Does it bother anyone else for their little girls to aspire to be a princess in the classic “I’m so helpless! Please rescue me and cater to my unrealistic whims, oh, obscurely perfect man of my insanely romanticized fairytale dreams!”?
I love letting my daughter play dress up, be girly, and pretend to be a princess, but the helpless and hopeless romantic version grates on my nerves more than a wee bit. That’s why I’m an enthusiastic fan of the spunky and sassy princess types! They make the point that you can be a pretty princess simultaneously with being strong, intelligent and perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, and that’s a message I can get behind. 🙂
Want some princesses for your little girls to learn about who are far from wilting weaklings? These are powerful women our girls can look up to! Check these rockin’ royals out, y’all! 😉
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Sofia the First: Once Upon a Princess
This little princess wasn’t born in a palace. Her mother was a poor village woman who married the king, making her a newly minted princess with all the quirks of an ordinary sweet & spunky little girl, along with the newfound trappings of royalty. She is a kind, but very resourceful, little person. Sophia is a totally relatable little princess, in her own magical way.
Get Sofia the First gifts here: http://amzn.to/2hpK4We
Mulan / Mulan II:
Mulan’s father was in poor health, and was called up to war. She courageously took his place, and became a renowned and rewarded soldier, with some interesting twists along the way.
Find Mulan gifts here: http://amzn.to/2gEuk2S
Esther from the Bible was The Queen Who Saved Her People
Esther was actually a real queen, way back in the days of the Old Testament. In a day when women- even queens- ordinarily had very little power or influence, she managed to save the entire Israelite people in her kingdom using her intelligence, wisdom, grace and every ounce of power she had. She accomplished amazing things, especially considering the time she was living in. She was definitely a royal of worth!
Get Queen Esther gifts here: http://amzn.to/2gsMhOo
Merida from Brave:
Merida is certainly nowhere close to the helpless maiden type! She had to learn how to calm her wild spirit through a whole series of crazy adventures where the princess is the girl who is both causing trouble and fixing it herself . When they say brave, it royally fits!
Find Merida from Brave gifts here:
http://amzn.to/2hwdAMM
Anna and Elsa Frozen (Two-Disc Blu-ray / DVD + Digital Copy):
Who can forget this super duper popular pair of sisters-their struggles and strength through their fantastical adventures? Wimpy little ladies they are not! They are full of determination, character and spunk. Let it go! 😉
Shop for Frozen gifts here: http://amzn.to/2gRLBmN
Rapunzel of Tangled:
Now, I think of the classic Rapunzel as the aforementioned annoyingly helpless and pathetic princess type. The version who appears in the movie Tangled, however, is anything but that! She grew up sheltered in a tower, but she broke free and corralled a young man into helping her along in her urgent quest.
Find Rapunzel from Tangled gifts here: http://amzn.to/2hm7w6p
Princess Leia from Star Wars:
Intergalactic strong woman and princess, anyone?? Doesn’t get any cooler than that!
Find Princess Leia gifts here: http://amzn.to/2hg6ATi
October 13, 2014 at 7:21 AM
This is good to read! Of course, raising a little boy, I was not attuned to the nuances of the old-fashioned fairy tale and the damage it could do. But I wasI definitely raised on them, and waited for my prince, having grown up on them!
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October 13, 2014 at 10:19 AM
I never believed in the prince coming for me. I guess that’s a good thing. 🙂 My daughter does, for now, to an extent, but says she’ll kick the butt of any mean prince trying to talk to her. LOL
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October 13, 2014 at 3:34 PM
lol… well that’s a good thing! 😀
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October 15, 2014 at 10:49 AM
Absolutely. My little girls just dressed up as Sofia the First for the release of Sleeping Beauty. It was so fun watching them dress up and hit the city! 🙂
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October 15, 2014 at 10:52 AM
I love that they have princesses to dress up like who don’t act like fading flowers! 🙂
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October 15, 2014 at 10:51 AM
I am glad the new direction of princesses is to have them be proactive, brave and smart. Our kids enjoy Sofia the first (girl and boys).
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October 15, 2014 at 10:53 AM
Yep, my two year old boy likes to watch it with his sister, too. 🙂 Love it!
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October 15, 2014 at 7:38 PM
My daughter LOVES Frozen and Tangled…. Me too 🙂 I agree I do not want to worry about her being “helpless” she has 2 older brothers to keep her from being to soft.
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October 16, 2014 at 11:54 AM
My daughter has too much attitude to be helpless, but she could tend to be spoiled enough to think she should always be catered to like royalty. It’s one reason why God gave her a little brother! 😉
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October 16, 2014 at 10:54 AM
My 2 year old daughter is obsessed with princesses. Her boy cousin, who is 9 months older, is now obsessed with being a king or prince – depending on the day! I love watching them dress up and DANCE together! Melts my heart!!
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October 16, 2014 at 11:55 AM
That is so cute! My little ones do their own “balls”, putting on crowns and twirling around the living room. So precious! 🙂
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October 16, 2014 at 7:37 PM
My daughter is two years old now and she definitely loves to try everything that mommy has. Be it my necklaces, scarf, ear rings…everything. I let her do that but I (and on that matter, my husband too) are determined to try our best to raise her to be an independent women. Such a great point you raised here.
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October 17, 2014 at 3:24 PM
I think it is awesome when they can enjoy being feminine without feeling that it also makes them weak to embrace that side of themselves.
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October 21, 2014 at 1:54 PM
My 2 year old, Alara, is stuck in between 2 brothers. She loves Ariel but also princess Leia from Star Wars! My husband is a huge SW fan and we watch the movies often. My daughter loves playing light sabers with her older brother, pretending to be Leia! So cute! I think she also has a secret crush on Darth Vader! Creepy, I know, but she loves him! Leia is definitely a strong princess, not the Disney kind, but still a princess!!
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October 21, 2014 at 1:58 PM
Princess Leia!! I can’t believe I forgot about her! See? That’s why I asked!! She is definitely a strong princess, and exactly what I was talking about.
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October 21, 2014 at 2:02 PM
Yes! She’s pretty cool! And someday I hope to look amazing in a gold bikini again! 😉
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October 23, 2014 at 7:14 AM
I saw a very interesting video last night addressing this very topic. While I’m not crazy about young ladies using foul language – little boys, either! – I agreed with the point!
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October 23, 2014 at 11:21 AM
Foul language? I’m lost.
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October 23, 2014 at 12:01 PM
Ohhhhh….I just saw an article about the video you mentioned. Gotcha!
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May 16, 2016 at 8:46 AM
Reblogged this on Penny Pinching Peach and commented:
I have updated my list of princesses who encourage girls to grow up to be strong women! If you know any little girls, this is for them!
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