GIRL POWER ≠ AGGRESSIVE

Happy International Women’s Day to all you lovely ladies out there!

Okay, so some of you might be intrigued and perhaps even outraged at my title. Allow me to explain.

Notice that there has been a growing movement of girl power and women empowerment lately? I am all for that! At last, with the aid of social media, activists and internet, we are not only able to encourage one another and empower women from all walks of life, we get to support them through the good times and especially the bad. This has seeped into the creation of something most of us were well exposed to as children; Disney movies! Disney was a huge part of my life growing up and I still love the classics that taught me a great deal of lessons and served as my escape in this treacherous reality. We see more and more feminist movies and productions with strong heroines and women/girl centred plotlines showcasing women empowerment. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore all of them! However, have you noticed the sudden hate the classic Disney characters get; particularly Disney princesses? They are shunned for not being “strong female role models” for girls and are overshadowed and outshined by the latest princesses. I have nothing against the new princesses but why turn our backs on the classic ones?

Disney Princesses from the new Wreck It Ralph 2. Image extracted from Google and belongs to Disney.

I’m here to say that we’ve got this all wrong! Often, we are led to believe that a strong woman is equivalent to fierce, aggressive and independent leads. Well, yes and no! I’m not going to lie, I was initially under the same impression too; that in order to be a strong female, one has to be independent and strong but strength here is often mistaken for aggression and head strong so much so that any Disney princess that does not check those boxes are immediately dismissed for being poor role models. On the contrary, I believe a mellow and gentle princess is just as valid as a sassy self-rescuing one.

Strength has many forms. Gentleness, kindness and vulnerability is just as admirable as outspokenness and fierceness.

The truth is, strength takes many forms and each and every one of these characters have great qualities about them that do not deserve the shade they have been getting in light of recent releases. It is time we give them their due credit!

Here are some of my favourite female Disney characters and their best qualities!

1) Rapunzel (Tangled)

- Strength in the pursuit of dreams

She’s a fairly new princess on the scene yet I feel as if she doesn’t get the credit she deserves simply for having a love interest. I adore her for holding on to her dreams and actually seeing it through. She showed great strength and courage in taking that first step out of her comfort zone although it terrifies her and leaves her in a dilemma. I see her naivety as her strength! What a wild idea, right? We’re often taught to associate naivety with silliness, innocence and foolishness but forget that the world is the one that is rotten for being cunning and foul. It is far easier to be tough and calloused and put up a shield than to leave your heart raw and exposed. She sees goodness in everything and everyone and is brave enough to give them a chance before judging someone. Remember, she saved Flynn just as much as he saved her and her quiet strength changed him for a better man.

2) Nani Pelekai (Lilo & Stitch)

- Strength in the face of loss

I don’t think I’ve come across anyone who could dislike Nani yet she remains an underrated character. We’ve surely had a point in our lives where things may have spiralled out of control. Nani was put in such a spot, being a teenager herself and having lost both her parents at once in a sudden, she had a major responsibility to carry at a tender age as the care of her younger sister falls onto her shoulders. She showed a great deal of strength and courage of having to fend for herself and provide for her sister all the while carrying the burden of their loss and that despite however many times she has stumbled, her quiet courage gives her strength to move forward. Nani is by no means perfect and her imperfection is the most admirable quality which makes her all the more relatable.

3) Cinderella & Snow White

- Strength in the face of adversity

If anything, I’ve noted that these two have been getting the most shade and are often excluded in the line-up of strong women. They both have suffered losses and were put in a position where they were abused by the very ones who should be caring for them. Despite it all, instead of being bitter, they were able to hold on and show strength regardless of how helpless their situation seemed. I did read somewhere once that they were assisted by a fairy god-mother and dwarfs respectively but where is the fault in that? A strong woman does not necessarily have to fight something greater than them all alone to prove their worth. Sometimes, seeking help is the toughest thing to do. More importantly, they made it out with their kind hearts unpoisoned by the bitterness of life. Have courage and be kind.

4) Jane Porter (Tarzan)

- Strength to take chances

Another one of my favourite Disney characters albeit not really talked about. She isn’t a princess but she is a queen in her own right. I adored Jane so much upon rewatching Tarzan time and time again when I was a kid because she was this lovely and demure girl with so much intelligence and grace. She left everything she knew of this elite society she grew up in all her life for love and that takes a lot more courage than it seems to come across. No, I’m not just talking about Tarzan. Have you seen how she gets wide-eyed as she gazes upon wildlife? Wildlife conservation is just as much as her passion and love. She is a lot like Rapunzel and yet the polar opposite in the choice she made. She decided to stay for the man she loved and spent the rest of her life dedicated to her passion, wildlife. Think about it now. How many women do we know of who have sacrificed everything they knew of, leaving behind the life they were comfortable with and took a chance to move for love, their passion or to raise a family? They are not ordinary as we were led to believe. That in fact takes such a vast amount of courage that even the prospect of it is terrifying.

As much as we admire badassery and warrior princesses who fight their own battles in their own terms, never forget that we can learn just as much from women who show quiet strength in character, kindness and have the courage to forgive and remain unapologetically themselves although it may not be as prominent as ‘charging into battles with a battle cry’ kind of a way. To put it simply, you can kick butt AND be kind.

Here’s to strong women.

May we know them.

May we be them.

May we raise them.

-Anita Kumaran