Not All Disney Princesses Are Created Equal-A Guest Post

Ok, let me start with this. Not all princesses are created equal. Now that I've said that, I’d like to also say that I have learned a lot from my childhood princesses (childhood is still going on for me, and will continue until I decide otherwise). 

I realize that many people (ahem, Jenna Marbles) have had a lot of shit to talk about the ladies. 

Disney made you have unrealistic expectations of love? How old were you when you stopped believing a dashing prince would come whisk you away from your horrible parents and marry you because you are the most beautiful girl in town? 

Common sense, y’all. Get some.

Here are a few things I've learned from the changing Disney Princesses through the years. 

Let me start with the ladies who stole our hearts from 1937-1959, The Dreamers.

Snow White: 1937 
I, for one was scared as hell of the evil witch (who was never prettier than SW, seriously Mirror). Aside from that, SW really didn’t have a lot going for her other than her looks, she was extremely handy with a broom however. So yes, I understand that in that time, women were “supposed” to clean up after those silly, dirty men, but as a kid, I learned to whistle while I worked.

Cleaning (and sometimes working) is never fun. But, if you have a good attitude, get some companions to help you and have a good attitude about what you’re doing, the work seems to get done faster. 

Lucifer. aka-Meanest Cat in the World.

Cinderella: 1950
Definitely another example of a damsel in distress, and she’s still doing a lot of housework, but this time Disney doesn’t make her clean up after a man. Cinderella always had a gentle heart, even towards her evil stepsisters and the meanest cat in the world. She may have made a simple wish and wound up in the arms of a handsome stranger, but even after being so badly mistreated she still loved and was extremely grateful for the friends that she did have. 

Sleeping Beauty: 1959 
Ok, this one’s a little harder. Still in the 50’s, Disney is portraying the “perfect” woman as having a gentle heart and great looks. In Sleeping Beauty, Aurora is literally found, gets herself in trouble, rescued and married. So I must turn to the cheeky, courageous fairy godmothers. Their quick thinking and courage helps Prince Philip defeat the evil Maleficent. (Anyone else psyched about the new movie coming out btw??)

Now the ladies from 1989-1992, The Rebels.

The Little Mermaid: 1989 
Thirty years have shaped society’s views of women quite drastically. Finally, we have learned (out loud at least) to fight back and stand up for ourselves. Ariel shows us her adventurous spirit by defying her father and doing what she thinks she ought to be able to do-which of course lands her in a pretty dangerous situation—but Ariel taught me to go after what I wanted and to chase adventure.

You're gonna have to say something interesting to get my head out of this book.

Beauty and the Beast: 1991
Belle did NOT teach me to find a man who has uncontrollable rages and is actually an animal. Belle taught me to enjoy a great book, ignore the taunts of ignorant small-minded folk and to look for true beauty inside a person. Belle didn’t fall in love with Beast because of what he looked like; she loved him because of who he was inside. 

Aladdin: 1992
was the first of the Disney movies that isn’t about a princess, but features a strong female lead. Jasmine was also the first non-white princess after over 50 years of princesses, subtly changing the image of the “ideal woman.” Jasmine was an adventurous spirit, originally with the defiance to marry anybody. Jasmine taught me to pick out what I wanted for my future and to take chances.

Our womanhood has come a long way in 70 years. The Defiant.

Mulan: 1998
This is one of my favorite movies. Unwilling to let her father suffer and die, Mulan (technically not a princess, but worthy of the title) throws herself into danger and risk of death. In the meantime, she saves her man, saves her entire country, and saves her family. Mulan found herself by trying something different, by not reaching out to find love, but by trying to earn respect. Mulan didn’t know what she was capable of until she tried it, and she taught me to go for it, even if the risk is pretty high. 

The Princess and the Frog: 2008
Finally a black princess!! This one is close to my heart because Tiana grew up in New Orleans and can cook! This movie was the first out of many where our princess isn’t looking to find a husband. She knows that hard work is going to cost her a lot and that she’ll need to do a little more than wish to make her dreams come true. Ending up with a handsome, accented prince in the end was just a perk for Tiana, she got everything she wanted by refusing to take no for an answer.

