Carolyne Rivera - Should The Princess be Rescued by the Prince or Rescue Herself?

Recently with the production and release of the new live-action adaptation of Snow White, an interview clip featuring Rachel Zegler, the main actress, sparked a fierce debate when she said that in the new movie, Snow White would not be dreaming of finding true love and would not be rescued by the prince as she was in the original, but of becoming the leader she is destined to be. This caused severe backlash and this comment has invited speculation about the rest of the Disney princess movies. There was a great deal of focus around characters like Aurora, Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Ariel who were "rescued by the prince" in their story and some people agreed that they were indeed weaker than characters like Mulan and Merida who were strong fighters, because they needed a man to save them, but this is not true. 

Aurora dreamed of love after being secluded her entire life and came upon a young man by accident and he showed her kindness and respect when she had hardly met another person. Rapunzel dreamed of seeing lanterns for a birthday and she felt safer with a guide along what she believed was a dangerous journey. Cinderella dreamed of one night of happiness to escape her abusive stepfamily, even for one night and caught the eye of someone she did not realize was the prince. Ariel had dreamed of learning about the human world long before she met Eric and in a moment of desperation and heartbreak, she took a risk to see the world she loved and meet the human she admired. None of these characters used true love or affection as a crutch to their weakness; some of them were actually portrayed as being very strong on their own and having a man help them in their journeys was not a sign of their weakness. Fans were furious when Rachel Zegler implied that falling in love was an antiquated concept because it belittled Snow White's character and the characters like her that dreamed of meeting someone that would compliment the powerful characters they already were.

So should the princess be rescued by the prince or rescue herself? The answer: it does not matter. A princess being rescued by a prince does not make her weak and saving herself does not make her strong either. Merida was a powerful warrior that never wanted to fall in love, but she was arrogant and selfish and had to learn to grow past it. Mulan was brilliant and strong, but she had to work extraordinarily hard for it. A female character does not have to exhibit traditionally strong traits to be a strong person, but their strength can come from their character - kindness and respect and patience. The princes of these stories often helped the princesses escape from their old lives, but it was more than one side serving the other. Each of these was a complimentary relationship, where they both, in a sense, rescued each other. Philip was motivated to become a better man to awake Aurora from her sleep. Eugene/Flynn cut off Rapunzel's ties to Gothel and she showed him that he could be better than just a common thief. By marrying the prince, Cinderella never had to endure the pain of living with her cruel stepfamily and he could rule his kingdom alongside someone he truly loved and would care for his people. Eric finally found someone he could love and marry to secure the future of his kingdom and she could live in the world she had dreamed of for so long. A person's strength does not come from being a leader or a warrior, but from taking the journey that is entirely their own and achieving their own unique destiny. 

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