Design Your Life

Living Up to the Princess Influence

12/13/2009

When we’re younger, a huge amount of us girls grow up with The Princess Syndrome. A lot of us latched on to a favorite Disney princess. If not Disney, perhaps another storybook princess. She helped to shape us as we grew up and for good reason. She was beautiful, kind, smart, loving, maybe animals flocked to her when she sang. It was all very awe inspiring.

As we grow up, do we lose The Princess Syndrome? Is it something we should hold onto? While I don’t always agree with waiting for Prince Charming to save you, I think that Princesses still offer a good framework for an individual.

Princess stories are often a transformation tale which can still remind us to not lose sight of becoming the best we can be.

Princesses are often very kind, caring, and empathetic which is something a lot of people lose when they get older and get out into a colder world. It’s something to hold onto. It’s a gift that keeps on giving.

Princesses are often kind to animals. This is an important thing to learn as a child and something we should hold onto. Relationships with animals are incredibly rewarding.

Princesses are often courageous. Fighting for what’s right and for their own happiness. I know so many people who forget this. It’s something you should never stop fighting for.

In Cinderella type stories we are taught to never give up and that your situation does not define you.

Princesses like Belle teach us that beauty starts from the inside and it’s best to look to see who people really are outside of appearances.

Snow White was kind to animals and less fortunate individuals. She teaches us to look after the needs of others.

Ariel teaches us to be strong willed and brave. She also teaches us that what seems impossible can in fact be possible if you believe and if you try hard enough.

All of these things can and should still be implemented into our lifestyles as we become adults. Perhaps the biggest change I would make in Princess stories would be to show that you don’t need royal blood or a marriage to be a Princess. Every girl can be one in her own right. It’s all about embodying the positive traits and outlook. Sometimes it’s still a good thing to look back to our childhood heroines to remind us of things that are easily forgotten.

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12 Comments

  • Reply amberrenee 12/13/2009 at 7:39 pm

    Loved the post — and while searching I found the cutest beaded carriage pendant. http://migotochou.blogspot.com/2009/03/and-were-off.html <3

  • Reply michelle 12/13/2009 at 11:25 pm

    OOOH, I LOVE this! Made me smile. πŸ˜€

  • Reply mishabelle 12/14/2009 at 12:34 am

    Ah, I totally agree! I still love Disney Princesses and can’t wait to see the new movie coming out… It’s weird now how young girls have role models like Hannah Montana and um… those High School Musical people? I’m not sure if they’re quite getting the same messages that we were at that age.

  • Reply Ariel Grimm 12/14/2009 at 12:39 am

    I heart this article. People often make fun of me for dabbling with princess/fairytale themes, but in my opinion princesses are pop-culture modern goddesses, Sleeping Beauty the goddess of dreams, Ariel the Aquarius ideals…and I can definitely relate to the hard-working underdog Cinderella.
    [img]https://www.miseducated.com/wp-content/upload/1260769152-slave girl.jpg[/img]

  • Reply Positive Present 12/14/2009 at 6:44 am

    Way to see the positive in the princesses! I wrote my graduate thesis about the Disney princess films and how they impact the way young girls see marriage and love. I certainly have a lot to say on the subject, but I don’t want to take away from the positive vibe of this post! πŸ˜‰ I wrote a follow-up to my thesis on my site http://www.hopespringsinternal.com all about Disney’s latest film, The Princess and the Frog.

  • Reply maraluce 12/15/2009 at 10:46 am

    great post! i’ve always loved princesses, but never thought about them in that way.

  • Reply Midnight Cowgirl 12/16/2009 at 7:53 pm

    So true! A lot of the Disney princesses are strong female characters – and sometimes, they are the ones doing the rescuing.

  • Reply Kerri 12/18/2009 at 9:07 am

    I liked it. I think it’s easy for a lot of people to throw disney under the bus and see only the negative. Walt Disney was an awesome guy, and a lot of Princesses have a lot more to offer than looking pretty and singing nicely. Belle’s always bee my favorite. A bookworm who’s more at home with sword fights and dragons than sleeping for a million years until someone kisses her. All she wants is an adventure, and then she gets it.

  • Reply Awesome Blossom. « Red Sonika. 12/18/2009 at 11:14 am

    […] Bishop (a.k.a. Mermaid in a Manhole) looks at the positive side of the princess influence at […]

  • Reply Rummy B. 07/30/2010 at 4:21 pm

    My faves growing up were Jasmine, Ariel, Esmeralda and Pocahontas (being half-Native I watches a LOT of Pocahontas). Interesting how the only white princess on this list is a mermaid, and the rest were different ethnicities (Belle’s a close runner-up. I’m a bookworm too, the Beast is adorable and I KNEW household objects were really alive!). Now, being more (physically) grown-up, I want to travel the world, and it’s hard to pin me down in one place. And the underwater world and space (“the last frontiers”) fascinate me (thank you, Atlantis. Oh, and Buzz Lightyear <3). My point is, if I look back and relate my favourite Disney princesses to what I like now (and who I want to be), they turn out to be qute similar.

    Great post. πŸ˜‰

  • Reply Princess Jasmine 02/27/2011 at 2:41 pm

    This article is FANTASTIC! It defines everything that my website is about (www.aprincessesworld.com) I just started this site and I am looking for some help from people to write and design it with me. πŸ™‚ If interested email me [email protected]

  • Reply Rapunzel's a 10! 11/02/2011 at 4:34 pm

    I really love this post. I’ve been trying to write a persuasive speech on how the Disney Princesses can teach young women traits they can be proud of. I’m glad I’ve found other people who share my love of the princesses and their spirits!

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