance. While it is one of the larger plot issues, the marriage conflict is not the central plot issue The central issue of the plot revolves around her relationship with her mother, not with a man. This sets her apart as a princess. She has no love interest in the movie. She never stops making her own decisions, and she is willing to defend her decisions, too. She proves she is fit to rule without a husband (Princess Mia, anyone?). Merida is truly an independent princess.

Disney is such an icon of pop culture. References can be found everywhere, and people of all backgrounds watch them. The dynamics that Disney movies establish leave an impression on kids -- little girls are in the demographic that is pertinent to this article. By offering a different princess narrative, one where the princess gets to call her own shots, Disney is helping create a dynamic where little girls see they have the options and capabilities to be and do whatever they dream. If they see a princess kicking butt, then they'll inevitably think they can kick butt, too. And it is so, so important for girls to know they can kick butt.

Now, I will ask you again to picture a Disney princess. Has this image changed for you? Whatever this image of a princess looks like for you, I certainly hope she's kicking butt.