I grew up watching Disney. My sister and I loved waiting for Tinkerbelle to “color” the castle with her wand while we watched it on our black and white television set on Sunday nights. I still watch Disney movies. Yet, more and more I hear “those who know best” say that Disney is something to be loathed or – at the very least –avoided. The distaste of Disney is that their women always need a man to rescue them.
I see it differently, though: I see women who have courage, resolve, sensitivity toward others, leadership skills, commitment to a goal, belief in self, and unending optimism. Personally, these are traits I admire. Professionally, I know these are hallmarks of a healthy personality. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the Disney women.
Let’s start with the original Disney princess: Snow White. She is strong because she does not go into a state of depression when she is banished from the castle. Rather, she finds her way in the forest, rallies friends (albeit animal ones), and locates shelter. Because of her sensitivity toward others, her new friends (the dwarfs) provide her with emotional support. This is very important if one is to face hardships and models the importance of strong bonds. When the support works, she begins to exhibit her leadership potential. She gets all of the dwarfs to change their behaviors; they change from messy to tidy and from isolated individuals to caring individuals. She positively affects their lives and makes them better people for having known her.
Similarly, Cinderella teaches us resilience and kindness. When faced with issues of unfairness, rejection, subjugation, and apparent hopelessness, she too avoids depression through her optimism and belief in herself. She never gives up her dream of freedom and realizing her potential. True, in the story her dream involves becoming a princess, but that can be easily translated today into any other profession. The point is: achievement is tied to optimism and self-confidence, traits any woman – or person – would benefit from.
Another self-assured princess is Ariel who strives to be different. She wants to break the mermaid mold and become something else – become human. Her father, her sisters, her friends see that as “crazy”. Yet, she pursues her dream and accepts responsibility for the mistakes she makes along the way. Yes, part of her dream involves being loved by the prince, but their relationship seems very healthy to me. We must remember she saves him from drowning before he saves her from Ursula. They seem like equals to me; she does not need him, she wants him. They are both interested in each other’s worlds. A healthy partnership. Because of Ariel’s courage, her commitment to her dream to be different, and her sensitivity to others, she not only achieves her dream of becoming human, she also helps two different worlds (humans and merfolk) to accept their differences and overcome their fears.
Belle is also an excellent role model. She is unashamedly well read, holding a book while she walks through town, talking to the villagers about what she is reading, and sharing her enthusiasm for the knowledge she is gaining. Belle is intelligent; when presented with what seems to be overwhelming problems, she finds creative solutions. She is articulate, able to persuade even a “beast” to accept her point of view. She is unwaveringly optimistic, believing that goodness will always triumph. She is compassionate, loyal, understanding, empathetic, and able to not only see the best in everyone, but to bring forth the best in them. After all, she sees the prince hidden in the beast way before anyone else does; she makes him see it in himself. She allows him to fulfill his full human potential.
Additionally, Jasmine is a heroine that refuses to be bound by the customs of her society. She will not allow her path in life to be chosen by her father or anyone else. She is determined to find her own way. Jasmine does find her own way and, as a result changes the society in which she lives. True, the focus of that change is marital law – by the end of the story, she can marry the man she chooses, NOT the one chosen for her – but nevertheless, the moral of the story is bigger than that. Jasmine teaches us that standing up for your beliefs, following your heart, and becoming your own person, pays off in the end.
Disney also reveals strong women that are not princesses. Esméralda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, for example, teaches us fortitude and compassion. She is willing to risk her own life to stand up for her beliefs. She stands up for the Hunchback, someone who is different. Yes, he is a man and he does help to rescue her later, but, she has helped him as well. Like Ariel and Eric, Esmeralda and Quasimodo are equals; they are friends. Esméralda stands up for her people – the poor and downtrodden – something I wish all children and adults learn to do.
There are countless other Disney women who teach us positive traits. Mulan teaches us that family is worth fighting for and women can achieve anything they set out to do. Pocahontas teaches us the importance of trying to see things from another person’s perspective and that there is some good in everyone. Dory teaches us humor and compassion. Nala teaches us that we can be a force of change in the world and we can influence anyone, even the strongest of rulers.
Many people believe that the Disney princesses only reinforce the idea that girls need to spend their lives by a wishing well, hoping for a prince. But I disagree. I am glad that my mother encouraged my sister and I to watch Disney princess movies. I feel proud knowing the courage and kindness my daughter has now stems, in part, from emulating the courage and kindness of Belle and Jasmine.
