In Defense of Merida. 

We’ve reached the last princess in Disney’s official lineup. Merida from

I’m going to go ahead and say I’m not crazy about the movie

Don’t get me wrong, it’s good and I like it! But I think all Pixar movies are beyond amazing so my expectations were pretty darn high.

  It didn’t quite live up to Pixar’s other films in my opinion. With all that said, I adore Merida herself. She’s such a wonderful heroine and I wish her movie had been a bigger deal because she deserves more recognition.

There’s one, big, obvious thing about Merida that sets her apart from the typical Disney princess mold. She doesn’t have a love interest. Think about every other Disney heroine you’ve ever seen… Merida’s sort of groundbreaking in that respect. It’s about time. I’m all about a good love story, but it’s not necessary! It’s hardly the only thing in life, and that’s something this movie teaches young girls.

  It’s not even the typical “but don’t want to get married until I find my true love” thing like you see with Jasmine. Merida has no intention of ever settling down with a guy. She wants to be independent. Merida gets her happily ever after without marrying a prince charming. She doesn’t need one.

The movie instead centers around the relationship between Merida and Queen Elinor. I like that Disney is focusing on a mother-daughter relationship. You sort of see that in

but it’s not quite the same thing, since Gothel is the villain and not Rapunzel’s real mother.

for the most part it’s a pretty classic mother-daughter relationship that would be very relatable for most girls. The daughter loves her mom very much but is crushed by high expectations. The mother is just trying to look out for her little girl’s best interests. Very relevant in a lot of people’s lives.

Another big focus of the movie is the theme of being true to yourself. Merida is not a stereotypical princess but that doesn’t make her any less royal. She isn’t super girly, graceful, or dainty. She doesn’t dance around and sing. Again, no prince charming. The girl rides around on a huge horse with a bow and arrow all day. But she defines what it really means to be a princess. She is wise, responsible, brave, kindhearted, passionate… She uses those awesome qualities to unite the kingdom. That’s what being a princess is about.

I’m going to take a little time to talk about her appearance because it’s more significant with Merida than with other heroines. Disney/Pixar put a lot of effort into making her look more realistic than their previous ladies. She has a more athletic build, whereas most of the princesses have hourglass figures with ridiculously small waists. She doesn’t look too mature for her age. Her clothes are no frills, no fuss. Merida is clearly not wearing a drop of makeup. And most of all, that hair. Oh how I adore her hair! It’s fantastic! The huge untamed curls are simply gorgeous. And it’s totally symbolic of her free spirited personality. I have a few friends, with very similar wild, red hair, who used to be a little insecure about their curls. They were so excited when they saw Merida rocking that hair. That’s so cool. I love that with this character they were shooting for more realistic and Merida is still captivatingly beautiful. It sends a very positive message.

Across the board, Merida is a fantastic role model and a huge leap forward in the characterization of princesses. I so hope that little girls out there are watching

Posted on Thursday, September 5 2013. Tagged with: meridabravescottishirishprincessDisney PrincessDisneyDisney charactersheroinerole modelsfeminismfeministdisney pixarpixarfairy talefateif you had the chance to change your fatewould youredheaddefense

I have always been an avid Disney princess fan. Lately I\'ve been saddened to see so many criticisms and attacks toward the princesses. This blog is devoted to their defense.

This is also a feminist blog. Beyond Disney, it is dedicated to the defense and celebration of all women.

I also have a Harry Potter blog! http://whatscurious.tumblr.com/