Emotional Baggage
Why is it that all princesses are heroes, and all queens are nasty in fairy tales? Have you noticed that? Today we took Blue’s girlfriend a little girl that lives across the street from us to lunch with us and she drew a picture of a princess on the napkin. Fascinating for a family with three boys. We don’t draw princesses. We barely know they exist. Thing is, it got me thinking.
It seems like every little girls dream is to become a princess, not a queen. Interesting don’t you think? After all, don’t princesses become queens at some point? Here’s my theory. These princesses that are emotionally abused and mistreated as princesses eventually get that crown and then look out! Someone’s got hell to pay for all those years of being forced to clean floors and talk to animals and stuff. And guess who’s next in line? That’s right, the next princess. It’s an ugly cycle really.
Here’s what needs to happen. Someone needs to break this cycle of emotional baggage in the animated princess world and rid the world of nasty queens forever. Someone needs to step up and be the good queen. The singing, dancing, nice to animals queen. Then and only then will little girls everywhere be able to dream of being queens instead of being princesses.
You make a good point! I’ve never thought about that, as someone with 5 daughters and 2 sons. My youngest daughter who happens to be the youngest is 7 now. She so wants to be a princess when she grows up, so much so, that I’ve had to tell her princesses don’t act like that. You know, as far as burping and passing gas etc..She hasn’t mentioned wanting to be a princess in awhile, but next time she does, I’m telling her to aim higher and be a Queen!
I never realized this until this blog, but you are correct. I have an 8 year old granddaughter and a house full of princess things, not to mention that she has been one of the princesses 3 times for Halloween. I wonder why Disney decided to do princesses versus queens?
Let’s see a family guy with 3 boys writing about emotional baggage? Brody, this is Super Bowl weekend & my Steelers are going to rock Tampa! You can be a princess without emotional baggage and grow up to be the nice queen. I don’t need Disney to dictate to my child the “law of princess-like” behavior. My daughter did play dress-up & at Halloween only once was she a princess and she turned out ok. It all really comes down to the parenting. You have to make that distinction between fantasy & reality. Boys, too. They play different roles growing up-tough guys, princes, and cowboys. They have the same chance at emotional baggage. Is my emotional baggage shining through?
Have you noticed that all of those princesses above, mothers are dead? So the queen that is mean and nasty is their step mother. Soooo, maybe if these princess become queens, and don’t die, then their daughters won’t grow up to be nasty queens. They just need to be the generation that overcomes the emotional baggage.
I have never thought about all of this but its so strange that all are the same. Dead mothers, step mothers, mean queens, nice princesses and the guys are always princes no kings.
It makes me think the person who thought all these up had to be a child. My guess would be the child’s mother had died and he/she had a mean step mother. The child would have considered their dad a king thus meaning the child would be a prince or a princess.
By the way, my granddaughter pointed out that there is no queen in the story of Ariel there is the mean witch, Ursula.
Okay, I am putting way to much thought into this.
that is pretty deep post about Disney characters.. To be honest I have never thought about it that.. very interesting post. I enjoyed it..
I never really thought about it that way.. Thanks Brody..
Not all princesses grow up to be Queens. Either they have to marry the Crown Prince, or if there is no male heir (as with Queen Elizabeth).
Fortunately for little girls, it is easier to become a princess-who-becomes-Queen than it is to become a prince-who-becomes-King (unless you’re born to it, you can’t. cf Prince Phillip)
It isn’t, in fairness, entirely Disney’s fault. Cinderella, for example, existed long before Disney.
Also, in fairy tales, death is mostly absent as a rule. So you don’t have the Princes becoming Kings (hence their Princesses can’t become Queen….) Even Sleeping Beauty wasn’t killed, just put to sleep.
I have just put way too much thought into analyzing Fairy Tales for a Saturday night. I think I’m going to go play In A Pickle with my wife
bella is not allowed anything princess… we don’t want her to have the “princess complex” where she thinks she is better than anyone and anything and deserves everything she wants. she will like sports dang it!! SPORTS!!!
being she is daddy’s little girl and has him wrapped around her finger and a perfected pout (at 3 months) kyle is failing at this…
i am too…
and i wanted to be a princess because they always beat their evil stepmother and i wanted to do that too. i think i finally did
dang. way to mess me up. i always wanted to be the princess too.
its almost like “they” are teaching us to settle for second best.
so, brody, why dont you and your kiddos wrote a little story about queens and princesses from a boys perspective. that would be interesting.
We could delve into the story behind the fairy tales all day. I like some of the thoughts above…they said it better than I planned.
I really think, though, you brought up a GREAT point: terrible cycles that need to be broken.
You know what my favorite “fairy tale” is? Penelope. Love it. LOVE it. I know it is not an old tale really, but that movie would have taught me a lot more as a child than thes other fairy tales.
[...] 6, 2009 by andiramusic What is your favorite fairytale? I saw a post by Brody Harper recently, who asked about that. Also, an article about the new movie “Coraline”, [...]