I think the Disney Princesses (and other Disney women) send a wonderful, psychologically healthy message for girls – and boys – to grow up with. The princesses encourage us to believe in yourself and your dreams, to have the courage to be different, to allow yourself to love others and be loved, to recognize it is human and healthy to depend on others and to love them.
I always read and enjoy your blogs, Diane, but this one was so powerfully right on, from my perspective and so reflects who you are as a person and the values that you live out in you life. I am so honored to know you💝
You are absolutely right. It’s funny because I never really enjoyed watching princess movies while I was growing up, but I remember the first time I saw Mulan and I thought how cool it was, that she was dressing like a man, willing to go through war in order to protect her father. She knew she was different than the other women and she risked it all to follow her true self.
Recently I read an article about comic books and how some parents encourage their young kids to become their own super heroes. It is all a matter of perspective and keeping our minds open. It’s about not settling for anything else than what makes us feel strength, positivism and can help us overcome adversity.
Growing up I also watched many Disney princess movies and always dreamed of being one. I do believe it has the affect to children to want to grow up and get married and live “happily ever after”, but that quickly fades away as you get older. I do not believe that Disney in any way is tryin g to make young girls less independent I believe the movies is to give young girls hope and that’s all some children really need is hope. Disney have now expanded there princesses and even have an African American princess that my children can relate to and I think it is amazing and it teaches young girls to know there true beauty and to love themselves and not give up.
Out of all the princesses you mentioned above, Cinderella is the one movie that interested me a lot. Her story always made me feel emotionally bad for her due to all of the misfortunes she will deal with because of her step mother/sisters. The step mother and sisters were envious of Cinderella because she was beautiful inside and out and no matter how hard the sisters will try to compete with Cinderella’s beauty, they couldn’t because they were ugly from the inside. I believe what you are in the inside is what it shows on the outside. As the movie continues, Cinderella blooms into this kind hearted women and strong personally. Regardless of what Cinderella goes through her kind hearted personality never changes and in the end everything seems to workout for her. I don’t think everything work out for her in the end because the prince becomes part of her life and fall in love with her, but rather, the way life works and how Cinderella has had enough of her sisters/mother humiliations and decides she will no longer have that by stepping foot in the ground and taking charge of who she is. This means Cinderella never change and choose herself and her true self in the end. I agree with you professor. I don’t think women need a man “prince” to rescue them. Women need to rescue themselves if perhaps they’re going through some harsh situations, just like every storm comes it also goes away. Women are so powerful and conquer whatever they desire as long as they realized that. Although I would say based on the Disney movies, it seems as if women should be “rescue” by a prince and that’s because that one of the messages its being given on television. It’s important to stay true to yourself and above all things love yourself.
Thank you for your perspective. I never noticed the powerful message that the princesses and other female characters bring to us. I love Disney and i still watch those movies with my daughters. I soon will sharing with them that princesses are strong, intelligent, courageous and often leaders 💪
I was also raised watching Disney movies and agree that they send out a positive message to the young girls in society. While most movies do involve a male role, I find it so empowering that the women are the leading roles that demonstrate strength, persistence, and independence. Because of those who speak negatively about Disney, I have noticed recent movies being produced that don’t end with a Prince showing up to save the day. For example, one of my favorite movies, Frozen, shows the strong bond between sisters and the importance of family over the love of a man. Or in Moana, where a young girl follows her heart and uses her gift to save her town without a man’s help. I think it is amazing how Disney has adapted to making the girls in their stories even more independent then in the past. It is so important to teach girls these values at a young age and I think Disney does an excellent job at doing so. These movies have taught so many little girls that they can overcome any obstacles, be strong, brave and resilient, and to always follow their dreams. In addition, I believe it is so great that Disney throughout the years has shown Princesses of all different ethnic backgrounds. This shows young girls that it doesn’t matter the color of your skin or where you come from, you can be and do anything you want. I hope Disney continues to make movies and inspire and motivate young kids for years to come.
The way you set it up has helped me to see Disney’s women differently. At first I fe8lt that it gave girls and possibly boys the illusion that you will find your Prince or Princess and will live happily ever after. Reality is another thing, it is sometimes a harsh reality. But I think parents can use these movies to reinforce the positive aspects as you lay them.
