Talking Point Seven: Cinderella Ate My Daughter (Peggy Orenstein) and Brave

While I read Cinderella Ate My Daughter last semester it was interesting to re-read again this semester in the context of connecting it with Brave.  I noticed I highlighted and noted different parts of the reading and picked up on things I hadn't last semester.

In the beginning of Orenstein's article she writes:
"...the passive, personality-free princess swept off by a prince (who is enchanted solely by her beauty) to live in a happily-ever-after that he ultimately controls."

This particular quote reminded me of Brave; Brave is not the stereotypical Disney princess movie we are all used to. There is no princess with a flowy gown and perfect hair who gets prince charming in the end.  Instead we see a strong-willed girl, determined to change her mother's mind and get what she wants and ultimately she does.  In no way is Merida the passive princess Orenstein is talking about.  She is not swept off her feet and whisked away by her prince.  Merida is the princess with determination, she defies the stereotype Disney has been shoving down our throats for years.  Her beauty is not what is important to her, neither is finding prince charming.  Making her mother listen and being able to live her life the way she wants...being able to just be herself--that is what she values.

Orenstein also writes:
"...teenage girls and college students who hold conventional beliefs about femininity--especially those that emphasize beauty and pleasing behavior--are less ambitious and more likely to be depressed than their peers."

When we see Merida in Brave we are not seeing a girl emphasizing her tiny waist or her flawless face.  She is certainly not trying to please anybody but herself.  Teenage girls have this belief that they need to be beautiful and please everyone but as we see in Brave that is not the case.  Sometimes the only person we need to please is our self and that is where beauty comes from.

On page 17 Orenstein writes:
"...they now feel they must not only "have it all" but be it all: Cinderella and Supergirl.  Aggressive and agreeable.  Smart and stunning."

This quote reminded me of Merida because in a sense she kind of compromised.  She was aggressive, definitely not agreeable though.  However she was smart and stunning in her own right.  She knew what she wanted and was determined and was not going to let anything stop her, not even her mother.  Teenage girls today feel they have to be everything all at once--be everything but be it in moderation if you must.