If you're a girl, and especially a millennial like me, you probably grew up watching every single Disney movie, and just about every single Disney Princess movie there is. And you probably still get excited when they're on, cause no arguments, they are the BEST THINGS EVER. Thank you, Walter!
But if you're also a girl, you grew up with the fantasy that there was always a hero out there whose goal was to find a princess to save. In "Sleeping Beauty", Prince Phillip ran up the tower to kiss Aurora and awaken her from her sleep. Prince Eric used his ship to save Ariel from Ursula who had stolen her beautiful voice that had brought them together in the first place.
Prince Charming saved Cinderella from a home that was not only full of verbal abuse but emotional to the point where she believed that she wouldn't be enough for Prince Charming and he would never recognize her again. In "Aladdin", Aladdin uses Jafar's wish to be a genie against him, putting him into the lamp for eternity, saving Jasmine. In Mulan, Li Shang spares Mulan's life after he discovers she is a woman during battle.
But after seeing all these princesses being saved by their princes, as little girls with big dreams, we all sat there wondering "When will my prince come?"
Almost every movie has a song about waiting for a prince to come and save them or even the prince going to save a princess. When was it established that us princesses needed a prince? I'm a girl worth fighting for, and I know someday my prince MIGHT come, but I'm not gonna sit around and wait on someone.
Why can't us women today be the badasses that Disney gave us like Mulan, or Meg from "Hercules"? Mulan wasn't concerned with finding love, she was just concerned with her goal to fight on her family's behalf and to set an example for women. Meg didn't care what the men in her life wanted from her, she was very independent and her sole opinion of men was neutral and didn't affect her for the most part.
Today we wait for guys, so we have an example of what we deserve... Reminder, no matter who you are, you deserve the best. So don't settle for less than that. Don't settle for less than Prince Eric, Prince Phillip, or Prince Charming.
Today, we need to show the world that even though we grew up watching princesses who waited for a man, we're queens who can rule and take on anything life throws our way without one.