There are so many levels and dynamics at play when one sits to analyse any movie, and Disney movies, surprisingly are no different. I do agree that Disney has in fact shown that women, though constantly undermined, and are usually viewed as the underdogs of society, by the end we see where they are reliable, self-sufficient and far from possessing the weak two-dimensional persona society would project on them. I disagree with the statement that they encourage women to depend on others however. If anything, I believe it strongly supports the notion that they cannot and should not allow themselves to depend on others to love them unconditionally.
With all the Disney princesses, they chose to defy the path set for them by society, whether it be through refusing to be married to who was chosen for them, as seen with Jasmine; Pocahontas stepped out of her tribe completely to find the love of her life; -my personal favourite,- Mulan, despite initial adversity, defied the odds, and not only did she succeed at climbing that god awful, ridiculously long pole to get to those weights at the extreme top, but she was able to be as good as the guys and dare I say even better. Ariel dared to face the unknown, though at a sacrifice to her voice, but she took the chance nevertheless to see through her desires. We could go on indefinitely to identify and acknowledge the bravery, self sufficiency and overall awesomeness of women because it is undeniably evident throughout Disney princess movies. What I gathered growing up however is that women are not only undermined, but it is unfortunately impossible to rely on others, or to believe that someone has your back. Granted, snow white did gain the protection of the dwarfs, as too did Mulan with the soldiers and the prince, as did the other princes. However, they had to step out of the norm, go against the tide of society, and based on the new world they found themselves, they adjusted, learned and overcame the “adversities” of that new world. These actions would correlate with the behaviourist theory which stipulates that all behaviors are learned through interaction with the environment. If this is to be believed, then it would mean that the reason for the success of the ladies in their new “un-princes-like” environment, was that they innately realized that they had to adjust, learn and adapt from the environment to survive the environment. This inadvertently lead them to self-actualizations, which consequently increased their self confidence and resilience. Even if this analogy is somewhat stretched to accommodate the growth and adaptations of the princesses, it nevertheless highlights the fact they were not afraid to step outside of societal expectations and venture into the unknown. I believe, that ultimately this would be a vital message we would want our children, – specifically girls as it is twice as hard for them – to grasp and emulate. Wouldn’t we want them to know that it’s okay to fight for what they believe in? wouldn’t we want them to know it is possible to defy the odds and not only survive but bring about change? I would think so.
Additionally, though I know its probably frowned upon by the masses to encourage children to understand that there is evil in the world from an early age, I believe doing so would be proactive. What all these princesses had in common, is that society or individuals failed or disappointed them. Therefore, having our children grow up with the belief that society’s ways- be it traditional or conventional- is the only way, is simply setting them up for disappointments. We disagree on this topic professor as similarly to how strongly you believe that the movies teach them that it is “healthy to depend on other” I believe just as strongly that it is an unhealthy trait. It brings forth the question of one’s morality, when threading on this topic. I would rather they gather that it is unhealthy to depend on others, and they should seek to be independent first and then, dependent if they want to be. That way, if they want to be dependent it is their choice but being independent should come naturally to them if the need arises. This is possible if we view it from the lens of Sigmund Freud, who posited that the unconscious mind governs behaviour to a greater degree than people usually suspect. Therefore, through Disney movies we are able to send subliminal messages to the younger generation of the strength they have and the positive products of independence. Thus, influencing there subconscious which will hopefully take root in their unconscious mind. Again, this would take into consideration my morality because it would be up to me to determine how far do I push the need for honesty, how far do I push the need for liberty, and other aspects of morality. Disney movies are awesome and will always grab my attention because at the end of it all I’m a sucker for girl power and a happy ending! (you can eliminate that last line ha-ha!)
P.S. I must say before this class I have always been intrigued and had a mind and listening ear for eccentric theorists, however I would never have thought to apply it so deeply to movies and 4-10 paged books. Thanks
I love the Disney princess. As well as the character that are not portrayed as princesses. I feel that the message that Disney is trying to portray, is that we are all brave and courage and are all princess that will one day flourish to be queens. I also feel that its a way of showing young girls that the bad dreams they think they are living will soon come to and end. I also think that its a way of showing girls that we can become whom ever we want to be and can save ourselves from misery.
