Disney Princesses Snow White and Aurora, show children that being kissed will save you from death. This leads children into thinking that they are invulnerable as long as they are kissed by anyone. In the movies, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid, there is a trend that all of those have. Once the princess finds their true love, the prince is to provide for them and fully take care of them. There is nothing wrong with the prince taking care of his princess and providing her with her wants and needs. It is the fact that this trend re-occurs frequently and it makes women appear as very dependent and unable to care for themselves. In reality, a women needs to be independent and care and love themselves before they can love someone and devote themselves to their prince. Little girls look up to these Disney princesses as role models and do whatever they can to be "just like them." Disney princesses set unrealistic examples of how a women in society "should look like." Each princess is flawless and very skinny. None of the princesses have acne or crooked teeth or uneven skin tones. This leads young girls to have low self-esteem because they feel in order to be "beautiful," you have to look like a Disney Princess. In these movies, the princess finds her prince and they live "happily ever after" and then the movie ends. The movies to not show the troubles that come with relationships. Relationships are not always a fairytale. Things go wrong. The prince can turn into a villain. Sometimes, prince charming begins to abuse the women and that is NOT how any prince should treat you. Sometimes, prince charming could have an affair. Relationships have their uphill battles but you have to choose what you are willing to fight for and what you are willing to let go. If you love someone, you should treat them with respect and never give up no matter how bumpy the road may be. There will be fights. There will be jealously. There will be insecurities. There will be the nights where you will be slamming the doors instead of kissing goodnight. Every love story is different and beautiful in its own way. A person who loves you truly will never let you go no matter how messy the situation is. In the end, love conquers all. Disney movies show young girls that the good looking men are the prince for them. Just because a man is attractive, does not mean their heart is warm and loving in the inside. The most attractive boy could end up being an abuser or serial killer. Personality is more important than looks. When you fall in the love with someone, all their little imperfections become beauty to you. You look at your love and you realize they are perfect in every way. Every word that comes from their mouth makes your heart smile inside. You wonder how you gotten so lucky to be in love and find someone who means so much to you. Everyone has flaws. Do not just go for a man because they are the definition of "attractive" that we use in society today. Go for the man who warms your heart with every word he speaks and makes you feel bubbly inside. Yes, go for someone you find physically attractive, but do not let their looks be the only reason you date them. Disney princesses also showed young girls that they need a man in order to "feel" complete and happy. You do NOT need a man in order to be happy. You need to be happy with yourself before you can be happy with anyone. A man should add on to your happiness you already have inside. If you were not happy before a relationship and the prince is the only reason why you are happy now, how do you think you will feel if you two break up? You will feel even more sadness then you felt before dating your prince. Disney princesses set a very bad example to young girls and women all across the globe. Ariel trusts a stranger, Ursula, who said that she will do everything he can to help Ariel become human so she can marry her prince. Ursula turns out to be a liar and curses Ariel. This is an accurate example of how strangers can be. This also shows young girls that it is okay to trust strangers. I wonder if there would be a fewer number of kidnappings if Disney movies have never shown that it is okay to trust strangers. So often, we hear about kidnappings in society where a sketchy van pulls up to a child. The kidnapper tells the child that there is candy in the car and that he/she can have some if they come in the car. The child trusts the stranger, there ends up not being any candy in the car, and the child is kidnapped. I am not saying you should not trust any strangers. Not all strangers are heartless like in the example I have just given.
Disney princesses show women that it is okay to give up everything for someone you just met, to allow a boy to abuse you and maybe if you stay with the villain long enough that they will turn into a prince again(Beauty and the Beast) or that it is okay to change who you are in order to be "loved." These movies have set unrealistic expectations to relationships and how women should "dress" and "act" in order for a man to wish to be their prince. We need to end these unrealistic expectations and teach society that relationships are rarely like any Disney or cheesy romance movie.
Love is accepting someone for who they are. Love is when you do not try to change the other person. Love is standing by your prince even through the worse of times. Love is when you do not judge their past. Love means accepting their faults and insecurities. Love means being patient. If you cannot be with someone you love right now, if it is meant to be, it will find its way sometime in the future. Love is loving someone when they are in the darkest moments and love is protecting them from evil. Most importantly, Love NEVER fails.
