Princess Of The Day: Warrior-Girl Edition

Look, I know that princesses are controversial. I know that, as a good, card-carrying, liberal-arts-graduate-degree-holding feminist, I'm not supposed to let my daughter anywhere near them. But please: even if it were possible to get a Princess Vaccine with which to inoculate our daughters against insidious counter-feminist infections due to exposure to pink and glitter, would you really actually want to do that? When, for example, the Princess Canon includes young women like this? -->

Mulan. She's pretty awesome, as far as Disney heroines go. She takes her father's place in going to war and kicks some serious bad-guy ass in the process. She saves her country. She saves the guy. She could teach Buffy the Vampire Slayer a thing about slinging sharp pointy weapons. She's awesome.

So. Princess-tested, feminist-approved.

(She's an easy case, of course. Can I do the same with any other 'princesses'? Wait and see.)

(Am I doing this because we're going to DisneyWorld, to race princesses? You betcha. I gotta be prepared. Either I accept some degree of princessness, or I'm going to have to run as Maleficent.)

Comments

[Jessi]

Mulan has been a favorite of mine for years. I actually don't think the princesses are a bad thing as long as you balance them with a little bit of grit. Part of being a feminist (to me) is saying that women can be whatever they want. And if my tiny woman wants to be covered in pink glitter and satin, then who am I to say she can't. I just want her to make sure she has all the options.

[Mama Snyder]

Mulan is by far the most rockin' of the princess sect. I'll even go as far as endorsing Mulan II - especially the song about not wanting to be a princess, but wanting to be "like other girls." Mulan - FTW

[Quixotic]

I love Mulan. I also love the fact my 2 yr old daughter told her Aunty, she didn't want to be Barbie, cos all she does is look pretty, she wants to be Dora and have adventures. :o)

[carrien (she laughs at the days)]

The best princesses are Hayao Myazaki's female heroines. Princess Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke, Chihiro in Spirited Away, all strong, strong interesting female characters that kick ass. I like the way he portrays women in his films, and my girls love to watch them, so it's a win win.

Even My Neighbor Totoro has as the main character a strong little girl who holds her family together, with mythical help of course.

[patois]

He'd be utterly ashamed if he found out I was making this public: my 13-year-old son just watched Mulan again. That's how good that princess is.

(And don't tell anyone at his middle school, 'k?)