Disney got it wrong.
I wish I could just stop there, but I suppose I’ll need to explain and support my assertion, won’t I?
First, we need some clarification. What do I mean by “Disney got it wrong”? This question is best answered by another question: what is the stereotypical “fairytale princess” (from now on FP)? Some of the most common descriptions I hear go along the lines of “waiting for prince charming”, “helpless”, “an accessory or prize”, “love at first sight”, “true love’s kiss”, “flawless”, and the list goes on. A good summary of the stereotypical FP is Disney’s song from Cinderella, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes”: “No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing/ The dream that you wish will come true.” 1 In other words, just believe and it will all work out. This is the idea splashed upon every fairytale female (FF), whether she’s actually a princess or not. They are then stuck into a formula of “FP is in trouble but does nothing, Prince Charming comes to the rescue, they live happily ever after despite the FP having done nothing to earn her own ending”. Simple, right?
As I’m sure you know, starting most notably with the Disney Renaissance (though really present earlier), and continuing on till today in such films as Shrek and Frozen and so many books and games I could never count them all, the FP and this “fairytale formula” has been “subverted” and replaced by more complex stories and characters, to the praise of the people at the toppling of weak angels who need men to solve all their problems because they can’t do anything… which would be fine except for one little detail.
The stereotypes are WRONG!
Helpless? In “Rumpelstiltskin”, the girl makes a deal with the devil to get out of a life-threatening situation forced upon her by her stupid father and a not-so-charming prince and then does all she can to fight the devil himself. And that’s only a negative example of an FF taking action.
True love’s kiss? Almost non-existent (fyi, there isn’t a kiss in “Snow White”)
Prince Charming to the rescue? Puh-lease! In the few stories which actually contain him, the prince is almost always a tool. Not to mention the numerous times it’s the girl who saves the day (“Handsel and Gretel”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “The Wild Swans”, “Rapunzel”, “The Snow Queen”, need I say more?).
Flawless? Read “The Virgin Mary’s Child”.
Happily ever after? “The Little Mermaid”.
I could go on, but I think it’s time to go a little deeper. How about one of the stories Disney got mostly right and which I mentioned earlier, “Cinderella”.*
“Cinderella” has become a poster child of sorts for the anti-FP stance. Typically, I’ve heard her described as a girl who doesn’t anything to help herself, just waiting for her fairy godmother and the prince to rescue her, and if you’ve only see Disney’s movie, with Cinderella staring at the castle, singing her “just believe” song, I can understand. I won’t even argue against Cinderella being basically flawless and only getting out of her situation because someone else rescues her. However, these “flaws” are either non-existent or actually positives, not problems. What do I mean?
Let’s begin with Cinderella herself. In the story, she is not waiting for anyone to save her. There’s none of this “oh, just wish and believe” or “if only Prince Charming would come save me”. No. Cindy isn’t waiting to be rescued; it doesn’t even occur to her. “But,” you might ask, “doesn’t this mean she’s just passively accepting her fate and not doing anything to change her situation?” Well, yes and no. Yes, Cinderella isn’t really doing anything to change her situation, at least not outwardly, but that doesn’t mean she’s passively resigning herself to whatever comes her way.
This brings me back to Cinderella as “flawless”. In the story, Cinderella is a virtuous person. Cinderella's father has died. Her stepmother holds rightful authority but then abuses her power and treats her stepdaughter as a servant while allowing her own daughters to behave cruelly against Cinderella. Cinderella, in contrast to our heavily individualistic, rights-driven culture, obeys her mother. Yes, her mother is treating her horribly, though not nearly so bad as her step siblings do, but they are not threatening her life, only insulting her. In submitting to proper authority and not repaying insult with injury, Cinderella does the right thing.
I’m sure many of you have had a bad boss. He (or she, see stepmother above) might treat you like trash, call you names, infringe upon your “rights”, but so long as he doesn’t (a) illegitimately endanger life (which includes sexual and physical harassment) or (b) demand violation of the Moral Law, Christ made the proper response clear: “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (NIV Mark 12: 17) and “If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt” (Luke 6: 29). Paul then expands on these responses in his letter to the Romans, saying, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge… for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12: 18-19) and “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established…. Give to everyone what you owe: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Romans 13: 1, 7). Christianity demands proper submission to authority and overcoming “evil with good” (Romans 12: 21).2
Now, clarification time for myself. I’m not a pacifist, nor do I support letting government run rampant and destroy society. If you are being sexually or physically harassed or threatened, defend yourself. Paul fled from those who wished to kill him (Acts 9: 23-25), and Christ Himself used violence in response to the mistreatment of God's house (John 2:13-16).2 However, I am against rebellion or fighting unless in extreme cases like self-defense and when other avenues have been exhausted. Fight abuse of power, but do so through lawful means and persuasion, through virtue. Rebellion and violence are last resorts.