That is not the look of a woman searching for a man.

Brave: 2012
The most recent Disney/Pixar is, in my opinion, the most advanced in female defiance towards a masculine-ruled culture. (SPOILERS AHEAD) Merida doesn’t sing, she doesn’t go to balls or kiss boys. She kicks ass. After Finding Nemo, I really wanted a strong mother-daughter movie that was more than just a tear-jerker. Merida is such a feisty little girl and so defiant of her parent’s wishes that she gets herself and her family into a lot of trouble (surprise). She does, however remedy that problem by acknowledging her mistakes and refusing to quit until she had remedied the problem. My favorite part about this movie was that Merida doesn’t end up with a man at all! She comes up with a creative solution to bind their countrymen together peacefully and shows her prowess for ruling alone.


Looking back, it's pretty incredible how far women have come in the Disney realm of media alone. Generally we have been portrayed as disposable sex objects that need to be cared for. Thankfully, Disney is stepping up to the fact that women are powerful beings and can have a huge impact on the world. I suppose it's up to us to continue the challenge of showing the media that we want powerful heroines. Personally, I can't wait for our first homosexual princess who kicks ass and takes names.

Who is your favorite Disney Princess and Why? Which one influenced you the most? And in terms of the evolving concept of"princesses" where do you think Disney will venture in the future?

(Amanda is a former costume designer turned fast food specialist who is desperately trying to worm her way back to her artistic roots. She lives in Georgia with her husband, her fat cat and their new puppy.)

Fear and Loathing Under The Sea--A Guest Post

Terrifying right?

When I tell people that I’m afraid of the Little Mermaid, I’m met with the typical type of derision you’d expect. Usually, it’s skepticism, thinking that I’m making it up, or overstating my actual fear. Sometimes, it’s mocking, with the “I wasn’t even that much of a baby when I was baby” type comments. Worse, it’s the trying to force me to watch it, or singing the songs at me, so that I get to relive the trauma that was watching the movie for me as a child.

You see, the movie came out while I was still quite young, only 7. Which is an age that is old enough to understand the full effect of what Ursula was threatening Ariel with, but young enough to not fully understand that it was all just make believe. I was in the in-between, magic was real, but so was evil.

I was also fully indoctrinated into a church that believed the devil was a real and powerful force in the world. Now this church wasn’t hell-fire and brimstone by any means, but it’s the creation of duality which makes Christ sacrifice have meaning, without learning about evil, how can you understand good? But that’s a tangent I don’t want to walk down. At 7, I knew about the devil. I knew that he wanted to trick you, to make you his for eternity. 

Enter Ursula: Up until her entrance into the movie, there were some tense scenes, but none that were truly terrifying. Ursula comes in with all the answers to Ariel’s problems, but if you renege on your side of the bargain (and this is the part that was pee-your-pants scary for me) she took your soul and withered it up and added it to her collection to be used by her at a later date. 

I remember watching the movie with friends at a slumber party and then lying in my sleeping bag trying to will the monster away. The image of a tiny, shriveled, imprisoned, worm-like, former-mermaid would not leave my mind. My dreams were filled with soundless screams and terrified eyes. Ursula would enter, feeding off their misery, and I would wake in a sweat.

But I was too embarrassed to admit that a children’s movie gave me nightmares. I was old enough and young enough, that being called a baby was an insult that actually meant something. While in my 3rd grade class on a rainy day, we watched “Little Mermaid” and I pretended to use the bathroom during all the exceptionally scary parts. Pretending to need to pee was less embarrassing than crying during the “Poor Unfortunate Souls” song.

As an adult, I haven’t revisited the movie. A part of me is still afraid, another part of me feels a residual shame I felt at being afraid.

Even more Terrifying.

(Holly is a 30 year old, wanderlusting, child free, singleton, who enjoys spending her time making coffee, teaching writing, flirting, biking, hiking, and general frivolity.)

