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Disney Redefining Princesses

Disney’s gotten a lot of criticism, from me and from plenty of others, for its dedication to princesses.  But today I’m here to give Disney some serious kudos for its latest Princess-related ad.  You can watch the clip on YouTube. It’s just awesome.  If you’re not able to watch it at the moment, the ad features a variety of girls, from all ages, races, and backgrounds, and the voice over repeats that “I’m a princess.”  But in between saying that, the narration says other fantastic things as well, such as “it’s important to stand up for myself.  It’s more important … Continue reading →

A Study in Princesses: Careers Coda

You need more than just him in your life, Ariel Today I’m going to add a tongue-in-cheek coda to my otherwise serious series on the Disney Princesses. If most of these princesses should have had something other in their lives than their men, what should those things be? I’m going to posit alternate endings to most of the films; mainly, recommendations for the careers into which the Disney Princesses ought to have embarked instead. Some suggestions might be a bit sillier than others. “Snow White” – One thing Snow White did excellently was to get those dwarves to come out … Continue reading →

Doc McStuffins: A Revolutionary Role Model

For once Disney seems to be doing something right. Its primary role models for girls have, for years, been princesses. Sure, the ones created in the past couple years have been more dynamic, with more in their lives than just wishing that “someday my prince will come,” but at the end of the day, they’re princesses. That’s usually the notes on which their movies end. They’ve found men or are living in a castle: that’s the happily ever after. The princesses are also all so very “white as snow.” Most of the princesses are white, and everyone else just gets … Continue reading →

Stand Up for Yourself Already, Cinderella

Charles Perrault’s “Cinderella,” the particular version of the story adapted by Walt Disney, is another fairy-tale-as-morality-lesson. Disney ditches The Brothers Grimm when he makes “Cinderella;” even more strangely the credits cite Perrault’s story as the “original,” when in fact the rags-to-riches trope is an ancient and global motif. Even ignoring that the Brothers’ Grimm version predates Perrault’s. The reason I’m so fixated on the issue of adaptation is because I found Perrault’s “Cinderella” odious. The main moral (which cannot be mistaken; the end of the story is followed by an explanatory poem titled “Moral”) is that it doesn’t really matter … Continue reading →

We Cannot Live on Love Alone

During my first year of marriage I wasn’t as happy as I should have been. Despite the supposed “honeymoon period,” I often felt listless and depressed. It took me a while to figure out why. Jonathan has an excellent job with the government. Unfortunately it’s located in a rural area, so most of the jobs are related to the military base that his position serves. Few jobs exist outside of the technology industry. Basically, my plan to start freelance work once we had children, so I could stay at home with them, had to be bumped up a few years … Continue reading →

Exploring the Original Snow White

We always think of the Grimm fairy tales as darker than their Disney updates, and for the most part that is true. But in reading and watching the two versions of “Snow White” together, I was surprised to find they’re not that much different. The Evil Queen asks for Snow White’s heart as proof of her death in both stories, though at least Disney withholds the part where she proceeds to consume the organ to symbolize her triumph over her enemy. However, one could argue the Disney film is darker than its source for a different part: the fate of … Continue reading →