The Evolution of the Princes

This post isn't related to religion and the usual stuff I blog about. This is actually an essay I wrote for my English class, and I thought I might as well post it because (in my opinion) it isn't the boring analysis stuff you would normally find in an English essay. Well actually.... I enjoy analyzing things and I actually analyze in my essay, but I hope you find it interesting! I feel as though I got to experiment with having a voice in my writing which you infrequently get to experience in school essay writing. Anyway I want to thank my English teacher for providing the opportunity for our class to expand out writing abilities beyond traditional standards. Thank You!
WARNING: This essay is long. 

The bewilderingly beautiful women with a waist the width of a string bean. Hair that maintains its luscious and charismatic character despite the lack of hair care products. And the defining quality of it all is the devilishly handsome and unrealistically charming love interest. The man who swoops in to her life and steals her heart in a matter of a few short days. These are the ingredients for the delicious dish known as the Disney Princess Films.

The components of these classic films are consistent throughout the duration of the franchise. From 1937 when Disney produced the enchantingly romantic tale of Snow White up until the latest Oscar winning hit of 2013 Frozen, the tale of the young princess who finds her happily ever after is unfailing. So what makes these two movies – and all the other princess movies- different? If all of the movies are composed of the same two parts, the beautiful women who find the perfectly loving man, what makes them different? It is the required measurement of these ingredients that differs from recipe to recipe. To what extent are is the prince charming emphasized? What role does the beauty of the women play? Are there any extra spices added? There are different formulas for money making princess movies. There are also many different factors that affect the outcome of the recipe, but there is one predominantly influential aspect of a movie that affects its performance.  How does the beautiful princess conduct herself?

If the Disney movie franchise was a recipe book there would be a Disney princess section of the book, then how would they be divided any further? The division of Disney princesses is simple. Two groups who have the most distinct flavor would be the dependently inferior maiden and independent women.

                Women for thousands of years have been considered inferior to males. It is hard to say what exactly caused this rift between males and females but it is easy to see why it was upheld for so many years. The inferiority is caused by the common societal belief -held by males and more importantly females- that a women cannot survive in the world without a man. This belief entails that a women can never amount to anything more than a domestic servant due to the fact that her husband must be in control of their life outside them. Her only valued qualities are her beauty and her ability at child rearing. Her only purpose is the have children and to maintain the husbands standard of living.  This dependability has been exemplified throughout many Disney movies.

                The first Disney movie ever made told the tale of a princess who was the fairest of them all. The maiden whose defining quality is her face. Her beauty in the tale is the source of conflict, but also the source of success. The idea that beauty is an important quality that all women must have is demonstrated through the Evil Queens desire to be the prettiest, who is willing to commit murder to obtain unquestionable beauty. However, Snow White’s beauty is also the source of her triumph because the prince falls in love with her. In like a second... The emphasis of beauty is not only found in Snow White, but it can also been seen through another Disney Classic: Cinderella.

                Cinderella, along with most princesses, has a sympathetic nature about her. On the surface it is obvious why we feel bad. She is a servant to two ugly step sisters and step mother and is treated inhumanely. Have you ever considered why they characterized the step sisters as ugly? The beautiful girl being treated horribly and the ugly step sisters getting everything they want almost seems unnatural. It’s uncomforting. It needs to be set right. In the end Cinderella gets her happily ever after with the prince charming, and the ugly step sisters don’t.

If women are valued for their beauty, then do we only value someone because they are beautiful?

                Beauty is not the only quality Snow White and Cinderella have. They both, unsurprisingly, have an incredible gift for cleaning. When Snow White first arrives at the dwarfs’ home doesn’t she make sure everything is clean? Doesn’t she show an elevated knowledge on the subject? Isn’t this her emphasized impact on the dwarves? What about Cinderella? Doesn’t she also demonstrate advanced ability in domestic duties? Isn’t her role as a domestic servant fundamental to the plot line? The purpose of women only amounting to a domestic goddess is illustrated through the princesses defining qualities of domestic work.       

                What about Prince Charming? What role does he play in all of this? Ummm a major one. Even though both princes are not featured much in either film, but their role is essential to the story. If Snow White didn’t have her prince charming come and kiss her awake then she would have been asleep for eternity. If Cinderella never met her Prince Charming on the dance floor, he would never have tried to pursue her any father, and she would still be stuck as a servant for the rest of her life. The common theme through both of these films is happiness achieved through finding a man. Happiness you never could have achieved on your own. The dependent happiness.

                The glorified female qualities of beauty, tidiness, and dependency of Snow White and Cinderella reflects the inferior stance a women has compared to men. The great female potential is not accurately portrayed in the tales. These celebrated films are basically reinforcing the domestic females place in society, but no one was questioning it.

                Now that I have finished my rage on the subject of the underestimated and inferior female we can move on to a completely different type of princess, the independent woman.

                What about the princesses from the latest Disney hit, Frozen?  Anna and her sister Elsa are the newest additions and perhaps the most unique. Anna at first appears to undertake the role of your typical Disney princess. She is beautiful and so desperate for love she falls in love with a guy in one night. (Spoiler Alert: he tricks her) This is the first Disney princess movie that suggests that it takes more than one night to decide whether you can spend the rest of your life with someone, because the man she thought she could rely on was unreliable. The quality of female independence is cherished and recommended through this twist of stereotypical Disney princess film events.

As the story goes Anna’s personality develops beyond the stereotypical beautiful, needy, and ditzy girl she first appears to be. She shows incredible courage and strength which are qualities both Cinderella and Snow lack sufficiency in. Her love for her sister is shown when she embarks on an adventure on her own (until her other love interest reluctantly comes along) to find her sister that left her. A sister who has terrifying and uncontrollable powers does not frighten Anna. She is determined to make things right because of her love for her sister. Her perseverance reflects her independent nature due to her determination to achieve something other than the typical goal of women, marriage.

                Then there is the beautiful Queen Elsa. Throughout the movie, she displays no love interest. Peculiar right? A princess that does not have a love interest? Elsa is the most dynamic character in the movie because she goes from being completely reserved to utterly open. How does she overcome the obstacle of isolation? Is it through the help of a man? Or is it her loving sister that is not willing to give up on her?

                Think back to Cinderella. She also lives a life of isolation. But how does she overcome it? By finding the prince whom she can marry. Cinderella was oppressed by her sisters whereas Elsa was saved by hers. What?! A women not a man saving the day! That is unheard of!

                Why? Why is there such a difference between the tales of a Disney Princess? Any genre of movie is reflective of the beliefs during the time period. Does the same go for the Princess franchise?

                The movie Snow White first came out in 1937. Seventy six years before Frozen. What has changed since then?  If we go back in time 76 years it is safe to say life was different. So what aspect of life influences the Disney Princess franchise? Simple, the role of women.

                Back in 1937 women were primarily associated with being mothers. They were also expected to never achieve anything great outside of marriage and domestic life. If you look at the role of women in today’s society (in America at least: REMEMBER Disney is an American Company) you see the opportunity for women broaden. Why? Well there are many different factors but the question I am presently concerned with is how does this change affect the making of a Disney Princess movie?

                These directors are made to seem honorable and fair, because they convey ideas of female independence and potential. However, movies are made to appeal to the audience. They are based off of what the audience desires. What the audience values. What the audience won’t oppose. What the audience won’t question. Then who really is the most influential person in movie making? Is it the cook or the consumer? The cook only wants to please the consumer in order to make a profit. But what does the consumer want to taste?