“My daughter (3)  is very princess-oriented despite our best efforts to the contrary. She asked if she could live in Prince Charming’s castle one day. I told her that was a possibility. She contemplated it for a moment before asking, “Is there a Starbucks in Prince Charming’s castle?”
—- From the February issue of Parents Magazine

That’s the spirit, I like a girl with her priorities straight. Hahaha.

Though, I do have to protest against the mom’s efforts to make her daughter less “princess-oriented.” So what if your little girl likes princesses? What little girl doesn’t have at least the tiniest inborn wish to be like one? I don’t think this is a problem at all. Sure, you can argue that I’m biased, considering my undying love for fairytales, Disney, and Kate formerly-Middleton, but I feel that loving princesses doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a fan of impossibly pretty heroines with fantastic hair and weak knees. Although princesses have traditionally been portrayed as damsels in distress in folklore and stories, have you noticed the dramatic changes in the Princess role and in the female role over the past decade? The modern woman isn’t a pushover. It makes sense that this modern woman would want to keep her child away from imagery and role models that might convince her it’s best to rely on a man for everything she needs, whether she’s wanting a little pocket money or needs saving from a ferocious beast with twelve heads. But, I contend that this isn’t what Princesshood means. (Yes, I invented that word right now for my own purposes.)

My own mother encouraged me to be as independent as possible, perhaps because she herself hadn’t really been raised to be independent. And this idea, that girls and women should be strong and confident, has become so prevalent today that the latest addition to the Disney Princess pantheon is spunky Rapunzel, who uses her 70 feet of hair as a lasso, holds her own with her male counterpart in action scenes (there’s more than one use for a frying pan), and made arrangements to get herself out of the tower and into the wide world outside. The last one before her was Tiana, the first African American princess to be added by Disney, whose dream was to become a restaurateur and business owner, not to marry Prince Charming. Have you seen the trailers for Disney’s upcoming Brave? Well, you should, because it’s only further evidence that the future of Princesses no longer involves sighing and waiting for true love to appear. This is an archaic idea. The Princess, and the heroine in general, has evolved.

This is true for more than just Disney. It’s everywhere in culture today, a revolution taking place across a broad range of mediums. Even in real life, the modern Princess doesn’t just float around in a ballgown and bat her eyes at people. Diana, Princess of Wales remains one of the most beloved figures in history, whose devotion to charity and philanthropy and dedication to positive change for those less fortunate has never been forgotten. To be a princess no longer means sitting in the backseat, or watching the world go by from a tower room.

So, I think it’s perfectly okay for any little girl to wish she was a Princess. It just means she wants to become a strong woman with responsibilities, who is also poised and compassionate. Someone that others look up to. Someone with the tenacity to lead a country (because don’t Princesses eventually become Queens?), but with empathy for those who follow her. And okay, having ahhhmazing hair is always a major plus.

Oh, by the way, today’s photo is of Malcomn, who is a glass rabbit that my sister found in a thrift store and gave to me as a gift a few years ago. He sits on my desk looking elegant and adorable, all at the same time. (He would make an excellent sidekick for a Princess.)