Friday, December 20, 2013

Day 280: Confessions of a Disney Princess Fan Part 3



Esther- Fairest One of All

     Snow White, the sweet young princess who loves animals and her dear dwarf friends, is a Disney classic.  Most people associate her as being the one who yearns for her prince to come. What draws Esther to Snow White is Snow’s generous heart and loyalty to her friends, and effectually these characteristics can be reflected in herself.  They both willingly sacrifice time out of their day to be the kind of person their friends need them to be.  Like Snow, Esther loves baking, only without blue birds to help her with pie crusts.  Often she gives away her fresh-baked treats to her friends. 

     Esther also enjoys nature, only participating in more active activities such as volleyball and paddle boarding rather than long nature walks.  The sun beating down on her hair, a light breeze against her skin- that is the life Esther would prefer over being trapped indoors.  When she isn’t playing sports, she’ll take the more peaceful approach to nature, staring at the tranquil lives the animals live.  A deer munches on a moist tuft of grass.  The shadow of a sparrow soaring freely moves across the dirt path.  Such nature fans almost envy the oblivion these animals enjoy, wishing they could live such a simple, stress-free life.  The air is fresh, untainted from pollution, rotting garbage, or other scents that give evidence to human civilization.  Esther almost wishes she could live such an isolated life in nature as Snow White had in the dwarves’ cottage.

Nani’s Glass Slipper

     Cinderella is a quiet, unassuming girl.  She doesn’t need a large bedroom, a fancy wardrobe, or fine jewelry.  She recognizes that friends are the finest treasure.  Nani is no different.  With aspirations of being a lawyer, she has decided to dedicate her life to helping others.  No job is too dirty or too menial.  Nani admires Cinderella because the princess does not let life drag her down.  Not all women could have grown up with evil stepmothers who raised them after their dads died, but they could have been impacted by death.  Growing up, their lives could have been plagued with one setback after another.  “Loss” could be a feeling all too familiar, but you’d never know by looking at their cheerful dispositions that they had a hard life.  Whether Nani has empathized with Cinderella is not as important as knowing that Nani does not let her past define her.  Determined to live each day better than the next, Nani holds onto her aspiration of going to law school and achieving other dreams, knowing that someday they will come true. 

Lucy Under the Sea

     Towards the end of the twentieth century, movies redefined the ideal princess to reflect the changes female roles in society.  Women did not want to sit idly back and let their princes come to their rescue.  They took the initiative to save themselves and tried to make their own dreams come true, even if their rash decisions got them into more trouble than they bargained for. Women such as Lucy and Nani, who relate to Ariel, wish they could be part of another world beyond their current situations and are willing to do what it takes to get themselves there. 

     Like Ariel, Lucy says that “relics of the past” fascinate her, making her the type who enjoys reading a mythology book or watching a documentary.  She also keeps collections of those relics, perhaps containing stamps, old photos, or other mementos.  It’s all about looking at your past to define your future.  Sensible collections would include stickers, marbles, dolls, or tea cups.   If Lucy is anything like Ariel or Kaitlyn, those collections have a few quirks.  Over the years, my sister has collected rubber bands, broken pencil leads, those small bouncy balls out of the grocery store vending machines, and most recently whiskers and fur from her cat.   She would be one of the first to see the unveiling of the world’s greatest ball of string.  Whatever the collection, any Ariel fan tends to look at things other people would easily overlook.    

     Loving Ariel must involve a love of the sea, whether it is enjoying the way the blue green water reflects the sun’s reddish hues at sunset or the bitter salty taste left in one’s mouth after a wave tosses her off her surfboard.  If she is a true ocean enthusiast, she might live in makeshift tents on the beach. 

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