Thesis statement

Are you single? Don't worry, because if your a Disney Princess, there is a 100% chance that the man of your dreams will come along and marry you before long. And if your not a Disney Princess... then those chances are a lot smaller. In all Disney Princess films, the lead female character is always dreaming to find the Prince that will change her life. It doesn't matter what kind of trouble she is in, whether she is in a coma ( Aurora in 'Sleeping Beauty'), needs to be rescued from living in unbearable conditions ( Cinderella ) , or is clinically dead ( Snow White), the hero will always come to save her. It seems that women are nothing without a man, and will not get anywhere in their lives without a hero coming to save them. In this blog I will be discussing with examples, the representation of the damsel in distress in fairy tales, and the implications it has on viewers.

 

This picture shows all of the Disney Princesses with a prince. They have all found there true love. Disney Princesses movies have a strong theme of love, which is enforced in all films.

Cinderella

This image shows Cinderella cleaning her home. She is dressed in rags, and is clearly unhappy with her current position. She dreams of her life being transformed. There is no way that she can get herself out of this world, unless a hero comes and saves her. Cinderella is stuck in a miserable life. She is a typical 'damsel in distress', waiting to be rescued. With all the cruelty from her family, Cinderella can only hope and dream that her life will change. When she hears the of the ball that the prince will be attending, she believes this is her chance to break free, but she is forbidden to go by her nasty step mother. Convenient, a fairy god mother comes to her aid and transforms her into a beauty. She puts on a beautiful blue dress, jewellery, and glass slippers, but they will only last till midnight. So Cinderella attends the ball, has fun, dances and charms the handsome prince, and leaves in a rush just before the spell wears off. As she was going, Cinderella leaves one glass slipper on the stairs, which the prince takes to help hunt her down. When he finds her, all of her dreams come true, and she is able to leave her miserable life and marry a prince.


The story of Cinderella represents women as unable to help themselves. Cinderella has been stuck cleaning her house for many years, and its not until she meets a man that she is able to get out of it. This story implies that only men can have an effect on the world, where women can only be stuck in the same place. If Cinderella had not gone to the ball and met the handsome prince, her life would always be miserable and stagnant. The time limit that she is given makes it appear that she has only a short  amount of time to make the prince fall for her, so he can rescue her from her everyday life. This opportunity is all or nothing for Cinderella, and if the prince, for whatever reason, did not like her, then this story would have had a very different ending, which would probably be similar to the beginning of the story. When the prince is looking for her with the glass slipper, all Cinderella can do is wait for him to come. In the mean time all she does is continue living her unhappy life. The only time that she is ever happy is when she is with the prince, which gives young girls who see this story, the idea that true happiness is with a man. Cinderella cannot wait to leave her ordinary world and live with the prince. She seems perfectly okay about leaving her dad, just as though he didn't mean that much to her. The idea that true love is the only thing that can make a girl happy is a large theme in this tale. It gives the audience of young girls that to be content in life, you have to be rescued by your prince, other wise you will never fulfilled as a women.

I'm Waiting For My Prince (Sleeping Beauty)

 This Video shows the princess Aurora, or more commonly known as Sleeping Beauty, Singing about waiting for her prince. Aurora is a princess who was given gifts from 3 fairies when she was born. One gave her beauty, one gave her a sweet voice, but just as the third was going to give her gift, a evil witch came and cursed Aurora. She made it so when Aurora turned 16, she would prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. The last fairy who had not given her gift, tried do fix the curse, so she made it that instead on Aurora dying, she would sleep, until her true love woke her with a kiss. If this isn't a damsel in distress, then I don't know what is. Aurora's life practically depends on a man. She has no way of getting out of this herself, a hero has to come to her rescue, or she will be asleep forever.

In the video above, the princess sings about finding her prince charming. The lyrics in one verse are:

"So I'm waiting for my prince
To sweep me off my feet
To take me in his arms
To fall for all my charms
To dance me down the street"

These lyrics suggest that Sleeping Beauty has nothing better to than wait for her prince. Like Cinderella, it is all that she wants to make her happy. Aurora has no other interests but true love. When her prince comes and saves her, he falls in love with her because of her beauty and her voice, he shows no interest in her personality, or engaging in an intelligent conversation. This gives the impression that love is based on good looks and a charming voice, where in reality, most loving and long lasting relationships are built from trust, and loving the person for who they are. Aurora and her prince also fall in love very quickly. As soon as Aurora meets Prince Phillip, she falls in love with him, without even knowing his name. Other Disney Princesses can at least wait a few days to decide that they have found their true love, but Aurora decides within a few minuets. She has hardly spoken to the prince, and he is probably the first man she has been with. This is not a healthy standard that young girls should look up to, that relationships are based on good looks and charming voices, rather than personality. It gives an idea that girls should wait around until they fall in love with the first handsome man they meet.

Disney's Snow White - Someday My Prince Will Come

Lyrics:

 Some day my prince will come
Some day we'll meet again
And away to his castle we'll go
To be happy forever I know

Some day when spring is here
We'll find our love anew
And the birds will sing
And wedding bells will ring
Some day when my dreams come true

Snow Whites character is what I believe, the most feminine of all the Disney Princesses. She is a perfect women, who is beautiful, sings, and innocent, but Snow White seems to have no independence of her own. She is completely dependent on men, and all she can do is wait in a death-like sleep until her true love wakes her. In the song above, Snow White sings about how her prince will come for her, and take her away, just as Sleeping Beauty does. In the mean time, while she is waiting, she lives with Seven dwarfs. She cooks for them and cleans there house. All the dwarfs are male, and they only willingly accept her into there home when they learn that she is a good cook. Without these 7 males, Snow White would be living in the woods, singing to woodland creatures. She depends on them to keep her safe and give her a home. She tells them that all that she wants is her Prince. Like the other Princesses we have looked at like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, all that will make Snow White happy is a man. She is not content will her life, and all that can change that is if she marries a prince. This will be when her " dreams come true ". However, when Snow Whites prince does come, and awakes her with his kiss, she instantly declares her love for him. She has not even said a word to him, but somehow knows that the man who kissed her dead body is her true love. She then runs away with him and gets married. What about her seven new Dwarf friends? She seems to have no trouble leaving them behind. She has found her true place in life, which is at the side of a prince.

The Princes

http://viewsfromthecouch.com/2012/04/18/my-rant-on-disney-princesses/

In this image, the Disney Princes are shown sharing there ideas on the best way to get a women. It is an interesting idea that Disney's representation of women as weak, and in need of a man, can not only affect young girls who watch Disney films, but also young boys. These children may grow up with the idea that women are just prizes, who need to be rescued, and otherwise have no influence on society without a man . This can also link back as to how real women are viewed in reality. Will they be compared to Princesses like Cinderella and Aurora, who wait until there man rescues them? And will this be expected of them? This idea that Disney puts out there that women need a man, can not only influence the idea of how girls think they should behave when they grow into women, but also how boys think women should be.

Link

Here is an article that supports the claim that Disney Princess are portrayed as Damsels in Distress    
  Feminist Disney, the Disney Princess identity