Gone are the days when Disney portrayed their princesses as weak and fragile women who needed a prince to save them. We have entered an era where the princesses are strong, independent women that still have the capacity to love, but also fully understand that they possess strength within themselves and have no need to be saved just by a handsome prince alone; they can save themselves.
I believe that one of the best portrayals of this statement is found in the movieFrozen (2013). There has been so much speculation about Queen Elsa's role in the upcoming sequel movie; should she be lesbian, should she be in any kind of relationship at all, and the most recent debate, should Elsa be part of a campaign to stop meth use? Of course, each group of people that may want to use Elsa as a spokesperson for their beliefs has good reason to consider it. Elsa is part of one of the most beloved Disney movies of all time! She is the perfect example of a woman who overcame her indifference to the people around her and learned to embrace who she truly was. With such an influential role, it would seem so easy to use her to convert people to a particular point of view.
However, a major part of the lesson is being overlooked. In the end, the Ice Queen realized that what she had been missing her whole life was love, not just from her sister, but from herself as well. Only then was she able to melt the ice away from her kingdom.
And that is where my philosophy comes in; Elsa is perfect just the way she is. There is no reason for her to be in any kind of relationship, heterosexual or not. To follow this point, Meth doesn't even exist in that world, so why bring it or any kind of addiction into play? The children and adults alike who watch the movie Frozen can learn one important lesson from it without any alteration; let go of the stress associated with hiding who you really are. If we can simply learn to let go of the fear associated with people that are different from us, we can change the world for the better.
It doesn't matter what other people think or say, you are who you are. Just like Elsa, if you have the strength to embrace your uniqueness and love yourself regardless of negative opinions, the individuals around you will be affected for the better. It is small steps like these that change opinions; all the anger and hate in the world will never melt a frozen heart.
I learned from Elsa that the most important love you could ever receive is from the people that will accept you for who you are. Anna was always ready to love Elsa and she didn't care at all that her sister was different; Anna accepted Elsa's individuality as something that made her extremely special. Because of that acceptance everyone in the kingdom was able to see the beauty in Elsa and completely forgot the fear.
The world shouldn't feel the need to single out Elsa to any one specific group because she already can represent each and every soul out there. Her inner strength is what we find inspiring and that same strength resides in every human being that learns to believe in themselves and their cause. Forget the fear that is associated with people who are different and learn to love them for who they are.
So please, let's dismiss the need to rally Elsa into a campaign and simply love the movie for the amazing morals it teaches to all; love is the most powerful of all forces and is something definitely worth melting for.