The Highs and Lows of Disney Songs

I was thinking about my favorite and least favorite things about Disney movies and I started Googling different lists. I came across a few of the "best songs" lists and I was kind of disgusted at the results. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I have to list my favorite and least favorite songs now. This might be more controversial than my Magic Mike blog....

I Cannot Even Handle These Songs:
The Circle of Life-The Lion King-Why does everyone love this one so much!?
A Whole New World-Aladdin-I heard Peabo Bryson sing this in person once. It sucked then too.
Beauty and The Beast-Beauty and the Beast-Angela Lansbury's voice is wrinkly too.
Can You Feel The Love Tonight-The Lion King-Nope, I can only roll my eyes.
Anything by Snow White-Her voice kills me.

Okay, so maybe I have something against ballads. I know these songs are the themes and often the "heart" of the movie, but they just drive me crazy!

Just please don't sing us to sleep.

But...THESE I LOVE:
Kiss The Girl-The Little Mermaid-Who doesn't love this one?
Zero to Hero-Hercules-This song is so much fun!
The Best of Friends-The Fox and the Hound-Sure the words are slightly co-dependent, but I like it!
Once Upon a Dream-Sleeping Beauty-I think I sing this in my dreams.
I Won't Say I'm In Love-Hercules-The muses are so great in this!
Go The Distance-Hercules-Even with Michael Bolton at the helm, this one gives me chills.
The Spectrum Song-No clue where it's from, but when my friend Jill sings it with me, it's the best!
You'll Be in My Heart-Tarzan-I love the lyrics to this song so much! It's so sweet.
Poor Unfortunate Souls-The Little Mermaid-So bad, but soooo good.

Can you guess what one of my favorite Disney movies is? I'm a Hercules fan...it's a way under-appreciated movie!

Epic.

So what are some of your favorites? Are you a fan of the Disney power ballads? Is there one particular movie that stands out above the others when it comes to the music?

Shame On Me If You Fool Me Twice: Disney Sequels

Disney sequels go back...way back. Like back to 1944 with the Three Caballeros as the sequel to Saludos Amigos. But the first sequel to a full length animated film was The Rescuers Down Under. It was received well. I've always thought it was interesting that they started with The Rescuers of all movies. It probably would have been okay if they had stopped there, right where it started. But some brilliant mind figured out that there is a lot of money in the straight to video market, and so it was really just the beginning of the Disney sequel market.

Is this about the cats getting married?

I have never seen a Disney sequel (when I say sequel, I also mean prequel) to an animated film. AND for the record, I never want to. Now, I know many people with children who like to pop in these sequels as entertainment, and that's fine for them. It only proves that maybe there IS a place for Disney sequels. But that place is at best a babysitter, a little slice of mindlessness to buy mom a few more minutes to clean or talk on the phone or some quiet in the van. I know how these things work. Disney sequels are good for something, but I still don't think that they are not good.

Might as well be Step Up 4 to me.

I read an article that actually said "sequels to Disney movies have tarnished the Disney name." I could not agree more! I am not in denial, I know that Disney is a money making operation above all else. But where's the integrity in taking tried and true stories and watering the lessons in them down, or adding thin story lines that vaguely resemble the original?

I didn't even like the first one!

Urban dictionary defines a Disney sequel as "a way for Disney to screw it's classic films." Maybe I'm not the greatest spokesperson given my stand and refusal to watch a sequel, but I like to think of it as a purist view of things. I'm a Disney sequel virgin and plan to stay that way...at least until I have kids I need to pacify.

Do you feel the same way? 

Or can you convince me that there is some merit in the infamous Disney Sequel?

