The Differences Between the Disney Princesses

As a child, I didn't love the Disney Princesses and never obsessed over them. However, I never noticed the difference between each princess throughout the three eras. In each era, the similarity between each princess is astonishing. In era 1, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are princesses that are skinny, pretty, and are told their looks and a man is all they need in life. Each princess starts out singing and dancing with their animal friends and then somehow, a prince shows up and continues the singing and dancing. Noticing this now versus when I was a child, I can see how this is so far from reality. In Sleeping Beauty especially, the prince interacts with Cinderella and then asks her who she is and what he name is. In era 2, the princesses included Ariel, Jasmine, and Mulan. In my opinion each of these princesses show similarities and differences. Ariel is told that she has good looks and a body so therefore she doesn't need anything else (to get a man). She also picks to be with a man she's never met over staying with her family. Jasmine is a princess but she doesn't instantly fall in love and fantasize over a boy. She also is the first princess that isn't white. The last princess of this era is Mulan and she completely defies the social norms of what girls are supposed to. She is considered a hero and fought for her country rather than a boy. In era 3, the princesses include Elsa and Moana and they are very different than the princesses in era 1 and 2. Elsa becomes independent and the so called "true loves kiss" at the end is the love Elsa shares for her sister Ana. Moana dreamed of going outside her reef and not being a princess against her villages wishes. Both movies don't involve chasing a man or doing anything for a man. In my opinion, I understand how all of the movies can be see as sexist and derogatory but at the same time, I never looked at the movies like that since I read the article. As a kid, I didn't think of any of this and I don't think any other kids are. I understand that the Disney princesses are controversial but I honestly don't understand the severity of these issues because it just shows how the history of women and girls has changed from the first movie in 1937 to the last in 2016.