I have to say that besides The Little Mermaid, this movie has to be my favorite. It recently was rereleased in theaters. Of course I went and watched it!! This story is a classic tale that has been adapted into different versions. Beastly is one of those recent movie adaptations and I actually loved the spin on the story. Now to focus back on the Disney version. As I sat in the theater and watched this movie, moving my lips to the familiar words, I was trying to figure out why I loved this movie so much. I pinpointed it to the main female character, Belle. I know most of those people reading this are probably thinking, “I could have never guessed that!” and I can hear all of the sarcasm in that statement through my computer screen. Give me a chance people because though this is all through my point of view, I really think these points are valid and should be taken into consideration when considering this character. Yes, she is a fictional fairytale character but its a person we present to our children which they will consider a role model for a part of their lives. What kind of characters are we presenting as role models to our children? What dreams are we telling our little girls they should have?
If you search “Disney Princess” on Google images, you will receive hits of Jasmine, Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Belle. They are all dressed in their nice dresses, well except for Ariel, and scream princess. Belle is dressed in a gorgeous gold ball gown and gold gloves. Hair nicely done with a golden accent. She is the epitome of princess in these images, yet she only wears this gown in one point of the movie. For the most part, she is wearing her everyday plain blue dress with her hair in a ponytail. Not the princess then but an ordinary girl who took care of her father and had big dreams.
This is a major point I want to make is that essentially Belle is a normal person with a strong character. She lives in a little town but wants more than that. She craves an adventure outside of her norm, but that doesn’t make her forget her responsibilities. Her father needs her since he is busy with his “job” as an inventor. She supports the ones who are important to her and stands up for them when the world wants to beat them down. When it comes to settling down and getting married, which she is expected to do, she decides no even though the “greatest guy in town” proposes to her. She knows what she wants and won’t compromise that for anyone. She sacrifices her freedom for her father’s freedom with a strength not many people in real life would have. Though she has an opportunity to escape from her captor when he is injured and hurt, she chooses to help him. She looks into the heart of her captor instead of his looks and sees that he has a beautiful heart. She finds love, but she is the one who saves her prince. Aren’t these all characteristics we hope to attain?
When it comes to female heroes, I feel women aren’t given true figures to look up to. I am not a feminist, but I do believe we need to look up to the right kind of characters. I feel like we need to have role models that push qualities that will make us better. Though I love fairytales, I feel like they do not give girls the right type of role models. Cinderella is abused by her step mother and was stuck a horrible situation. She doesn’t take her freedom into her own hands but depends on some magic and a guy to rescue her. Sleeping Beauty spends most of the story asleep until her prince awakens her to life again. Lets break away from the fairytales and get to a more recent story, Twilight. I am a Twilight hater because of Bella. She is obsessed with this guy who becomes her whole life. All of Book 2 is her lamenting his loss. What kind of role model is this for our girls? Do we want to teach them that they need to be rescued or completed by a guy?
So I think this is why I love Belle and her whole story. She is someone I can relate to and look up to. She is a strong person and I would love to be the hero in my story like she was in hers.
And what is more, she is a strong person who has kept her feminity.
That is true!! I never mentioned that but she was still feminine in all of her actions. Thank you Colline for that point.