On princesses

I feel I've spent enough time with little Icelandic girls to have the general impression that they are not as obsessed with Disney princesses as American little girls are. It was amazing how many of the girls at Disney World, in 80 degree weather, we dressed in princess gowns. And of course there was a dizzying array of "Disney Princess" products. All of these feature three princess in particular, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Belle. There is indeed a meta narrative logic to this triad, one which I think would even translate into the Icelandic experience. Sleeping Beauty is the oldest film, and here the princess is very passive, in fact she sleeps through most of the story while the prince battles an evil witch, who can even transform into a really frightening dragon. Cinderella is slightly active, but still clearly a submissive figure (a maid afterall), though the narrative is moved forward by her standing up for herself, insisting she be allowed to go to the ball. The main obstacle here are her two step-sisters, who are often called evil but are really just stupid, petty, and mean. Cinderella's goodness is obvious to the prince, who wisely chooses her. The most contemporary princess is Belle from Beauty and the Beast. When that movie came out, I was in highschool, but I still went to see it in the theatre, and own the film. While I myself dressed up as Cinderella, Belle is clearly my princess of choice, not just because she has brown hair and eyes and is a book worm, but also because she overcomes perhaps the hardest obstacle of all, all on her own. That is the challenge of finding love in your heart for a person most of the world dismisses as an outcast, and having the conviction to stick to that. Maybe not as scary as a dragon, but still pretty hard to overcome, and a lot more true to life. 

Like all meta-narratives then, this is one based on the idea of progress through time. And of course, the third one is the best, as in any good folktale. That is something surely all Icelanders know, even if they aren't Disney fans. 

 

Comments

Iris said…
I think it has a lot to do with the fact that American mothers are more obsessed with Disney princesses than Icelandic mothers.
Anthony's mom was determined to find Lilja a princess dress. Even after all my protest that there is absolutely NO point in buying a 14 months old a Disney outfit that she will not comprehend, want or appreciate. To my pleasure we had to find out that the dresses started at a size 3!
December 21, 2008 at 4:19 PM
Lissy said…
Lilja in a princess dress, how cute would that have been (just kidding!).
December 22, 2008 at 7:22 PM
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