Animated women have evolved greatly over the years from the damsel in distress to strong characters women can emulate
Who’s your favourite Disney princess? Growing up, mine used to be Aurora from Sleeping Beauty but, as I grew older, I started to prefer Mulan. Now, I can confidently say that my favourite Disney princess is Mulan.
Why? Well, I’m not saying she’s my favourite because we have the same skin tone.
Mulan didn’t need a prince to save her; she saved China. She’s no damsel in distress, nor did she get married and live happily ever after.
Her life was not perfect but, even after all her heroics, she came out a better person for it. Now, that is a cartoon role model I would like my child to emulate.
This is no first-world feminist rant. This is merely my observation of how the portrayal of female characters has changed throughout the years in Disney and other animated movies.
True to Life?
The character that really irks me to this day is Snow White. My goodness, the naivety of this girl. If Snow White was a character in real life, she would be a girl who ran away from an unhappy home, lived with seven strange men, and had strong inclinations to accept food from menacing strangers.
The original Disney princesses may bring nostalgic and beautiful memories for most people but the truth of the matter is that their characters leave much to be desired. For instance, Belle from Beauty and the Beast has signs of Stockholm syndrome – where she becomes loyal to someone who has essentially held her against her will, and severely threatened to kill her father.
Men, if you ever came across these Disney princesses-type girls in real life, I’m quite sure you would end up running for the hills. No prince charming to be found there.
In Distress No More
Nonetheless, in the recent Disney animations such as Tangled, Princess & The Frog, Brave and, most recently, Frozen, the female characters have become stronger and perhaps more updated with the times to impart better values to the young. For the most part, anyway.
Rapunzel fell in love with the thief, who scaled her tower shortly after robbing her parents, Tiana had to become a frog as well before the Frog prince realised he loved her, Merida (from Brave) turned her mother into a bear in a fit of childish pique, and Elsa nearly killed her sister with frost.
However, apart from these quirks, they are exponentially more powerful than their predecessors had ever been.
I especially loved the part in Frozen where Elsa exclaims to her sister, “You cannot marry a man you just met!” as well as Merida taking a stance on being able to choose her own husband. These women are much more ‘real’ than before, and a sign that Disney is moving with the times.
The female characters in Disney films and movies are slowly moving away from the weak and naïve damsel in distress personalities to ones with more heart and soul; which is appears to be a turn for the better.
Sorry, Elsa, your ice castle is great and all but Mulan still owns you. Level of Disney Princess: Asian.
Do you agree? Do you think the women in Disney and other fairy tale animations are becoming more real? Drop us a personal message at www.facebook.com/weekendersgp and share with us your thoughts.
By Cheryl Chia
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