For those of us who grew up in the late 90s and early 00s, Disney Princesses were a staple of our childhoods. They illustrated stories of overcoming problems that were important for us to see as children. The lessons they teach still ring true today as our society progresses more. Children today learn just as much if not more from these movies that we all have before them.
1. Acceptance
The key lessons of quite a few Disney Princess films were to accept everyone including ones self for exactly who they are. This is a great lesson to teach kids especially because of the diverse society we all live in today, in the United States we have a huge amount of different cultures and we all interact each day. Even as adults, we shouldn't be judging people by the way they look and that makes it a great lesson to teach at a young age. Belle didn't judge the Beast by his terrifying looks, and Anna didn't judge Kristoff when she first saw him either. If Belle had based her opinions on looks she would've ended up with Gaston, who we all know was not so great a guy, though he was adored for being conventionally attractive.
2. They are Unafraid to Show Their Intelligence
A huge issue in our society with women is our right to education and our ability to work in certain fields. At least a few of the Disney Princesses were noticeably intelligent. Belle loved to read, Rapunzel charts stars. With the amount of women being represented in fields such as Engineering and science fields growing, it is extremely important that the films young girls are exposed to show smart empowered women.
3. Dreams Can Come True With a Little Hard Work
Kids' imaginations are probably the largest in the world. Their goals are amazing, and to adults, sometimes a stretch. They go from desiring to be an astronaut to professional sports players, sometimes in the course of one conversation. The problem all too often is that we as adults see these as too unrealistic and tend to discourage them from having dreams like these. A great thing about the Disney Princess franchise is that they never discourage these dreams, only encourage. Rapunzel's mother discouraged her from going to see the lanterns yet she worked hard and found a way to make it there on her own, and Tiana worked two jobs for most of her adult life in order to save up for her restaurant. Both worked hard and at achieved their dreams by the end of their respective films. It is important for kids to be encouraged with their goals and dreams and taught that hard work can take you anywhere.
4. Standing Up For What You Believe In
Standing up for what you believe in is a difficult feat even as an adult. It is really important to teach kids at a young age that it is okay to stand up for yourself and what you believe in no matter what. Jasmine was an outspoken character all through her movie about her freedom to make a choice for herself about her marriage and falling in love. Kids need to be taught to stand up for themselves and the things they are passionate about and there is no better way for them to learn than their favorite princess.
5. The Importance of Family
Family relationships are extremely important in every person's life, whether they're a child or an adult. It is important for kids to be exposed to media that show healthy family relationships, especially as they grow older and start to see their parents as people who will make mistakes, not unlike themselves. The Disney Princess franchise demonstrates family relationships very well through many of their films. Belle sacrifices her freedom to make the Beast set her father free and Mulan went to war, risking her own life so that her father wouldn't have to risk his life. These instances are great for young kids to see and relate to their own families.
6. Patience
Patience is a virtue, as the old saying goes. Easier said than done, as it is an issue for most adults to master, let alone children. It is important for kids to see how valuable patience can be in a person's life. Cinderella worked as a maid in her own home for years before she was able to escape her stepmother's clutches. Kids are learning a valuable lesson when they learn about patience with others and with situations they find themselves in, as sometimes, time is the only thing that will change a person's circumstances.
7. Forgiveness
Forgiveness is a very difficult feat even as an adult. However, it is an extremely valuable skill to have, which is why we benefit from being exposed to its benefits at a young age. When we hold onto anger not only is it not good for us, but for the other the person we are angry at. Anna forgave Elsa after keeping her powers secret and shutting her out. Aurora forgave the fairies for hiding her identity for her. The kids watching these films are learning to forgive those who have wronged them and that is extremely good for them, as we cannot live our lives to the fullest if we carry those burdens around with us.
8. Teamwork is Valuable
Teamwork makes the dreamwork as I like to say. Almost everything we do in life involves other people, from group projects in school to leading a team in your professional life. Almost everyone has to work on a team at some point in their lives and where better to learn it than their favorite movies? Snow White teaches the animals to work together when she cleans the dwarves house and Jasmine works with both Aladdin and the Genie to defeat Jafar.
9. Support Your Friends
One of the most important things in our lives are the people we surround ourselves with, our friends. As a kid our social interactions are some of the most important developmentally. We need to learn how to treat others and behave appropriately in certain settings. Ariel always tries to reassure Flounder and she trusts Scuttle's ideas, even when they may not be the best. Cinderella sews her mice friends clothing so that they aren't cold and she gives them food when they fight with the other animals for it. Learning to support our friends is a huge step in our social development and the Disney Princesses show children how to do so quite well.
10. Give Back
Learning to give back to our community and to others in the world is a really important thing to learn about as a kid. There are always people who are worse off than we are and we should be helping them as best as we can. Disney Princesses manage to promote that even in regards to the environment. Pocahontas teaches John Smith about how to give back to the land what you take out of it and Jasmine helps a starving child get an Apple on her venture to the marketplace. It is important for children to have these types of role models and see the ways in which they can help others and our planet
11. Be Yourself
Each Disney Princess in the franchise is proud of who they are by the end of their film. Every person in the world is unique and kids need to be taught that being themselves should be enough for everyone in their lives. Merida didn't allow her parents to marry her off because it wasn't what she wanted or who she is and Elsa accepted the fact that she had powers and learned to use her unique gift. Children should be taught that the best thing in life they can be themselves.
Disney Princess films are a valuable tool for children to learn a lot of great lessons from. Even as an adult I take a new lesson from each Disney Princess film I see. This franchise is a huge part of our culture and it is an incredibly valuable one at that.