Disney movies and stories such Cinderella carry good messages and inspire us to embark on seemingly difficult but essential projects. They teach us that nothing is impossible to achieve in this world provided we marshal the right materials and follow the right procedure. It may seem difficult at the beginning but with perseverance, there will be a break through. These movies remind me of the state of affairs in the early and mid 20th Century when women were discriminated against in almost all societies across the globe to the extent that women were disenfranchised. It took courageous women like Susan B. Anthony and others to fight for women’s right in America and in Ghana a woman like Yea Asantewaa to lead men in war against the British. Their resilient efforts were rewarded and now we have women as presidents in some countries. Most countries have even adopted affirmative action where some positions in government institutions are reserved for women who qualify. Thank you Dr. Urban for the opportunity given us.
This is another amazing blog. I love how you bought in mulan she is amazing. She push herself to fight for the family and the most amazing scene was when she climbed the pole. Most of these princesses bought a deeper message than a prince saving them. Fiona taught me to just be yourself and the right people will accept you. Cinderella not only was hardworking but invited the same people who was disgusting to her at her wedding and is showing us that it is okay to forgive. These are just some powerful traits I learned. In The frog prince and the princesses taught me to help someone in need. Instead of going to the nomination, she save her friend (the frog).
I am happy that I got to see these movies. The only princesses, I can think of right now that I wish I didn’t see is little mermaid.
This is one of my favorite articles by far. Growing up I also loved the disney movies and still do. I always wanted to dress up as them for halloween and really did feel a connection with them all. Now that I’m older I haven’t had the chance to see them as much and after reading this article makes me want to go watch them all. As women we are in a way always thought to wait for the right guy or “prince” but in every movie it did show independent women with courage. I remember loving princess Jasmine because I loved how sassy she was and although in the beginning her father wanted her to get with Jafer she still didn’t do it. She knew she didn’t want him. Which was great because she had the choice.
This really opened my eyes to show me that maybe since we were little and even back when these movies were created they were trying to show that women have power as well and that once you mix both powers with your significant other that it can be a beautiful strong force.
This was an interesting article. I grew up with Disney movies myself. My favorite is The Little Mermaid. For some reason I felt I can relate to Ariel. I just loved her imagination. Which I feel a majority of these movies allowed me to have. It was something I could not get out of Barbie. No offense to Barbie. I feel the more times I watch something the more I can get out of it. A hidden message, meaning, etc. This is exactly what I feel Disney movies have.
As the article states I feel Disney movies teach us the good qualities in life while entertaining and teaching us some catchy songs. Although the songs were not mentioned in this wonderful article I would like to make a small point. I feel the songs are very important. I am impressed by a young child whom is able to retain and articulate a whole song from a movie. In my opinion it makes the movies so much more valuable. When I have children I definitely look forward to the Disney experience with them.
I agree with this article professor, growing up watching all the Disney princess movies I remember thinking to myself how badly I would like to be like them. Simply because of what they embodied although at such a young age I couldn’t fully grasp the concept of a princess like Belle who was kind enough to give up her own freedom for her father, careless about the judgment from others who ridiculed her for being so intelligent. Beauty and the Beast was actually my favorite Disney movie along-side Cinderella. I feel as though many people are critical of the plot of these movies, pointing out how unrealistic it is to run off with a random guy and live happily ever after and not understanding the beauty within the fiction.
I was also raised watching these movies and I understand why people see these Princess as one may say “weak” and not good examples. As we watch how they get their happily ever after and get awaken by a prince as snow white did, young children might see this as a guy is the one that can make you happy. My little niece would say “I wish I had a prince, look how happy she is” by her saying this I feel as if she put so much emphasize on needing another person to make her happy when in reality she can make her self happy. As young kids, they don’t understand the bigger meaning of what they do to get to the point of happy and the bumps in the road only make them stronger. having an evil person out to get these princesses did not stop them from being happy they continued on with life and worked through what was tossed at them. I never looked so in depth on it’s not all about a happy ever after but the point you give about each princess and the strong characteristics each one has are great traits and parents should try to explain the deeper meaning to their children so that they can really understand the underlining of the story.
Just like many little girls, I’ve always been drawn to Disney princesses as well. I think that the main reason why so many of them—especially the older ones like Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and even Ariel—get so much flack for being ‘bad representations of an ideal woman for little girls’ is rooted in the fact that many of them show their strength through perceived ‘gender roles.’ Rather than understanding the context around the time period, these princesses are simply written off as being ‘problematic’ for perpetuating the ‘damsel in distress’ archetype.
