The Early Princesses: Old Fashioned

Fig. 1 Snow White and Prince

            Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first Disney Princess story.  It was released as a film in 1937 and was an instant classic. In this Disney movie the villain(ess) is Snow White’s evil stepmother.  Out of jealousy, she tries to have Snow White (Figure 1) killed for being too beautiful.  Snow White spends the rest of her time in a small cottage in the woods with seven coal mining dwarfs.  She uses her days to clean the dwarfs’ cottage, cook their meals and tidy their rooms because she wants to be a decent, helpful person.  She is the epitome of what a “good” mother and housewife should have been, and back in the thirties that is all most any woman was ever expected to be.  When the wicked stepmother learns that Snow White is still alive she tricks her into eating a poisonous apple.  Snow White lay sleeping while the dwarves weep until her Prince awakens her with a kiss.  Snow White is a helpless princess and literally waits around for her prince to find and save her, doing nothing for herself. 

Fig.1 Cinderella and Prince

            Cinderella (Figure 2) is a young woman living happily with her parents until her mother dies.  Her father remarries and Cinderella’s new Stepmother is evil, forcing her into being the house slave.  Sadly, Cinderella falls right into this role, not defending herself and weakly submitting to the wishes of her Evil Stepmother.  The other non-title female characters are placed into the antagonistic roles of Cinderella’s stepsisters.  They are cruel, taking advantage of her services and hackling her.  When the Prince of the town is to choose a bride all eligible bachelorettes are invited to the castle.  Cinderella, not owning anything worthy to attend, decides to make her own dress, which is later torn to shreds by her jealous stepsisters.  Cinderella is visited by her Fairy Godmother who makes it possible for her to attend the Prince’s ball.  In the end the Prince chooses her to become his bride, saving her from her evil mother and stepsisters, and whisking her away to his castle to live happily ever after.   Cinderella does little more than Snow White, biding her days taking orders from an evil woman in a powerful position, until she is saved by the masculine prince, the only solution to her hardship.

Fig. 3 Princess Aurora and Prince Philip

Princess Aurora (Figure 3) is exactly what the title of her movie is: a Sleeping Beauty.  She was pricked by a cursed spinning wheel and is cast into a deep sleep until she can be awakened by the kiss of her true love.  The one who cast the spell on the spinning wheel is, once again, a powerful woman portrayed as the Evil Sorceress, Maleficent. Aurora has very little screen time and spends the majority of the movie sleeping in a tower waiting for her true love, Prince Phillip, to come to her rescue.  Disney made this movie with a very sexist perspective.  The woman in the story is evil, attempting to take the beloved princesses life.  Aurora’s protective fairy godmothers were unable to keep her safe and Maleficent successfully captures her in a deep sleep.  Her fate is left in the hands of Prince Phillip, the manly hero, who can fix all of life’s problems with a simple kiss.