Let it Go

My husband and I have always been Disney fanatics, but after taking our daughter to Disney for the first time before her 2nd birthday, and witnessing her joy and amazement at what she saw, we have dug ourselves even deeper! Since that first trip, we've been back at least once a year. Every time we go, we say we are going to pick a different vacation spot for the next one, but we are yet to do so!

I can vividly remember watching Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and especially The Lion King as a child. The Lion King held a special place in my heart because Jonathan Taylor Thomas (swoon! 😜) was the voice of Simba. (I'm looking forward to the live action release in July!)

Disney movies play an overwhelming role in our children's lives.  We play Disney Guess Who, my kids have made up their own Disney character guessing game, and most difficult life experiences can be compared to a Disney character/situation. For example, I was recently talking about "stranger danger" with my kids and I was giving them the scenario of a stranger coming up to them offering them candy or to see their animal.  I described the person as appearing to be kind/sweet/innocent, like the witch in Snow White when disguised as the old lady with the apple, but that the stranger may have evil intentions...like feeding them a poisonous apple!


I can't say that my own memories are reflected in Christensen's claims, as I was FAR from the princess type as a child....I was more of a "Merida!" However, I will say that the one thing that resonates with me to this day is impression of perfection (page 185) that the princesses and all media reflect. Many women (adults, teens, and children) strive to reach a level a perfection that only exits through an intense editing process.

Earlier she mentions that she is uncomfortable with the myth that marriage is the "end goal" for women leads women to treat other women as their competition rather than a "sister." When reading this, I was immediately reminded of the following skit Chris Rock performed.
(**Contains explicit content )

I connected more with Christiansen through my mommy lens. My daughter has been obsessed with all things princess since birth. She does not like winter clothes because she says they "make her look like a boy." She wants tank tops for her birthday, "but not the sporty ones - cute ones." For her theater camp last year she chose the camp down in South Kingston (instead of Cranston) because Shrek (the Cranston play) "was for boys." When I pointed out that Princess Fiona is a girl, she informed me that she doesn't count because she is not pretty! 😟

On page 180, she mentions the stereotype of the "evil stepparents." This stood out to be because just recently, my daughter asked my cousin why she was texting "Auntie Susan" and when my cousin replied by explaining they were close or something like that. My daughter expressed utter confusion because she thought stepmothers were evil!

Frozen challenges these stereotypes in a few ways. The most obvious way *spoiler alert* is that true love's kiss is not the kiss of the "knight in shining armor" but rather of her sister. Throughout the movie, the viewer is first led to believe that Prince Hans will be the "cure" to a frozen heart, but we quickly are led to "jump ship" and route for Christof to be the magic cure. Low and behold, it is neither man who holds the power to thaw a frozen heart. Instead of it is the unconditional love of sisters that breaks the curse.

Another aspect where Frozen breaks the mold is that Christof, for the most part, wants nothing to do with the rescue mission of Elsa. He wants to just be left to do his own thing but Anna is insistent on pursuing the journey with or without him.