During Capstone we have done many things, including picking out a topic, getting a main inquiry question, sub questions, researching, interviewing, and a bit more. But one of the things we had to do was writing an essay. The essay had to be about answering our main inquiry question. My topic is Disney princesses, and my main inquiry question is “How have the Disney princesses evolved and how have they impacted girls and boys around the world” 

Starting to write the essay was challenging. I didn’t know where to start! I was stuck just thinking about a hook, and I couldn’t seem to find a way to start without my hook. But once I thought of a hook, I was off. I could’t stop writing, ideas just started popping into my head and I just kept writing them down! I finished the essay in one day! But then I had to start editing and revising. I definitely do not enjoy revising my essay. So my teacher really helped me with that! Well you probably want to see my essay now, so here it is!

Disney princesses. What comes to mind? Pretty and gentle? Strong and brave? Disney princesses are role models to girls and boys, and they have changed drastically throughout the years. I wanted to look more into this, so I did research. The question that drove my research was, “How have Disney princesses evolved, and how have they impacted girls and boys around the world?” To answer this question I studied how the diversity, body shapes, story lines, and personalities of the Disney princesses have evolved over the years and their impact on girls and boys around the world.

The ethnicity, including the race, of Disney princesses has evolved and become more diverse. The earliest princesses such as Snow White, Aurora of Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Ariel in Little Mermaid, and Belle in Beauty and the Beast were all white and their ethnicity was not stressed. Lisa Fragner, Vice President of Disney Television says ethnicity is one of the main ways that Disney princesses have evolved.  Snow White, the first Disney princess, came out in 1937, and the first Disney princess of color, Jasmine in Aladdin, came out 55 years later in 1992. Jasmine was Arabian and unlike all of the other princesses before her who were all white. After Jasmine, the ethnicity of Disney princesses started to be more varied. The only catch about Jasmine is that the voice actress (Linda Larkin) for the animated film was white. But it’s still a change. After Jasmine came Pocahontas in 1995. Pochahontus was Native American. The voice actress behind Pocahontas (Irene Bedard) was not white. This was a big step for Disney! After Pochahontas everything started changing. Mulan came out in 1998, and she was an Asian Disney princess. The voice actress, (Ming-Na Wen) was Asian also. The Frog and the Princess came out in 2009 and its Disney princess, Tiana, was African American. This might seem like a big step for Disney. But it is also a step back since Tiana only had around 20 minutes of being a human being. The rest of the movie she was in frog form, which didn’t show any sort of diversity for Disney. Tiana was a frog for more than half of the movie, and more than double the amount of time that she was a human being. But then finally came Moana. Moana was Hawaiian, and the voice actress, (Auli’i Cravalho) is also Hawaiian. As you can see the race has changed a lot, and the increased diversity was a change for the better as it expanded what it gave girls and boys around the world greater opportunity to see themselves reflected in the main characters.

The body shape of Disney princesses has also changed, enough for it to be noticeable. Two of the latest princesses, Mulan and Moana, are the two Disney princesses who have changed the most this way. They both have strong legs and curves. They have a different shape since they are both on a quest. Moana is going to save her island, and Mulan is going to save her country. Most of the other Disney princesses just have curves, and very tiny waists. All of this has changed girls and boys’ perspectives about their own bodies. By showing greater diversity in ethnicity and body shape, Disney is helping girls and boys have greater awareness and appreciation for diverse beliefs and cultures.

Another way that Disney princesses have evolved is their movie story lines. All of the Disney princesses have their own unique story, and they all send different messages to girls and boys. Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora, of Sleeping Beauty, all have similar stories that focus on their beauty and needing a man to save you. The only reason why Snow White got poisoned was because a mirror told the Evil Queen that Snow White was prettier than her. Then she needed a man to come to the rescue and wake her up. Cinderella was unhappy until the fairy godmother transformed her and her beauty was remarked on at the ball. She was later saved by the prince who came to the rescue with a glass slipper in hand. Aurora, pretty much couldn’t do anything without a man. She was in a deep sleep and couldn’t move a thing until Prince Philip came to the rescue, once again. This doesn’t really send a very good message to girls and boys. It is telling them that they need a man or woman to come and save the day, and they won’t be able to do anything without them.  

