Snow White from Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs is strong. She is feminists favorite punching bag, right after Aurora but at least every once in awhile someone will come to Aurora’s defense. Snow (and Cinderella frankly) are seen as what is wrong with the Disney princesses. Snow likes cute animals, cooking, cleaning, and a useless dwarf. She befriends seven strange men who end up saving her in the end. Dude, the prince just comes and kisses her. She is stereotypically feminine. She doesn’t go fight for her country. She doesn’t prevent a war from breaking out. Girl is nice to every single person she meets, even the woman who tried to kill her. She felt bad that she scared the animals when they found her crying in the woods. She is kind hearted. She wants to help everyone she meets. Her looking out for others is what got her killed.
All of that being said does not make her weak. Sure, she is a bit naive but she lived a rather sheltered life. The queen had her locked away doing chores all day. When she found out the queen wanted her killed, instead of standing in the field looking at the huntsman, she fucking ran. She ran away to protect herself. She left an abusive home (she lived with the queen in her castle). When she met the dwarfs, she bargained with them so they wouldn’t kick her out. She ran that house. She put the dwarves and animals to work. She was very sweet but she was also the head bitch in charge. Even Grumpy didn’t try to backtalk her.
The fact she needed the dwarfs and animals to save her doesn’t make her weak. Saving yourself is more than just killing the enemy. It is about surviving, which Snow White did. She may not know how to throw a punch, shoot an arrow, or save her country, that doesn’t make her weak. Not every woman can defeat their demons/enemies on their own. Some of them need help from their friends, which the dwarfs and animals were to Snow, to defeat their enemy and that doesn’t make them weak.
Also, girls who prefer Snow White to Merida are not weak or “too girly.” There is no such thing as being “too girly.” Not all girls are going to relate to Merida and that is okay. Not all girls are going to like Snow White. Some girls like both characters. There is nothing wrong with girls liking the classic Disney princesses. There is nothing wrong with girls preferring the newer princesses. What is a problem is when people try to deem what princesses are “good” or “bad.”
Honestly, bravo. This is one of the best posts I’ve seen on tumblr. I hate that people think Snow is weak because she doesn’t perform heroic acts and, like you said, is traditionally feminine.
She managed to escape from the Evil Queen, make the best out of the situation in the woods and befriended the dwarves, and eventually found her Prince and her happily ever after. There is nothing wrong with that.
This is incredibly well-said and reflects exactly why I think putting down the previous Disney princesses as anti-feminist icons is totally flawed and counterproductive.
There is nothing inherently wrong with feminine and “girly” roles as heroes, so putting those as examples of what princesses and girls should not be (as opposed to strong women w/ swords etc) is counterproductive to feminism because it tells girls to be less “girly” as if being feminine, girly, and having qualities that people associate with females is something bad and something that heroes don’t have. To be a hero you have to have a sword? You have to be a lone cowboy that fights for herself and needs no backup? You can’t be bothered with appearance and dresses and cooking and cleaning and being a kind person?
I ABSOLUTELY agree that having Strong Female Main Characters needs to happen more often for young girls and boys to have more varied female role models, but if you set those specific princess/girly types as examples of what not to have, you’re not doing the kids who WANT to be girly/princessy any favors, you’re just emphasizing that being that way is a bad thing.
(via followingcaligula)
