Megan Condis, the author of this article, proposes that, while Disney have diversified their Princess line-up, the messages for being a "good-girl" are dependent on racial identity.
In her first argument, Condis sets out her claim, that the first-wave princesses were not to sully their beauty by stooping to perform labor, and immediately addresses the counteractions to this claim. Furthering her point to explain that, though the princesses do perform labor - most notably keeping house - this is an evil inflicted on them by the villain. The princesses are rescued by a prince, and returned to a life of luxury and privilege.
At the beginning of her second section "Ariel and Belle: Adding Feminist Flavor to the Classic Recipe" I think Condis explains well the "fine-line" Disney must walk between keeping to traditions and appeasing a modern audience.
However, I disagree with later points made in this section. For instance, Ariel is describes as "skipping out on her job as a singer in a royal concert" (31) as an act of rebellion against her father. First of all, in the film Ariel had lost track of time while exploring a ship wreck, which shows her fascination with the human world, not her rebellious act against her father. Also, I would hardly phrase it as "her job as a singer". Ariel is a princess with a beautiful voice, who stars in this musical. It is not really a profession for her! It's a more a showcase of the talents of King Triton's daughters. But what perplexes me more is how Condis states so matter of factly that King Triton "learns that he was wrong to expect [Ariel] to work as a representative of the merfolk government". WHAT!? Just.....what!? When was this ever even hinted at in Disney's movie? Oh that's right...IT WASN'T! Ariel is a 16 year old princess. She was free to swim about and explore, though her father disapproved of her obsession with the surface. She never had to work or tend to official business. Also, King Triton had been excited to first find out Ariel was in love, assuming this infatuation was with a merman, and would have been prepared for his daughter to start her own life with this new man.
"Pocahontas, Mulan, and Tiana: Non-White Femininity as Defined by Labor" - this section proposes that women of color will be workers "even if they make it all the way to the throne room".
With respect to Pocahontas, it is never outlined that her labors are far more significant than that of her predecessors. She acts as an Ambassador to her people; this is not just trivial floor scrubbing, she has real responsibilities, a position of authority, and respect. So yes, she labors, but it can hardly be lumped into the same category as before.
Also, I don't think Mulan's work can be held against her, or Disney. First of all, this loosely follows the life of an ancient Chinese warrior....so yes, Mulan is going to train and fight. Secondly, this work is something Mulan chose to do...yes to saver her father...but she made the decision to go herself, to bring honor to her family, to find out who she truly is, and to prove her capabilities. So yes, Mulan is working, but this is a self-fulfilling journey she set upon herself. Now that's far more empowering than being forced to scrub flaws by an evil step-mother and eventually being rescued by a Prince. And, Mulan's work comes to an end (in the first film), as she chooses to return home, after denying the Emperor's offer to join his council. And Mulan achieved what she set out to, she brought the highest honor to her family, and saved her father's life.
I also disagree with the analysis of The Princess and the Frog in this piece. Firstly, it would have been so historically inaccurate for Tiana to have been "upper-class nobility" that this would have caused such backlash. So Disney can hardly be blamed for not putting Tiana in the same starting position as that of Cinderella, for example.
Condis also writes that "Tiana's dreams are small and humble" - which I profoundly disagree with. In my opinion, she's the biggest dreamer of the Princess line. She has a real-goal and plans set out to achieve it. Starting up your own business from scratch is no easy feat, even ignoring an socio-economic disadvantages Tiana faced at the time. And with the song "Almost There", Condis concludes that Tiana can never escape menial tasks even as an owner, as in her dreams she's still chopping vegetables and stirring pots. Well, why not consider that this is Tiana's passion? She always loved to cook with her dad, and in fact, Condis skims over the fact that Tiana is coaching her staff, as she performs the tasks better than each. A good business owner ensures they approve of what's going on - especially with restaurants - and Tiana may not want to "abandon" her "hands-on role" in her dream restaurant that she spent years working towards. It is after all her place! It's not uncommon for such passionate owners to be on the ground. And Tiana is hardly a pot scrubber at her establishment. In her song, which is realized at the end of he film, she is elegantly dresses, and enjoys dancing around with friends and family, really bringing the community together as she's desired.
"Bried Notes on Disney's Rapunzel and Merida"
"the tribal Scottish setting of Brave suggests that to read Merida as "white" is not necessarily historically accurate; the colonial British likened the Scottish tribes to Native American peoples".
Now, I'm no expert, but as far as I'm concerned...and in my opinion as a Brit...Brave kinda got the depiction of Scottish people spot on. Yes, there are variations in every culture, but pale ginger people are very Scottish....then and now....to this day I have many pale, ginger, Scottish friends. And even if the Scotts had brown, black, or blonde hair...as also depicted in Brave...they would all have been white. They are Western European, a historically white peoples.
Condis never addresses the parallels of societal views of women, that affect the depictions of Princesses in the film. The 'diverse' Princesses are the most recent ones, as it is only recently that Disney are conscious of diversity and full representation. This trend also fits with the increase of women's rights, and the expectation that women work. So this adds further insight into the discussion, and provides another explanation for the labor of these princesses.
I like the structure of Condis' piece. In particular, how she clearly labels each section heading, making it easy to follow the conversation, and to refer back to the text at later times. Also of note is Condis' use of two introductions, the first outlining her thesis, and the second serving as background information on "The Disney Princess Line". This is effective as it conveys two different introductory sets of information to the reader, in a neat and ordered style.
Like Condis, as I write I often think of additional notes and ideas, that may not directly link to my thesis. I find it very interesting how Condis adds the section "Brief Notes on Disney's Rapunzel and Merida" (41) at the end of her essay, effectively allowing her to weigh in her additional thoughts, and address some of the latest films made after her first writing, all without disrupting the flow of the essay.
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