Line #48 YMMV/DisneyPrincess


1	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: The characters offer loads, especially [[http://www.btchflcks.com/2011/12/animated-childrens-films-you-say-princess-like-its-a-bad-thing.html#.VT26KyFViko as told by this one writer]]:
2	** Snow White yearns for more than Prince Charming to rescue her. She wants love, understandable given that she lost her parents. Her household chores when coming upon the dwarves' cottage are voluntary: she empathizes with what she thought were parent-less orphans.
3	** Cinderella is trying as much as she can to buck the system in an abusive environment: one that isolates her from others and in an era that doesn't offer much opportunities for women other than housekeeper and governess. Her sarcastic rant at a bell ringing, the fact that she frees mice from traps and dresses them, and her arrival at the ball are acts of rebellion.
4	** Aurora is a victim of social conditioning: naive and isolated by understandably over-protective guardians that haven't allowed her to develop outside of the idealistic persona they've held her up to.
5	** Ariel is an outcast yearning to go somewhere where others will understand her and she can gain knowledge about a brave new world, she's plenty interesting, and she's willing to stand up for herself (she did kill the eels of Ursula).
6	** Belle doesn't suffer UsefulNotes/StockholmSyndrome and is a proud non-conformist who is brave enough to stand up to the popular town misogynistic hunk and a beastly Prince. Her actions show Gaston (at least to the audience), just how bad he is and encourages change in the Beast.
7	** Jasmine being allowed to pick a suitor to be married to was progressive for her time and place. [[note]] Note that she is '''still''' required to be married by her birthday regardless, which is stated to be in three days' time from her introductory scene, after which she runs away, is returned by the royal guards, develops feelings for her suitor when he reveals himself to be the boy she previously met and opened herself to, and has to help defeat the BigBad, by which time that time must be almost up. [[/note]] She is intelligent, courageous, witty, and kind; she doesn't easily give in to Aladdin's/Prince Ali's courting of her so easily. She is also a terrific actress.
8	** That is just the ones whose characterization is relatively simple and has more straightforward writings. Is Mulan's motivation for disguising as a man and ran to the army is for her father or for herself? Some mix of all of the above? (this was also brought up in-universe by Mulan herself) Is Merida a normal teenager who made a mistake or a horribly spoiled brat? Is Elsa's power an allegory for mental disorder, her sexuality, something else or all of the above?
9	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
10	** The princesses in general, but in particular the classic three--Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora--are often criticized by fans, the media, celebrities, and even some of the actresses who have been cast to play their roles in [[Film/DisneyLiveActionRemakes Disney's live-action remakes of their movies]]. They see these princesses as terrible role models, shallow characters, and bad examples of feminism who just wait around needing to be rescued and are completely defined by wanting to be with a man. Alternatively, many others see them as having perhaps aged not quite well, but are still good characters that were simply limited by the time period they were in and made in, or even refreshingly different in their gentler personalities than the type of heroines usually made today. In fact, some have even gone as far as to argue that they ''are'' strong characters in their own way, and that their critics only see it differently because their idea of what makes a woman "strong" [[RealWomenDontWearDresses is one that sneers at even the slightest hint of romantic attraction towards men]] -- as well as citing some rather troubling UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming undertones to the oft-used criticisms against the princesses.
11	** Ariel. Fans are a bit divided on whether she's "an idiot for throwing her life away to be with someone she doesn't know" and should be regarded as poorly as the previous three Disney Princesses (who haven't aged well), or she should be commended for being "the first Disney female lead to have an actual personality and be the one to save her prince first."
12	** In a similar pattern to Ariel, Merida is criticized for her impulsiveness and general teenage attitudes. Some find her to be refreshingly normal and realistic for her age as well as a certified badass, others find her to be just an insufferable brat with a remarkable callous streak.
13	** Tiana to a different kind of extent. Some, like Creator/DougWalker, called her "the best female lead since Belle", while others, like the Blog/UnshavedMouse, found her a VanillaProtagonist who suffered too much {{Flawless Token}}ization.
14	** Pocahontas. Fans either think she's a decent role model who stands out due to the PrejudiceAesop of her movie despite all the glaring historical inaccuracies, or an incredibly shallow character who has little personality, delivers a preachy message and is an insult to the real Pocahontas. There are also people who think that while she is a passable character, she, and her movie, is a total letdown when compared to [[WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994 the previous installment's]] incredibly flawed protagonist.
