Why are girls so taken with the princess fantasy? Our daughter, Danae, has loved the princess fantasy since she was a tiny girl. I asked her why the story line is so captivating. This is what she wrote in response:
1)Beauty. Every girl wants to be considered physically attractive, and princesses take it to the highest level. Snow White was pro- claimed "the fairest of them all" by the magic mirror, and all eyes were on Cinderella at the top of the staircase when she walked into the ballroom. (Even the musicians stopped playing momentarily.) One of the gifts given to Sleeping Beauty by the fairies at the celebration of her birth was the gift of beauty. The description of the blessing, offered in the form of a song, included such phrases as "gold of sunshine in her hair" and "lips that shame the red, red rose . . . she'll walk with springtime wherever she goes."
2)Song. Every Disney princess has a beautiful voice, and some of the story lines are based around that talent. Sleeping Beauty was also given the gift of song at birth, and it was her extraordinary voice that attracted Prince Phillip in the forest. The Little Mermaid had such a lovely voice that she was asked by the villain to exchange it for the ability to walk on land. Snow White and Cinderella were always breaking into a cheerful tune while doing chores ("Just whistle while you work"), and every princess sings her dreams instead of talking them out.
3)Beautiful clothes. Princesses wear lovely gowns in bright colors, and little girls love to mimic their heroine's attire by donning similar costumes. Just go to Disneyland (or Disney World) and you will see plenty of petite versions of Snow White, Belle, and Cinderella walking around the park in their favorite princess costumes.
4)Handsome suitor. A princess is always pursued by an attractive male prospect, and he's usually a prince—someone any girl in the kingdom would love to have. Through all the ups and downs in the story line, a princess always gets her man in the end. Even in the story of Beauty and the Beast, when the curse on the castle is reversed, the Beast turns into a handsome prince, and he and Belle dance across the ballroom floor together.
5)Rags to riches. Some of the princesses are already living like roy- alty (Ariel and Jasmine), others achieve it by marrying a prince (Cinderella and Belle), and still others are princesses by birth (Snow White and Sleeping Beauty) but unable to live in the lap of luxury until the end of the story. One thing is true for all: in the end they all live in a castle with the man of their dreams and with riches galore (enough to buy all the gorgeous gowns they desire).
6) Happily ever after. This is true for every Disney princess, but unfortunately not for the rest of us. Nevertheless, the concept of marrying a handsome prince and living happily ever after (no conflicts or problems) is appealing to young dreamers who hope that one day they will have the same privilege. "Happily ever after" sounds so romantic and appealing, doesn't it?
7)Dreams coming true. A princess expresses her wishes and dreams early in the story and always sees them come to life in the end. As Cinderella sang so eloquently at the beginning of the film, "No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true." And Snow White sang into the wishing well, "Someday my prince will come. . . ."
To be a princess is to be considered beautiful, to be pursued, and to see all your hopes and dreams come true. Now who wouldn't want to be a princess?
Book: Bringing Up Girls
By Dr. James Dobson