My granddaughters and I curled up on the couch this weekend and watched the 2015 live-action remake of Cinderella. The gowns were incredible – can we bring back chiffon – and the sets were lavish.
Writers updated the story to give Ella a bit more spunk, but we still have a long way to go to transform these fairy-tale princesses into young women who can take care of business.
Walt Disney films often perpetuate the idea that women are weak and their only goal in life is to remain oblivious to their own beauty and marry a prince who’ll take them away from a life of drudgery.
One of the firsts was Snow White.
She knew how to take care of seven other people in a cramped little house without the benefit of electricity, running water or a paycheck.
In “Sleeping Beauty,” instead of hiding the truth from Aurora, the young princess should’ve been warned about the dangers she might face. She’d know to avoid needles and could head up an anti-drug campaign at the same time.
And if you’re asleep when your prince comes along, we need to have a talk about recognizing signs when choosing a suitable life partner.
In the original “Cinderella,” Disney’s female lead never questions why she, the owner of the castle, has to serve as a maid. She never complains, never talks back, never stands up for herself.
Let’s look at her resume. Cinderella knew how to run a household, keep a castle humming, sew, cook and complete all of that on a non-existent budget.
The movie “Tangled” is based on the tale of Rapunzel, a young maiden kept prisoner in a tower by an evil witch. The Disney princess was somewhat brave, I’ll give her that.
But if Rapunzel knew she could throw her hair down and help someone up into the tower, why didn’t she cut her own hair or sew all those sheets and drapes together and make her own escape rope? Nope, she had to wait for bad-boy Flynn Rider to come along and help her out.
In “Beauty and the Beast,” Belle has a bit more independence. She refused to marry Gaston, the manly hunk of the movie.
Belle complains about the “provincial town” she lives in but does nothing to improve the situation.
I wish we could’ve seen Belle open her own library and teach adults and children how to read.
Instead, she marries the prince and lives happily ever after, her life’s goal to read every book in that huge library. Not to anyone else. Just to herself.
In “The Little Mermaid,” Ariel trades her voice, her best asset, the one quality the guy remembers about her, for a chance to make a guy fall in love with her.
A guy she met once, and he was unconscious for most of that encounter.
If you’re going to trade your talent, trade it like most people do – for a job with a 401k and vacation time.
Which brings me back to the Cinderella movie.
Instead of accepting her role as servant in her own castle, let’s have Cinderella see an attorney right after her father’s death.
She would contest the will, claiming at least half the assets. Then she’d force the stepmother to sell the estate, sue her for back wages, invest all the money and live an independent life as a wealthy woman.
The next time we watch an animated princess movie, we’ll watch Moana sail the oceans, or “Encanto’s” Mirabel discover her special power was inside her all along.
Also on the watch list is “Brave’s” Merida chart her own course. Another good one is going along with young Tiana as she finds her way in “The Princess and The Frog.”
We need to teach our girls that finding true love requires more than a kiss when you’re asleep or a visit from a fairy godmother.
True love requires commitment and honesty.
Wearing a chiffon dress on that quest, however, would be acceptable.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.