15	** Belle. When her film debuted, she was lauded by feminists and film critics alike for her intellectual pursuits and showcasing more agency when compared to most of the previous princesses. Years later, her character received a re-examination, and more criticism was directed towards her. Some felt that her film "glorifies Stockholm syndrome" and that her relationship with the Beast could be read as abusive. Other classic princess lovers/princess fans in general also aren't terribly fond of Belle, since they see her as paving the way for "princess criticism" that's so common nowadays, which lead to their faves getting harped on nonstop. Others dislike the NotLikeOtherGirls vibe they feel her character gives off in the movie. Still, others still think she's a good character with a unique role in the lineup, find her reading hobby "relatable", and like her unconventional romance with the Beast. And there's others who still like that her film was the closest that Disney ever got to winning a Best Picture Oscar.
16	* CommonKnowledge: To a big part of the general populace, it seems that Disney Princess is just defined as "most human women from animated Disney films", rather than a select few from an official list, making it common for people to bring characters like [[WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}} Meg]] or [[WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}} Jane Porter]] in the discussion or wonder where they are in products.
17	** Most commonly, this happens with [[WesternAnimation/{{Frozen}} Elsa and Anna]] though this is more understandable than most cases, as they have been marketed alongside or as part of the line in numerous occasions (most notably ''WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet''). Despite those cases, they're still not an official part of the Princess list.
18	* CriticalBacklash: Many of the users on certain social media websites, such as Tumblr, grew up watching these movies as kids and were inspired by the princesses due to them possibly being the first iconic female characters many girls ever came in contact with. Many criticisms of the princesses will be shot down by enthusiastic fans ready to defend them and correct any inaccurate argument.
19	* CriticalDissonance: Despite its critics, the franchise is one of Disney's biggest and most profitable.
20	* FandomEnragingMisconception:
21	** Assuming that any princess in a Disney movie is automatically a Disney Princess. There are only 13 official princesses, and many fans can tell you the "rules" as to what does and doesn't qualify for a Disney Princesses off the top of their head.
22	** As an extension of the [[BrokenBase massively polarized opinions]] surrounding [[MegaCorp The Walt Disney Company as a whole]], it's a popular take to say that the "Disney Princess" characters are bad role models because their motivations (supposedly) revolve solely around a desire for romantic involvement with a man, and also due to the fact that [[DamselInDistress they tend to find themselves in the "passive damsel" role]]. Fans will often point out that this take [[NotBadassEnoughForFans judges them rather unfairly]], especially considering that many of the Disney Princes have motivations that can also be summed up as a desire to be with the one they love [[labelnote: ]] e.g., [[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Phillip]], [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Eric]], [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Beast]], WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}, [[WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog Naveen]], and [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Flynn Rider]], with the princes from ''WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'' outright being [[SatelliteLoveInterest Satellite Love Interests]]. [[/labelnote]] and also [[DistressedDude find themselves needing to be rescued]] on occasion [[labelnote:]] e.g., Phillip, Eric, Aladdin, [[WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}} John Smith]], [[WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} Li Shang]], Naveen, and Flynn Rider. [[/labelnote]] [[DoubleStandard but they aren't given nearly as much flack for it]]. Specific examples include:
23	** "Cinderella didn't do anything, everything was done for her by the mice and her fairy godmother, and she only got a happy ending because of a man." is countered with pointing out Cinderella was an abuse victim who managed to escape because she had friends to help her (friends that she had made by being kind), and as a bonus, she gets to live a happily ever after with someone who loves her.
24	** "Ariel did all of it for a boy!" is countered with Ariel ''already'' having an interest in the surface world by the time she met Eric and that he was just the icing on the cake, and she was also dealing with an overbearing father that in an act of borderline abuse, just destroyed everything that was meaningful to her.
25	* {{Fanon}}: [[WesternAnimation/BigHero6 Honey Lemon]] fans believe she could be part of the lineup, even saying she's probably related to Rapunzel to confirm her royal blood.
26	* GirlShowGhetto: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE3G18tpNPk "Little girls know them. Little girls love them."]] This being said of movies that opened to acclaim from most if not all demographics in age and gender.
27	* HilariousInHindsight: For a long time the franchise attracted a certain amount of (mostly) friendly FandomRivalry online from ''Franchise/StarWars'' fans who would jokingly contrast Princess Leia's ActionGirl characterization with the stereotypical view of Disney Princesses as super-girly [[DamselInDistress damsels]] [[FriendToAllLivingThings who sing to small forest creatures]]. Fast forward to late 2012... Disney acquires Lucasfilm, the Sequel Trilogy is announced shortly thereafter and suddenly Leia Organa technically ''is'' a Disney princess. Artists and humorists have gotten plenty of mileage out of Disney Leia [[AffectionateParody (with a lot of overlap between the two)]] since the merger.
28	* HoYayShipping: The PeripheryDemographic of older fans includes a fair number that like pairing the princesses up with each other instead of with princes.
