I am sure that there are parents who get annoyed watching movies such as Cinderella three times a day. Sometimes it can be repetitive to watch the same girl live happily ever after over and over. But what some people don’t realize is that these movies are actually teaching children valuable life lessons of how to be the best person that they can be. 

     Senior Amber Bauer grew up watching Disney princess movies as well. Her favorite princess fell along the lines of the one that was most relatable to her.

     “My favorite princess growing up was Rapunzel. She was my favorite because she had long blonde hair just like me. I loved that I had something in common with her,” Bauer said.

     Later in life, Bauer realized that Rapunzel being her favorite princess was actually more important to her personality development than she thought.

     “I think now I realize that Rapunzel taught me to be creative and to live. She didn’t necessarily teach me to break rules, but in a sense, she did. By being free and going against her mother’s wishes, she was able to see a whole new world that she enjoyed. Rapunzel taught me that I can do and be anything that I want if I just live life to my own expectations,” Bauer said.

     Cassidy Krohn, a Sophomore at Kaneland says, “Belle was my favorite Disney Princess because I could relate to her in lots of ways. I wanted to be just like her, I think she is where I got a lot of my personality traits from. She taught me not to judge a person based on looks or first impressions, and to be kind to others.” 

     Belle taught Krohn these things because of the way she was presented in the film. Throughout the entire movie, Belle falls in love with a beast. This beast is mean on the outside, but Belle soon finds out that he is soft and sweet once she gets to know him. This shows young girls that you have to get to know a person before you jump to conclusions. 

     Each Disney princess movie projects a different message. They all are different girls from various backgrounds and parts of the world, who all go through different things. Because of this, each princess is her own person. Rapunzel taught girls how to be creative and how to live their life to the fullest, but other princesses teach different key assets to have through life.

     In the Princess and the Frog, Tiana grows up in Louisiana as a normal girl who lives life with little money and big dreams. Her dream is to own a restaurant and share her love for food with the community. Throughout the entire film, we see Tiana face many struggles but always push through in an attempt to reach her goal. At the end of the movie, she not only has her dream come true, but she also finds the love of her life. Tiana teaches young girls to always be hard-working. She teaches them that no matter what they go through, they should always work hard to achieve their dreams. 

     “One of the best things about watching princess-led Disney movies is that you don’t realize you are learning an essential life lesson until you’re unexpectedly in tears and all you want is for everything to work out for that strong, determined female lead,” Global Citizens website news writer, Khanyi Mlaba said.

     Mlaba addresses the many times Disney has provided role models for young women. Tiana is a hard worker, as said in the previous paragraph. Merida from the movie Brave teaches girls that they do not need to change themselves to be effective leaders. Mulan teaches girls that they can do anything they put their minds to. Moana teaches girls to listen to what their heart tells them, and so on and so forth. Every Disney princess is an important role model in a young girl’s life considering they can be who sets these girls on a path to exhibit a certain personality trait as they grow into young women.

     Erika Krohn, Cassidy’s mom says, “One of Cassidy’s favorite princesses was Rapunzel. She used to wear her dress all around and did anything to be able to meet her. She was always her true self which is why I think Cassidy loved her so much.” 

     When asked what Krohn thought about what all the princesses taught her daughter, she said. “They taught her to always aim for her dreams.”

     So what do Disney princesses teach children? Kids watch these movies as a form of embracing their imagination. When they are able to look up to these beautiful, kind and strong characters, they are able to take those traits and apply them to their own personalities as they want to be just like that princess when they grow up.