Color Them Bad: Disney Villains

My recent dive into Once Upon A Time made me really begin to think about fairy tales. I think it's time for Weekend Fat to tackle some Disney topics! I know some of you might feel passionately about Disney, so if you have a post you want to write, then bring it on! It can be about your favorite something, comparing two things, or you can just totally geek out on what you love about Disney. I'm flexible! You can submit your suggestion/blog to me in a Facebook message or email me at catidwell222@gmail.com

One of the most captivating parts of Once Upon A Time is the Evil Queen. She is eerily beautiful, yet selfish, manipulative, and powerful. She is so obviously evil. It makes me wish that life's "villains" were as easy to spot as the ones in Disney movies! Most of the time they are discolored and exaggerated in everything from their sharp features to their dramatic clothing. And more often than not, they have clearly defined personality and or mental disorders. But I love a good villain. No matter how mild or extreme. Sharpay is my favorite part of High School Musical. I'm on team Angelina. I love to root for the "bad guy."

Here are a few of the worst/my favorite Disney Villains:

Don't underestimate the importance of body language!

Ursula-The Little Mermaid
She's the living worst! She's very clever and super crafty. I love everything about her. Her size, her hair, the fact that she can barely keep her boobs to herself, and I love that she's an octopus with her symbolic tentacles wrapping all over things. She comes off as so helpful, like she's doing Ariel such a favor, and in truth she really is! I mean, without the time Ariel gets to spend with Eric on land as a human, there's no way he would have fallen for her. Of course things get really twisty when Ursula decides to become human herself to compete with Ariel. The ending is the best though. How do you make a plus-sized villain scarier? Make her even more plus-sized! Just look at Rosie O'Donnell.

Putting a curse on a baby is pretty sinister.

Maleficent-Sleeping Beauty
This is my personal favorite Disney movie, but as much as I enjoy it, there is nothing likable about Maleficent. She is the scariest of the villains hands down. Maybe it's the fact she is so gracefully composed, so put together. Maybe it's her angular features and puke green coloring. Or maybe it's just that she turns into a dragon and summons all the powers of hell! Yeah, that's the one. Maleficent is not kidding around when it comes to being bad.

She named her cat, Lucifer. What other reason do you need?

Lady Tremaine-Cinderella
The thing about Lady Tremaine, also known as, Stepmother, is that her persona ended up making life hard for anyone who will ever be a stepmother in real life! Demi Moore's character in St. Elmo's Fire even refers to her stepmother as "step-monster." The stereotype has transcended the thousands of loving stepmother's that exist out there in the world, giving them an uphill battle from the moment they say "I do." While most stepmother's might not actually be this bad, Cinderella's is just awful. She treats her like a slave, is unfair at every turn, and seems to truly wish evil on her. More than anything, she's just manipulative; pitting the step sisters against Cinderella and letting them do her dirty work.

A terrible tyrant who throws temper tantrums!

Queen of Hearts-Alice in Wonderland
The only thing worse than someone manipulative is someone who's irrational. She's like the aunt who never yelled at you for fighting or graffiti, but almost tore your head off when you spilled a drink at dinner. All of the characters Alice encounters in Wonderland have some madness, but the Queen of Hearts is truly psychotic. Everyone in her life works overtime and out of fear to make her happy, though with her mood swings, it's hard to predict what will actually please her. She's loud, she's red-faced, and she loves her roses.

If you have to tell people you're a good king, you're probably not.

Scar-The Lion King
Scar isn't the scariest of villains with his army of nazi-hyenas, but you have to have a black heart to betray your brother to the point of murder. The Hamlet-ish storyline shows the development of Scar's jealousy into paranoia and back into jealousy. He is a lazy coward who relies on  his minions to get anything done. But his "reign" is characterized by famine causing his own to turn on him in the end. Is there a ride at Disney World called Karma?

If she doesn't scary you, no evil thing will.

Cruella De Vil-101 Dalmatians
If you translate these villains to real life, Cruella might be the worst. I mean, in short, she wants to make a coat out of the fur of puppies. Horrendous. Have you ever seen a puppy? I mean, who could be that awful? Her name minus the "la" is literally Cruel Devil. She's rich though, and one downside to having that much money is that you get used to having other people do things for you. And that's where Cruella makes her mistake. She hires two incompetent thieves to steal the puppies and when they fail, she becomes impulsively reckless. It's her madness that eventually lands her in custody of the cops.

Who is the worst Disney Villain? Who is your favorite?