In Defense of Disney Princesses: Cinderella

The problem with this series about the Disney princesses is that it is difficult to differentiate defending the princess herself and defending the actual movie.  I was especially intimidated by Cinderella because I love the movie, but I sometimes go back and forth about Cinderella herself.  So when I found this quote from Walt Disney himself about Cinderella, I began to feel much better about writing this post.  He said: “She believed in dreams all right, but she also believed in doing something about them...When Prince Charming didn’t come along, she went over to the palace and got him.”  For Disney, Cinderella is not a passive girl, she does not believe in letting others control her life and her happiness.  

Time and time again, I wonder if I actually even like Cinderella, but every time I watch the movie, something about her draws me in.  Is it because her story is one that is a completely archetypal rags to riches story, or is it something else?  I think it is because she has the ability to look at the situation around her and not only continue to dream and hope, but to dream and hope bigger than before.  The reason the fairy godmother says she has come to Cinderella’s aid is because even after her stepsisters have ripped her dress to shreds, she still believes in her chance to be a princess for a night.

Something else that draws me in towards Cinderella is her ability to hold onto something so precious to her and refuses to let anyone take it from her.  For Cinderella, “A dream is a wish your heart makes when you’re fast asleep.”  It is not something to be shared, but something you keep close to your heart, something sacred for your very self.  No matter what happens to her, she holds onto those dreams and wishes.  They are what keeps her going, she knows that if she dreams something big enough and seizes her opportunities as they come along, that something great is going to happen for her.  And when she keeps her faith in the most difficult time, her fairy godmother comes and helps to push her along the way.  The fairy godmother represents that person or that force in everyone’s life that seems to come through in just the right moment with just the right prescription for whatever ails someone.

I do not know if I will ever figure out whether I love Cinderella or Cinderella more, but what I do know is that Cinderella exemplifies what faith means.  There are times in all of our lives when our anxiety threatens to blind us to all the opportunities around us and the amazing-ness of the world we live in.  Cinderella reminds us that even as we feel we are backed into the deepest and darkest corners, somewhere in the distance, there is a light.

This is totally an aside, but this is my absolute favorite quote about feminism and it definitely connects to Cinderella, so I am going to put it in here :)  

“Feminism is the fairy godmother.  ‘Do you remember the story of Cinderella?  She is sitting at home rather pissed off, wanting to go to the ball, and not having a thing to wear, when the fairy godmother whizzes in and p all right.  One of the most important things about the fairy godmother is that she transforms all the old stuff around Cinderella into new and useful equipment: the rags, the pumpkin, the rats, and so forth.  This little girl’s fairy godmother turned out to be called Feminism.  As well as cheering the little girl up no end, Feminism also transformed all the old things around her.’” --Sara Maitland

**The Pocket Princesses are drawn by Amy Mebberson.  You can view her Tumblr by clicking here or by copying and pasting this link into your browser: www.amymebberson.tumblr.com.  

In Defense of Disney Princesses: Introduction

Many people seems to love talking about how terrible the Disney Princess Franchise is for feminism, society, blah, blah.  Believe me, as a Women’s and Gender Studies major, I am constantly subjected to how backwards and submissive the lovely princesses are.  I have an issue with this for a few reasons.  I think that many times we get so angry that we forget the good qualities of whatever it is we are hating on in that particular moment.  I do it all the time.  Somebody says something about certain religious figures or about certain political leaders/ideas and I immediately say all the bad/wrong things about the person or idea just mentioned, without considering the positive aspects of them/it.  

Therefore, I would like to take a little time to do a short series that looks at the princess movies and the princesses themselves from a more positive viewpoint while still acknowledging the less than desirable aspects of them.  I will do them in chronological order from Snow White to Rapunzel, remaining within the Disney Princess canon.  This would include Snow White (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), Cinderella (Cinderella), Aurora/Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty), Ariel (The Little Mermaid), Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Jasmine (Aladdin), Pocahontas (Pocahontas), Mulan (Mulan), Tiana (The Princess and the Frog), and Rapunzel (Tangled).  Hopefully, I will write about Alice (Alice in Wonderland), Wendy (Peter Pan), Esmeralda (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and Meg (Hercules) at some point, but they don’t really fit into what I’m doing with this series.  

This is not to purposefully anger or enrage anybody, but to illustrate the way we interact with people, culture, and ideas.  No one is going to agree with anyone else 100% of the time, so we really have to be intentional in how we start dialogue.  In my experience, people love disagreeing with each other as long as everyone’s voice is heard and everyone is respected.  I hope that by doing this series, I can show the importance of listening to less than popular or loved opinions in order to create a more harmonious world.

**Pocket Princesses by Amy Mebberson.  Her tumblr is here.