One of my favorite counters to this idea comes from one of my favorite Disney princesses: Cinderella, who’s story I will be talking about here. Despite being dealt a terrible set of cards for her life, she is adamant with her goals and always strives to stay positive. A point I love about her is that though she often dreamed about being a princess, her goal itself never revolved around marrying the prince. This was in direct contrast to her stepsisters, who wanted to marry the prince in order to become a princess.
Another thing she has always stayed strong about was with the power of dreaming. Some of my favorite lyrics from A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes talk about how ‘having faith in your dreams will eventually have a rainbow smiling through.’ Basically, she always pushes herself to be optimistic and bare whatever atrocities her step family puts her through. From a cognitive perspective, by placing these positive thoughts in her mind, she is able to cope with the other events happening in her life and still strive for her end goal: becoming a princess.
I think this skill is often overlooked in modern times since the mental fortitude to ‘bear it’ has been greatly conflated with genuine victimhood. Therefore, the skill to face mentally daunting situations by thinking optimistically and creating a solution through the limited opportunities available is undervalued in my opinion. Someone is automatically seen as a victim of something, and rather than trying to work their way out of whatever difficult situation they might be in, the blame is put on external, surrounding factors.
Despite how wonderful Cinderella’s own resolve is, there is no doubt that her goals could not have been reached without the help of her fairy godmother. Besides giving the best phrase to come out of a Disney movie (we’ve all had ‘bippity boppity boo’ stuck in our heads at one point or another), Cinderella’s fairy godmother also represents opportunity in my eyes. It is important to note that the fairy godmother did not simply give Cinderella her dream on a silver platter and make her a princess from the get go, but rather she gave Cinderella a chance to simply attend the ball. My mother always emphasized this difference to me as a child, but quite frankly I never really understood why.
Now, a decade and a half later, I think the reason why she always wanted me to understand the difference was to show that gaining opportunities don’t necessarily mean anything if they are not taken advantage of. Despite not having everything go her way, Cinderella still triumphs at the end because of her own hard work and compassion allows many characters (namely her animal buddies) help her and work together to achieve what she wanted. Individualism and independence is of course important, but allowing kindness and trust to help people work together is equally important.
This blog is very relative and also speaks volumes. I love to watch Disney princess movies…Well any disney movie for that matter. I already had a bit of knowledge of what each disney princess was trying to bring to the table, but could really never explain it in the most proper way. This is a perfect explanation of what each Disney princess stands for and their courageousness. The princess that I really relate to is Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog. she is strongly driven towards her goal to open a restaurant even though it seems far-fetched . through every trial and tribulation, she never loses her way on finding her goal. Her drive is admirable and pushes me even further to try and achieve my own.
I love Disney movies and I agree on you. When those people is telling me about their opinion that Disney princess is not good influence for kids I always disagree. Disney princess teach me how to love, understand, fight for family , and share kindness. As a kid I see my Moms action towards me and my sibling as unfair treatment and favoritism. She is always strict to me but she will say yes to my sisters. But after growing up more I understand my Mom.As the eldest daughter my mom at first don’t know how to raise a girl I’m her guinea pig. She always tell me that she don’t know what to do so she always say no or very strict on me. But as a kid I cant understand her, the Disney princess, precisely Cinderella help me to get through the kid stage of tantrums . She teach me understanding, forgiveness, and responsibility. And same goes with other Disney princess too I agree on all you said about what they contribute or teach to us as a kid . I say I’m proud of it and I will keep it with me what I learn from them
Please allow me to play devil’s advocate on this one.
While many people do in fact agree that the ‘Princess’ archetype for Disney is usually an influential role I think there are many things that the princesses lack as a whole. Many of the vintage Princesses portray what their time in the real world was like in comparison to the present where the impressionistic child is seeing them in.
What do children of the present learn from Belle’s behavior towards the Beast in the beginning, and what does Rapunzel learn from being in a tower all her life and being forbidden to go outside?
Belle and Rapunzel are very good examples of Stockholm Syndrome, where they eventually fall/rely on someone through the constant propinquity that the protagonists faces on their road to finding their ‘happy ending.”
Cinderella and her Dependent Personality disorder where she does nothing for herself, relying on animals and waits for her prince to find her so that he can swoop her away seems a bit archaic in today’s society as well. We are raising our children with antique ideals as well as showing them women that are against the system.
