By: Lillabeth B.
When
we think of Disney Princesses, even the biggest Disnerd will first think of the
prim, proper maidens Snow White and Aurora, with high-pitched voices, long,
flowing skirts, and a true love’s kiss to wake them from an evil curse’s
eternal sleep. But a majority of Disney Princesses are actually resourceful,
brave, smart, and loyal. Here are my Top Ten Feminist Disney Princess Quotes,
each from a different princess, and keep in mind as you read that there are
only thirteen Princesses. Here’s your daily dose of feminist awesomeness!
“You said you’d trust Ping. Why is Mulan
any different?”
-Mulan, Mulan
In
a society where men are considered smarter and stronger than women, Mulan
challenges stereotypes and sums up the movie’s moral. To be honest, this should
be the motto of the feminist movement! Was there ever a more perfect way to
summarize the goal of feminism? All Mulan wants is to be considered equal to
men. To prove this, she posed as a male warrior, Ping, in a Chinese training
camp instead of her father, for though he used to be a famously skilled
warrior, he is too old for combat. When China drafts one man from each family
to fight the Huns, Fa Mulan knows her father will die if sent to war, so she
takes his place and eventually saves China.
“I'm a damsel, I'm in distress, I can
handle this. Have a nice day.”
-Megara, Hercules
When we think of feminist Disney
characters, who cannot think of good ol’ Meg? Right as we meet her, in a forest
facing an evil monster as Hercules swoops in to save the day, our girl shows
him the door. “Thanks for everything, Herc. It’s been a real slice.”
She’s sassy, she’s stubborn, she’s savvy, she’s everything a feminist could
wish for, and she totally rocks it.
“Look around you. This is where the path of
hatred has brought us. This is the path I choose, Father. What will yours be?”
-Pocahontas, Pocahontas
In
this scene, as Pocahontas’s father, Chief Powhatan, prepares to kill John Smith
and plunge his tribe into war with the colonists, Pocahontas speaks out against
him, the leader of her people, and shows him the danger in what he is about to
do. That takes courage, confidence, and heart.
“How dare you! All of you! Standing around
deciding my future. I am not a prize to be won!”
-Princess Jasmine, Aladdin
All
Jasmine wants is the freedom to do what she wants, be what she wants, and marry
who she wants. That is a choice Arab women in Jasmine’s time were not supposed
to have. To challenge not only your father, but the culture of your people,
takes guts, which is not a word we normally associate with princesses.
“You were never there for me! This whole
marriage is what you want! Do you ever bother to ask what I want?”
-Merida, Brave
Merida,
similar to Jasmine, is challenging a society with a tradition of marrying off women
with as much thought as wearing kilts. Merida, with her famous “shooting for my
own hand” quote, publicly denounced her family’s choice to find her a husband
by showing the large crowd that has gathered that she is a better archer than
all her suitors. On top of that, Merida is one of the few Disney princesses,
and even female Disney characters, to be single at the end of her movie. Do
they hand out trophies for these kinds of things?
“Is he gone? Can you imagine, he asked me
to marry him! Me, the wife of that boorish, brainless...”
-Belle, Beauty and the
Beast
Belle also defies stereotypes. In a society
where simply thinking is considered “a dangerous pastime,” she loves to read
stories of bravery and loyalty. Speaking of bravery, Belle is brave enough to
venture through dangerous woods and into a creepy castle in search of her
father, and even to take his place as prisoner of a great beast. We don’t need
a Sorting Hat to know this girl’s a Gryffindor. Or is she a Ravenclaw? Maybe we
need one after all.
Mulan,
Hercules, Pocahontas, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast
were all made in the 1990’s. An incredible majority of animated movies by
Disney in the ‘90s were female-centric, and incredibly feminist. The ’90’s
marked the beginning of the third wave of the feminist movement, which focuses
largely on gender violence, reproductive rights, and rape. Disney was
supportive of this by creating strong female characters who took action without
a man’s guidance or assistance. They rejected suitors they disliked, and did
not think first of love when they did meet the men they would end up with at
the end of the film. Many of the women who grew up watching these films grew up
to be strong, independent, and brave. And the best part is, Disney seems to be
keeping up this feminism in their new movies, princess or not.
“You can't marry a man you just met.”
-Elsa, Frozen
Cutting right to the chase here, Elsa! A no
nonsense QUEEN (and uninterested in love from beginning to end), the elder
sister is quick to utilize her superiority when Anna makes a choice that Elsa
can see will go south. You go, girl!
“The only way to get what you want in this
world is through hard work.”
-Tiana, The Princess and
the Frog
One of the reasons I love Tiana is that her
story directly contradicts Cinderella’s famous song A Dream Is A Wish
Your Heart. Cinderella sings, “No matter how your heart is grieving, if you
keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” Tiana tells us that
you can dream all you want, but that dream isn’t coming true unless you get out
there and do something about it! She should be a role model to all of us.
“The only frozen heart around here is
yours.”
-Anna, Frozen
Ooh, ROASTED! I think we all remember when
(spoilers) Anna’s well-placed punch sent her former sweetheart Hans of the
Southern Isles flying off the edge of a ship. Especially because Anna (and many
young viewers) believed in true love at the beginning of Frozen, this
sudden change of heart symbolizes a change not only for Anna, but for Disney.
“I could go running, and racing, and
dancing, and chasing, and leaping, and bounding, hair flying, heart pounding,
and splashing, and reeling, and finally feeling, now's when my life begins!”
-Rapunzel, Tangled
We all know the story of Rapunzel, a beautiful
damsel in distress in desperate need of a haircut who escapes her imprisonment
from her evil guardian with the help of a dashing young prince. Tangled
puts a fresh spin on this classic tale by making “blondie” the (spoilers)
princess, though ignorant of this until the finale—when she (spoilers) saves
her “prince” from death! In this quote, sung as she runs through grass for the
first time in her life, her dream for freedom and adventure is finally
fulfilled. Nothing can stop this gal with a frying pan and an agenda from
seeing the floating lights and becoming the woman she was meant to be.
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