Robin Bergeron
Prof. Andrus
English 101-039

Who the Disney Princesses Really Are
What may seem to be harmful entertainment can prove to be psychologically harmful, many girls have grown up watching “Cinderella” and “Sleeping Beauty.” Both consist of a girl whose beauty seems flawless, in need of saving, whether it be from a sleeping curse, an evil step mother, and so on. The Princess is saved by a noble prince, whom she marries and lives happily ever after with, never having to work for what she wants. Disney Princesses are not good role models for young girls because they teach girls to chase perfection rather than having confidence in their own skin, and trying to find a guy that can supply for their needs rather than working for what they want.
A Disney Princess is portrayed to be very thin, with a beautiful complexion, straight white teeth, and their hair always seeming to be perfect. Young girls look up to Disney Princesses in hopes to one day look as perfect as they do. They allow themselves to chase this perfection that is truly unattainable. When young girls begin to set their perception of beauty to such a standard of perfection, their own sense of self-esteem and self-worth begins to lower. Girls begin to look at themselves and only see the bad rather than what makes them unique. Instead of feeling confident with the person in the mirror, they look to these Disney Princesses for their self-worth. They begin to think that they will never amount up, that if they do not match the image portrayed through these Disney Princesses, then they will never truly be beautiful. Many young girls have gone to extreme limits to try to obtain this perfection, be it starving themselves, plastic surgeries, or many other harmful things inflicted upon themselves. Girls put themselves through so much to gain this sense of perfection, only to realize that it can never be met. There will always be something holding them back. Instead of chasing this impossible perfection, girls should embrace their body because being different is what brings individuality.
Every Disney Princess is faced with a challenging situation that seems only fit for a Prince to save them from. For Cinderella, it was escaping her evil step mother and her step sisters. For Sleeping Beauty, it was true love’s kiss to awaken her from an eternal sleep. For Rapunzel, it was escaping from the tower that she had been imprisoned in. Despite the many hardships faced, their Prince Charming always seemed to find a way to save the day, to bring them their happily ever after. The Princesses form a love for the man who brings such a salvation as this. It is a love at first sight. The idea of love at first is not the problem. Many people fall in love the instant the two meet each other’s eyes. However, Disney Princesses encourage girls to act upon this love, rather than trying to learn about him and his character, because they will not be truly happy until a man comes into her life. They equate happiness with the presence of their significant other. When Cinderella met the Prince at the ball, it was love at first sight. After much difficulty, the two are reunited, he saves her from a life of misery, and they become married. They do not “date,” as courting is referred to in this generation, nor did he propose. Ariel was cursed by Ursula. Ariel was willing to give her voice in order to gain legs and win the heart of Prince Eric, rather than showing Eric who she truly was and allowing him to love her for who she was. She would not be happy until she won over his heart. Belle, on the other hand, sacrifices her life for her father’s life, who was under the control of a dangerous beast. However, Belle saw beyond the beast’s anger and sees a kind man trapped inside. Given the chance to escape, Belle decides to stay and is able to break the curse, changing the Beast into the prince he really is. This message depicts to girls that a man will change their ways, to stick with them, no