I think the new wave of Princess shows more about some of the issues that they should truly strive for. In Disney’s “Brave” Merida has been abundantly clear that she doesn’t want a potential suitor opposing the parent’s wishes to help them expand their clan. She competes against the men through archery “I fight for my own hand.”
Equally the Princess Tiana, from Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” was at first a hard working woman that waitresses show the viewer that the emphasis of success begins with hard work. Even through her trials as a frog herself she fails to give into the perspective of “Marry a prince” because all of the issues will go away if she does.
Hopefully this wasn’t too bad.
Cheers,
Jeremy
This is my favorite article of yours that I’ve read so far. Mainly because you focus on the positive aspects of how these princesses are portrayed in their respective movies. Just like people, every character is different and not every female character in disney movies has to slay the dragon for their character to be validated. The same goes for male characters. I think people focusing so much on this stigma is almost giving life to it and doing what they’re so much against which is generalizing all these strong female characters as nothing more than male conquest. Snow White and Mulan are very different, and one isn’t better than the other because of their differences. They both fit perfectly for the story they were in. If Snow White were to defeat the Huns and save China, although a comedic image, wouldn’t make her story any better. The differences between the different Disney princesses such as Merida, Mulan, Cinderella, Snow White, etc etc are what makes the films so interesting and truly shows how a princess can be anybody.
I can never really understand how or why nowadays is not “right” to want to be a princess. I grew up watching Disney princess movies, I know all the princesses and I absolutely love each one of them, and I continue liking even more after reading your article. Being a princess means so much more than “happily ever after”.
As you mentioned, some people say that one of the concepts of the movie is that Disney princess always need a man to rescue them, hello! Don’t you see everything else that comes with the journey. Every character is unique and show us that we are able to accomplish anything, don’t you see how all those women are brave, committed, goal-oriented, passionate and best of all, selfless. All the good qualities that not only a young girl should observe, but also, a young boy.
Growing up I had the hope to be Cinderella one day, I grew up in a third world country, and just like Cinderella I didn’t have one of my real parents, Cinderella didn’t have her mother and she had to live with her cruel stepmother and half evil siblings. I didn’t have my real father, so I had to live with my stepfather and my half siblings. Similar to Cinderella, I had to work hard my whole life and I always hoped and thought that I deserved a good man, not any man but a prince charming! And why not? Why not to think that we deserve a prince charming? the same way that a good man deserve to have his princess. In today’s society, family values are upside down, but it doesn’t have to be, I can be an independent, confident woman and still dream of a prince charming, things don’t have to be black and white.
reflection paper #3
I connected so much with this post and completely agree with everything that was said. When I was a little girl, my favorite princess was Belle and she encouraged me to read more books, not be scared of any “beasts” in my life and to be a strong person. As I got older, everyone around me started telling me that liking princesses would make me weak and that they were not good role models to look up to, this made me upset because I loved all the Disney princesses. After all the bad comments I did end up changing my mind and started to think exactly how they thought, princesses are weak and selfishly only looking for a man to support her and make her wealthy. The movie The Princess and the Frog came out and it had such a strong and independent princess; my whole life my parents would tell me that I needed to be strong and not let anyone take care of me and Princess Tiana was that exactly. After that the movie Frozen showed us that you need people you love around you to succeed and you do not need a prince, Brave showed us that you can stand up for what you believe in and Moana showed us that women can be strong leaders. After seeing all these new movies I re watched the old princess movies and fell back in love with them, I remembered all the positives like you said in this post. I feel that because of all the negative backlash Disney received they felt the need to create really strong independent princesses which is a positive, but something good should not have to come from negative feed back. People tend to focus on the bad and let the good qualities fly right pass them. Children will see these movies and try to be like their favorite characters but it is their family and the people around them who really shape who they turn out to become.
Honestly, I am happy that you brought this topic up I always loved Disney movies because I always feel that the woman was showing a lot more then what meets the eye. It is clear that you can find strength in being comfortable enough to find love or being with someone that loves you .
I also watched Disney movies when I was growing up and agree that they send out a positive message to the young girls in society. When people tell me about their opinion that Disney princess is not a good influence for kids I always disagree. Disney princesses teach me how to love and fight for family. I feel like I relate for Belle because she gave up her freedom for her father to be freed and be safe. I would do anything for my family because I love them.