It isn’t unfeminist to fall in love: Disney Princesses & other things
Fairytales, happily ever afters, feminism, and love. These are things that frequented my mind as a child and still do to this day, as a 20 girl (I guess a young woman now). I’ve always loved the idea of true love that transcends everything. Love felt (and still feels like) the one physical manifestation of the stories I grew up on, despite it being an abstract concept. The idea of feminism albeit to a lesser complexity has also loomed in my mind for most of my life. I started truly engaging with media, around the time when dynamic depictions of women were gaining increased traction and frequency in the mainstream. I don’t think I fully understood the intricacies of the feminist movement, but it was a label I fondly admired.
Disney princess films were where many things I was entranced by came into play. The whimsical nature of the stories, the slight feminist themes, people finding their one true love after an experience of a lifetime. However, the latter part of my previous fascination has gone out of style in the recent motion pictures.
The Disney princess adaptations that were birthed in the 90s to the 2000s were a corporation’s response to the wave of feminism of the time. Heroines like Belle, Mulan, and Tiana were laced with ambition, throughout their journeys and were symbols of girl empowerment. They had dreams they intended to achieve through hard work and determination. I do want to shout out the OG Cinderella, as she also had a dream and was a hardworking girl. However, what separates her from the 90s-2000s princesses is that the princesses of the era were actively trying to break away from stereotypes, while Cinderella wasn’t necessarily. Belle desired more than “a provisional life,” Mulan wanted to serve her country in the war effort when girls weren’t allowed in the army, and Tiana dreamed of owning a restaurant in a time when it was especially hard for black people and women to own businesses.
This era of Disney princesses also introduced what I like to call the “princesses that look like me effect.” — in other words representation lol. Girls (myself included) for the first time in their lives were seeing depictions of princesses that physically embodied parts of their identity, whether it was the character’s culture or skin tone. In other words, Disney’s princess intellectual property was becoming increasingly racially diverse. Just like the third wave of feminism, brought up intersectionality and women of color to the forefront so did the Disney Princess adaptations (as much as a media giant in the 90s/2000s can I guess)
Even though the princesses of the 90–2000s were progressive in their own right, all their stories were still accompanied by a romantic interest. I don’t know the truthfulness of this but it felt like Disney still wanted to keep an aspect of their somewhat progressive movies safe by including a romance. (just an opinion) I do think these criticisms were brought to light because there was a shift in Disney Princesses and their depicted love lives starting in the 2010s.
I believe Brave (2012) and Frozen (2013) began a shift in the idea of what looks like a Disney princess movie. Merida, who is technically a Pixar princess, was the first mainstream animated Disney(ish) princess not to have a love interest. Merida’s story revolves around her relationship with her mother who wants her to take a more traditional path than she would like to do. I have to admit I wasn’t a fan of the film when I was a child, but I do appreciate its themes. The film stood out from its predecessors likely because it was a different studio but also because of its slightly different approach to the Disney princess formula i.e. Merida not being boo’d up by the end of her film.
Frozen which centers on the tale of two sisters, is similar but also stands out among its peers when it initially came out. There’s a romance in Frozen but the love between the two sisters Anna and Elsa takes precedence in the film. It was the ultimate plot twist when the act of true love was a hug between sisters rather than a kiss between Anna and her love interest Kristoff. Not to be dramatic but this changed everything. Love was still a primary theme in the movie but Frozen introduced audiences to the idea of love not being relegated to a romantic interest. In 2016, we are introduced to Moana and it is her love for her island, adventure, and her people that shine in the film. I think this shift in Disney princess movies was a welcome change, showing that the heroines could exist without romantic partners. However, I do wonder whether it’s time to reintroduce the concept of romantic partners or kindred spirits back into the princess dialogue.
Wish (2023) is the latest addition to the Disney princess adjacent canon. Although I haven’t watched it yet I do know there isn’t a romantic interest in the final product but this had not been the case in earlier concepts of the film. Fans online have been sharing their sentiments about how the star character should have been more similar to the original concept of shapeshifting Star Boy. From what I found these feelings have been guided by the lack of love interests in recent years. People want romantic love in these types of stories again.
I think it’s interesting how the pendulum swings in culture. I can imagine in the minds of Disney executives that they see themselves reflecting a progressive society with these shifts in stories. However, in rectifying the mistakes of the past I believe we can miss showing children important parts of human existence. Disney Princess films have the power to depict love in its many forms. I’ve seen the appreciation of community/family, the uplifting of nature, and emphatic romance through some of these stories. An independent girl needs to know when to lean on community and at times that may be a romantic partner. This fact doesn’t make her any less capable. When we cut out romantic partners from these stories an opportunity to show models for healthy relationships is missed.
