Once upon a time, in a time not so long ago, I would have been doing the cabbage patch for this picture here. The picture that shows a Disney Princesses set that includes 2 princesses of color. That was my main concern in the world I used to live in; in my studies of African American history, in my love for Asian Literature, in my world of a liberal arts college attracting women from all around the globe, and in my melting pot of life in NYC. Represent the people all around. Represent all the children who wish to see their dreams on the big screen, find their skin tone in a doll, find their eyes, beautifully mascara-ed starring back at them.
I think I find now that we are getting there- not perfect. Room for improvement, of course. But we are getting there.
Now, my feelings have changed so that I want more from our Princess Packs. I want some of the more powerful, more modern and well thought out Princesses in the pack. And when I look at this picture I can clearly see that there is someone missing from this box.
Where the F is Mulan?
Where is the bad-ass, cross dressing, gorgeous Asian woman in no need of make-up nor those damn jade hair clips (so stop giving them to her!!) Where is she? Off fighting a war? Get her ass in these boxes.
I was so miffed (yes, had a lil' time on my hands in Target one day to get miffed) that I took a picture. Threw it up on facebook and said, "Mulan got the boot!" And my friends chimed in sharing thoughts of how she was too good for the box. Or who cares? Or how it was because she took her drag show on the road....
Yes.
Perhaps she was too good. And we already know I loves her something fierce. But then I got to thinking, "What made the others not good enough that they made it into this box?" I like some of the princesses in the box. Sure, Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty were, by today's standards, a little slow to join the woman's movement.
OK, they didn't even get the memo that there was one.
OK, they would have just passed on the pesky memo paper, with all those letters and writing on it, to their man....
But ok. They are old timers. They needed to be hated for their gorgeousness and sought after to be killed. They were busy cleaning in between the death threats or were so babied by their 3 godmother's that they could only sing and run away from thingies!! That was the time. They were playing a role that fell more in line with the year of their creation.
So who else do we have here to judge?
Ahh, yes. Removing the 3 old timers we are left with the 4 more modern of the princesses. We have Jasmine and Ariel. Soooooooo defiant, those two. Not listening to their dad's forbidding this and that.
Nay!
Growing legs. Pretending to be a street beggar. Being all their own women and what not and getting their little (missing at least 6 ribs a piece) small waisted bodies into mortal danger, scaring the bejeezus out of their little animal side kicks, and needing to be saved by their princes.
Huh.
So they are, in short, the Cinderella's and Snow Whites of yesteryear- but a bit more... mouthy.
The last 2 in this set are Belle and Tiana.
OK.
OK, I can get with them.
Tiana ignored her mom's dreams of her finding a good man to care for her and did allllllll she could to get her dad's dream restaurant open. How risky was that? Do you know how many restaurants fail within the first 5 years? My stars. She didn't care. She wanted what her daddy wanted and she would kiss a flippin' frog to get it. She would work various jobs simultaneously. The woman was to be self employed! She succeeded despite crazy ass voodoo goings on all around her! Yes, there was a prince. But she didn't need him. She just fell for him warts and all.
Oh and Belle. I am a fan of Belle. She ignored the brute, Gaston, and all his muscles and swagger. I will admit- thought I saw her eyeing the 3 blondes who were continuously swooning for Gaston, but I digress. That Belle was superbly educated. She stuck up for her father, sacrificed herself for him, and talked back to a beast who roared at her. She raised, maybe, half an eyebrow to a talking chifferobe. Took it all in stride. And Belle was so easy to please. Give her a room filled with books and she would make sweet love to a half bison, half bear whatsawhoosit. I am in a book club. I am an English major. I get this. She didn't need a pretty face, she needed a person who found out her likes and dislikes and made appropriate gestures and changes to woo.
Soon after my Facebook post my brain started it's own Princess Powerpack. It had Tiana and Belle in it. And then life went on and I forgot all about it.... until 6 months later when I saw ANOTHER Princess pack at Target. Picture taken, posted, and some womens gots vocal!
to be continued........
(bum bum buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum)
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