This is the story of a normal girl living her provincial life, but hoping for something more. Surely, she can find this treasure: a talent that can take her places. Her whole town jeers at her, claiming she can't do it because she's a girl! She's so short! She doesn't look like anyone else! She's not the same color! The list goes on and on. Of course she feels discouraged, but her fairy godmother pushes her on.
Thus the adventure begins, catchy themes and all. She runs faster, swims farther, flips quicker, hits the ball harder. She makes sure to dedicate herself day and night to achieving her dream. She sacrifices herself, she cries, she laughs, she aches, she becomes more confident. The journey takes years, but she gets there eventually. There are battles, the same ones she's fought before and more. "Look at her hair! She's so tiny! She doesn't look like the other girls! She's from where?" But she shrugs it off because she has faith and she remembers the struggles she's faced. She's pushed forth by the encouragement she has from her friends.
Needless to say, she defeats the villain, she faces the obstacle, she wins. She learns what she needs and she becomes the new princess. She didn't need a prince, a glass slipper, or a wicked stepmother to get there; she did it all by herself. All she needed was faith, trust and encouragement.
Princesses are great role models. They have the grace, the beauty, and the prince. But, that's pretty much all that little girls are told to look up to. They're taught that when you get the prince and the castle, everything falls into place. Why don't we celebrate real life princesses like Simone Biles, Simone Manuel, Katie Ledecky or Aly Raisman, strong women who have had to struggle to get to where they are? Why don't we show them to push themselves past their limits so the obstacles they face make them stronger? Why don't we teach them that who they are, where they come from, the color of their skin or their sexuality won't stop them from getting what they want?
Every girl needs someone to look up to. The 2016 Rio Olympics have been showcasing the women's teams, which have been winning gold medal after gold medal. They're the real life princesses; they don't need tiaras or a gown to be decorated.
The society we live in now is one of opportunities. Everything is becoming more accessible, our mindsets are revolutionizing and changing. Yet, there's still some criticism. Women have always been seen as the inferior gender, although they often do more than men could ever do. It used to be that people expected women to just worry about their vanity and what they're cooking for dinner, not about breaking records or becoming the best gymnast in the world, but these expectations are becoming less and less relevant with every new accomplishment for a woman.
Let's teach girls to reach for the stars in a realistic way. Let's make sure they know that any girl, from the tiniest girl to the tallest one can break walls and redefine boundaries. Let's guarantee that they can make history if they apply themselves because they are just as capable as anyone else. Life could be a fairy tale, and we could realize our dreams, but it's not with a fairy godmother or a cute fictional Prince. It's with the hard work, the tears, the sleepless nights, the joy you feel when you win, the urge to work harder when you lose. You can have a happy ending, but by living your life. You might get a slipper and a good looking love interest in between, but it'll be a minor plot. Let's tell new stories, this time with Olympians as the heroines.