Cinderella provides an example. Her case isn’t so extreme she must fight. Yes, she’s being mistreated and humiliated, but rather than repay evil for evil, Cindy does something unexpected and instead endures everything with grace, showing herself superior in virtue. In other words, Cinderella symbolizes fortitude, a kind of courage that involves patient endurance. It’s a quiet, subtle way of fighting. Another way of putting it is Cinderella is the Martin Luther King Junior of fairytales, and we would never call him “helpless” or “lacking initiative”.
For anyone still doubting this characterization of Cinderella, consider this. Although Cinderella allows herself to be mistreated, she never lets this treatment impact her dignity. When the invitation comes to attend the ball, she asserts her position as a member of the family, showing she still views herself not as a servant, but as a proper member of the household. Then, it is only when her step sisters try to strip her of her identity and dignity does the fairy godmother arrive.
Okay, let’s recap. Cinderella as a character is not a passive do-nothing waiting for someone to come save her. She isn’t expecting to be saved. Instead, she exhibits fortitude, patient endurance, by properly submitting to authority and refusing to avenge herself without letting herself be degraded as a person. Now, after her stepfamily attacks even that, a miracle happens. Her fairy godmother arrives and offers Cinderella the chance to go to the ball (and notice, our “passive princess” doesn’t sit in her tower waiting for her prince but takes the chance when given), Cindy meets the prince, loses her slipper, is locked away when her stepmother realizes it was Cinderella at the ball, Cindy breaks out (again, active resistance when the line is crossed), the shoe fits, and that’s the end. Right?
Not exactly. You see, Disney can get a little… squeamish at times and reject aspects of the fairytale that might seem “too dark”, which, unfortunately, can distort the theme of the story. This is where Disney really got “Cinderella” wrong. See, “Cinderella” is not a story of “believe and it will all work out”. It’s a story about perfect justice: everyone gets what they deserve. In Cinderella’s case, she has repaid humiliation and mistreatment with virtue and is rewarded (note: the prince is a reward, not a rescuer) with stability and honor for the rest of her life. What about her stepsisters? Well in the original fairytale, the stepsisters are convinced by their mother to cut off parts of their feet to fit the slipper and/or get their eyes gorged out by birds…. Yeah. In the end, everyone gets what they deserve.
Unfortunately, “Cinderella” is not the only fairytale with a weakened protagonist and/or themes. “The Little Mermaid” is actually a cautionary tale about a foolish girl who desires a human prince so much she resorts to witchcraft. When things don’t turn out how she wants though, she wants to return to the sea, but to do so, she must kill the prince. Instead of murder someone to reclaim her own happiness, the little mermaid throws herself into the sea and dies. In “Snow White”, the titular character is an innocent 6-year-old who is loved for her beauty, kindness, and innocence, the same strengths that end in her nearly being killed three times by her wicked stepmother; the story is a tale of true beauty vs. false beauty and, again, justice (the wicked stepmother is executed at the end). “The Princess and the Frog” is a story about honesty and keeping promises, not winning a prince through a lucky draw or how what you need most is a significant other (apparently Tiana doesn't love her mom and friend?). And I could just go on and on about fairytales that don’t really fit the “fairytale formula” in terms of message, plot execution, characters, etc. It’s not hard at all.
Now, don't get me wrong. I love Disney movies, and I'm not at all against adaptations or retellings. Involving different interpretations of the characters or incorporating different themes can be fine, too. However, when the theme is significantly weakener, or even false, because the changes made, I think we might want to take a step back and examine things a bit more.
In conclusion, the original subverters of the “fairytale formula” and the “fairytale princess” are, actually, the fairytales themselves. Fairytales are far from the formula often attributed to them, as are their famous “princesses”. I only wish I could cover more details on the complexity of these “simple children’s stories”: the building of plots, the happy ending, more on family dynamics and symbolism, fairytales with male leads, dangers, morals, the subtle hints at strengths and flaws of characters, and so much more. But that’d need a book, or at least a 70-page essay; fairytales are a bit too diverse and complicated to contain within a single blog post.
For more on fairytales, I highly suggest reading J. R. R. Tolkien’s fabulous essay “On Fairy Stories”.
*Note: In this post, I describe only a common version of the tale of "Cinderella". There are variations of this story, such as Cinderella’s father not dying, the ball lasting three nights instead of one, and Cinderella getting her clothes and slipper from birds rather than a fairy, but none of these differences impact the theme “Cinderella” or her character. I have found the same applies to most, if not all, variations on fairytales.
1Woods, Ilene. "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" by Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston, Mack David.
Cinderella. Walt Disney Records: Burbank, 2012. CD.
2The Holy Bible, Today's New International Version TNIV. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005. Print.