L'évolution des princesses Disney.

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There is not a great evolution between SW and Aurora.

But let’s take a look at Ariel.

On the one hand, this princess stands out from the other one because of her will: she tries to develop independent of stringent parental guidance and control. She experience thrilling adventure. She accepts to suffer in order to achieve her goal.

But on the other side, this will is motivated by the hope to see a man again. A man she had never spoken to, she doesn’t know and she just found handsome. Is it a real mark of empowerment?

And on top of that, what does Ursula tells her, when Ariel says she can’t get Prince Eric to fall in love with her without her voice? “You have your looks, your pretty face! And don’t underestimate the importance of body language!”. Despite of her will and her courage, Ariel is represented as an object of seduction and as a sexual object.

Cinderella and Aurora: blonde and voluminous hair during the 1950s: corresponds with the rise of Marilyn Monroe and other blonde celebrities

Hourglasses figures

Voluminous Hair

Symmetrical faces

Feminine ideal (Hollywood’s stereotype)

But we can observe the arrival of a new kind of princesses with Belle and Pocahontas: the first one is portrayed as a great reader, who is cultivated, has moral convictions, responsibilities ( she asked the Beast to deliver her father and to keep her trapped in return), she doesn’t take people at face value. And at first sight, she doesn’t correspond to the woman who just waits for marring a man and have children.

This is the same for Pocahontas: a strong woman who fights for her people.

But what does happen at this end? They both fall in love. I don’t mean that falling in love is bad. Not at all! But in those fairy tails, it looks like they couldn’t live without their man: “Please don’t leave me, I love you”. Pocahontas would dye for him and remember: love was her destiny.

To conclude, Disney’s princesses show un evolution in the time. We could observe the first one who were housewives or kind young girls who were waiting for there charming prince. Then, we saw a new generation with Belle and Pocahontas, who fought for there ideals but were still dependant of there love for a man. And finally, we studied the cases of Merida, Elsa and Anna. Those three characters, such as all the other princesses, correspond to the feminine stereotype of there time but didn’t fall in love with the perfect and charming prince. It is sure that those cartoons take part in the education of the children and we must ask us the question: should they look at such animated films which very often give them the picture of a domesticated woman? And this sexism follows the little child during his childhood and adulthood. Do you remember Elisabeth Swann? She kicks up the backside of bad guys, wears pants and has her own vessel and and crew. Great. But she also has a hourglass figure, voluminous hair, still when she has not taken a shower for a while and she marries Tony. Do you think it is the perfect woman? The woman who is always perfect?