29	* MemeticMutation:
30	** Ever since Disney's purchase of both Marvel and Lucasfilm, a popular internet meme is to label princesses from either Marvel or Franchise/StarWars as Disney Princesses.
31	*** This expanded towards Fox properties once Disney bought 21st Century Fox, with the most notable one being proclaiming the [[Film/{{Aliens}} Xenomorph Queen]] as the newest member.
32	** Artistic portrayals of the Princesses as pretty much anything you could think of.
33	** Calling Kuzco from ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' one's favorite princess.
34	* MinorityShowGhetto: It was [[https://gizmodo.com/does-skin-and-hair-color-affect-disney-princesses-merch-1654047761 noted]] that the darker princesses' merchandise didn't seem to sell as much as the white princesses'. Whether this was due to the popularity of the movies themselves, or that less merchandise over all was produced is up for debate.
35	* {{Moe}}: Cuteness is often heavily associated with the princesses, as many of them are TheIngenue or have qualities like that. Snow White and Rapunzel seem to be the ones who provoke this reaction the most.
36	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: Most of the princesses have beautiful singing voices and have their vocals provided by top drawer talent. As a result, their songs in their movies are usually quite pleasant to listen to.
37	* NotBadassEnoughForFans: All of the Disney Princesses are treated as such. The older princesses receive the most disdain, as the time period their movies were made from put them in the passive role that would not be acceptable in a female role-model today. Even the modern princesses are often closely scrutinized and found unworthy, particularly Ariel. While there is some truth to the criticisms, the biggest criticisms lobbied at the girls tend to twist the actual events of the movie. For instance, the common criticism that Ariel gives up her life at home for a man isn't exactly true--Ariel clearly desired to live with humans long before she knew who Eric was (her famous musical number was even all about it!), he just was the catalyst to actively going out, as well as blaming Snow White and Aurora for "not saving themselves", despite the fact that both were under spells against their will and could do nothing about it.
38	* OlderThanTheDemographic: The characters are all teenagers and the original films are aimed at general audiences, however the ''Disney Princess'' line is firmly aimed at little girls ten and under.
39	* PeripheryDemographic: While the franchise started out targeting young girls exclusively, Disney eventually realized the untapped market of ''older'' fans who had grown up with the princesses and wanted merchandise for themselves who had always been there to buy some of the more reserved dolls or prints. Now Disney has whole lines catering to them, to expensive fashion dolls, women's clothing, and more.
40	%% PLEASE take concerns to discussion before altering anything about the Purity Sue entry
41	* SweetnessAversion: The extra merchandise and sequels are loaded with saccharine morals, songs and messages that tends to be unpalatable to anyone but very young girls.
42	* TestosteroneBrigade: The especially MsFanservice characters--Ariel, Jasmine, and ostensibly Pocahontas--invite a lot of male fans, but many little boys grew up with crushes on one of the princesses that stuck. ''Podcast/MouseMadness'' suggested Disney might have a market if they made the princesses just a bit more welcoming to boys, since many of the princesses are positive role models and many have traits boys can relate to. A good gateway would be Mulan, since she acts like a boy for half the movie.
43	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks:
44	** Many of the girls coloring and style is changed for the merchandise, such as Aurora's lighter hair, Cinderella's dress changing from silver to blue, her hair changing from strawberry-blonde to bright blonde and so on.
45	** After Creator/{{Disney}} unveiled new hairstyles and dresses, some people weren't very happy about that.
46	* ValuesDissonance:
47	** The era that a Princess debuted in has quite the impact on who they are: many of the Princesses from UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation were white idealized WomenAreDelicate-types bordering on YamatoNadeshiko, whereas the ones from the UsefulNotes/TheRenaissanceAgeOfAnimation and UsefulNotes/TheMillenniumAgeOfAnimation are a FiveTokenBand of {{Rebellious Princess}}es. Notably, ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'' came out only a few years before the second-wave feminist movement started to gain traction in the West. Naturally, this flies over the head of many modern fans who just peg Princesses created before this period as "weak" and "whiny".
48	** In connection to the above, ever wonder why Japan only recognizes 7 out of 13 princesses in the franchise there unlike the rest of the world? Apparently, one Quora user found out the reason stated [[https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-Disney-Princess-brand-in-Japan-only-have-the-original-6-Snow-White-Cinderella-Aurora-Ariel-Belle-and-Jasmine-Rapunzel-as-official-members-Why-leave-out-Pocahontas-Mulan-Tiana-Merida-who-are-also-part-of-the-brand in this link]] that the Japanese have their own list of qualifications to have one recognized as part of their princess canon, as well as having an old school vision of what a princess is for them.

Context YMMV / DisneyPrincess