Later princesses, Ariel of Little Mermaid, Jasmine of Aladdin, and Mulan have similar storylines in that they are all less obedient and betray their fathers. Ariel betrays her father because she wants to see the world beyond the ocean, and her father won’t let her. But she does anyway. Jasmine has a similar story, she betrays her father to go and explore beyond the palace walls. Even though her dad says that it’s dangerous and that she shouldn’t be out there. But something different about Jasmine is that she refused to marry someone who she doesn’t love. Jasmine also didn’t like the rules that her father set. Her father says that she can’t be Sultun unless she marries someone. Jasmine thought that this was unfair, and she was 100% right. Mulan betrays her dad, but she betrays him to protect him. Mulan didn’t want her father to go to war, since he was already hurt and she thought that he might not make it out alive. When she asked him if she could go instead he said no, but Mulan went anyway because she wanted to save her dad. 

These later princesses are definitely less obedient, but Ariel and Jasmine both still need a man to come to their rescue. Ariel gave up her voice to get legs so she could see a man she has never met before. And Jasmine needed Aladdin to come to the rescue when Jafar trapped her into the hourglass. These two movies send a mixture of messages. Ariel and Jasmine tell girls and boys that if you really want to do something do it no matter what anybody says. This is a good message but can also be a bad one since it is telling girls and boys to not obey their parents, and the rules that they have set for their kids. Like the last three it sends the message that you need a man or a woman and you can’t do anything without them. 

Recent princesses Merida of Brave, Elsa and Anna of Frozen, and Moana are all very independent Disney princesses. Merida doesn’t focus on a man at all. She actually does the exact opposite. When her clan is trying to make her marry this man, she refuses, which is a big change from almost all of the past Disney princesses. The movie also mainly focuses on her relationship with her mother, so that’s a big evolution. Frozen focuses on the relationship between two sisters, Elsa and Anna, who love each other. When Elsa shut Anna out of her life, Anna didn’t give up on Elsa. That is one nice sister right there. Elsa also doesn’t have a love interest. She is independent and on her own and she is better than ever.  Finally, Moana. Moana doesn’t have any mention of a love interest. When Maui showed up the last thing that Moana thought of was Maui as a love interest. She might have not even thought about it at all! Moana had a mission to save her island, and that is exactly what she did. Moana showed people that a movie can be fun, interesting, and adventurous all at the same time without having a love interest. All these Disney princesses show girls and boys that you don’t need a man or a woman to help you live through life. They teach you that you can go through anything without a man or woman coming to the rescue. All of these Disney princesses didn’t need saving, and I hope it stays like that in the future. 

The personalities haven’t changed too much. But there definitely are some differences. Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora once again are all very sweet and kind. They are also very petite and pretty. Which is never a bad thing. But these qualities emphasize obedience. Recent Disney princesses have started to be more tough, and strong. For example, Ariel is rebellious, curious, and confident. Ariel wants to see the world beyond the ocean, which has never been done before. This makes her very brave! Belle, of Beauty and the Beast, is very smart. She chooses to read books instead of falling for that one guy, Gaston, that every other girl can’t live without. She also cares less about looks and more about personality. After all, she did marry a so-called beast! Pocahontas is a peacemaker. All she wants is peace between the Native Americans and the Europeans.  Mulan is determined and brave. She goes into the war so her father doesn’t have to. Mulan proves that a woman can be as good as a man, if not better. Tiana, of Princess and the Frog, is strong and independent! She would rather work, than look for a man to do things for her, and take care of her needs. Merida of Brave is brave, just like the movie title. She refuses to marry someone who she doesn’t want to marry. That is more than brave in my opinion.  The two sisters in Frozen, Elsa and Anna, are strong and tough. Moana is fearless, she would do anything for her island. She doesn’t let anything get in her way, even if they are a demi-god! Disney princesses are being shown to have their own ideas about what will make them happy and they are not afraid to do what it takes to achieve their goals. They teach girls and boys to be who they really are, and to not let other people choose who you want to be!

In conclusion, the diversity,  body shapes, story lines, and personalities of the Disney princesses have evolved over the years. Their evolution is heading in a more inclusive direction, which is having a positive impact on boys and girls around the world. Disney princesses have helped girls and boys learn about life, and I think that is their main goal. So what do you think? Do you think the evolution of the Disney princesses have helped make a positive impact on girls and boys? Or a negative impact? Do you think evolution has anything to do with that?