Why Princesses Inspire Me
Can you believe this is my 50th post? It's been an uphill climb to bring you new and exciting princess topics every day thus far. Thank you to all of my readers for your support. As much as I would love to get to 100 posts as soon as possible, I'm afraid I might not be able to keep coming up with new topics every day. Keep your suggestions coming, and I will try my best. I changed the comments settings recently, so if you were having trouble posting comments before, please try again because I'd love to hear from you. Before I get started, I'd like to point out that today marks the 30th anniversary of the 1987 cult classic The Princess Bride. Though this movie holds little significance in my life, it is a live-action princess movie that made a huge impact for many other people Read on to learn about the impact that princesses have had on my life.
The first movie I ever saw in theaters was The Little Mermaid in 1989. I fell in love with it instantly. Ariel's passion, innocence, and determination to chase after her dreams stuck with me for many years. Like Ariel, I was raised by overprotective yet well-meaning parents, and I dreamed of one day making my way into the world and living my life on my own terms. I worked hard in school, did everything I was told, and eventually went to a fantastic college, made tons of friends, and had a blast. Those of us who grew up in the '90s were very fortunate because we got to see the biggest explosion of some of the best animated movies ever made, one right after another. That is why the period is known as the Disney Renaissance. These strong-willed empowering heroines taught me and many others to believe in ourselves and to keep dreaming until we found our own happiness, no matter how hopeless the situation may seem.
I can't remember a time when I was ever not obsessed with princesses. When I was in elementary school, I made enchanted jewels out of poster board and ran around the house pretending to be a Jewel Rider. I asked a friend's mom who was good at sewing to make me a Princess Odette costume from The Swan Princess that I wore for Purim (which is basically the Jewish Halloween). In high school, I started a Disney Princess fan group on LiveJournal. The first costumes I made after completing my sewing elective were princess dresses for cosplay. When I went to college for screenwriting, the first screenplay I wrote was an adaptation of "The Princess and the Pea." After college, I moved to Florida and went to meet the princesses at Walt Disney World on a regular basis. Princesses were there for me even when it felt like no one else was.
You might be wondering why someone in her thirties would want to write a blog about princesses. As strange as it sounds, I found that I grew more fascinated by these ethereal young women the older I got. It wasn't until I entered college that I truly understood and respected the grace and poise of Cinderella and Aurora. Of course, that might only be because the digitally remastered Platinum Edition DVDs allowed me to appreciate the subtleties of the animation in said movies far more than my fuzzy overplayed VHS recordings. Shortly after I entered the working world in 2008, The Princess and the Frog was released in 2009, and I felt myself connect with Tiana instantly. Her responsibility and devotion to her work in order to achieve her ultimate goal made me want to work that much harder. I knew I wasn't quite where I wanted to be in life, but like Tiana, I was almost there and was willing to do whatever it took to get there.
I went through some rough times during both my school years and my adult years. People stabbed me in the back and tried to tarnish my reputation. Seeing these magical princesses fight for what they knew they deserved despite how they were treated by their peers inspired me to be my best self. Though I did become a more cynical that I'd like to admit over the years, I always remember to treat people with kindness and respect so that like like Cinderella. A message that Utena taught me was to never lose my inner strength or nobility, even if the whole world seems to crumble beneath my feet. If I'm ever feeling down, I just need to hear a song sung by one of my favorite princesses, and I'll feel better. Dressing like a princess as much as I can in everyday life makes me feel empowered and ready to take on the world. Princess influence just about every aspect of my life. I believe that they possess all of the traits that everyone should aspire to--kindness, intelligence, grace, humility, and assertiveness.
Even though this may be a controversial topic, I believe that princesses have had a positive impact on my love life as well. When I saw Ariel take a huge risk to go after her prince and my favorite video game princess, Rinoa Heartilly, literally drag the guy she liked onto the dance floor, I learned that it was okay for the girl to make the first move. As a result, I was never afraid to tell my crushes how I felt about them or to ask them out. Did I get my heart broken? Many times. Yet, I'm sure I would have regretted it more if I had never tried. Today, I am happily married and living out my fairy tale ending. I have the princesses of my past to thank for that. They taught me to always follow my heart and never settle for anything less.
I was born into a magical world of stories and dreams, and I intend to continue those stories by telling stories of my own. They always say to write what you know, and I know that princesses inspire me to be my best self. These enchanting women of fantasy remind me to work hard, chase after my dreams, and to always be grateful for what I've accomplished. Thanks to them, I see the world as a glittery rainbow of hope and light instead of a gray vortex of boring adult work just to survive another day.
The first movie I ever saw in theaters was The Little Mermaid in 1989. I fell in love with it instantly. Ariel's passion, innocence, and determination to chase after her dreams stuck with me for many years. Like Ariel, I was raised by overprotective yet well-meaning parents, and I dreamed of one day making my way into the world and living my life on my own terms. I worked hard in school, did everything I was told, and eventually went to a fantastic college, made tons of friends, and had a blast. Those of us who grew up in the '90s were very fortunate because we got to see the biggest explosion of some of the best animated movies ever made, one right after another. That is why the period is known as the Disney Renaissance. These strong-willed empowering heroines taught me and many others to believe in ourselves and to keep dreaming until we found our own happiness, no matter how hopeless the situation may seem.
I can't remember a time when I was ever not obsessed with princesses. When I was in elementary school, I made enchanted jewels out of poster board and ran around the house pretending to be a Jewel Rider. I asked a friend's mom who was good at sewing to make me a Princess Odette costume from The Swan Princess that I wore for Purim (which is basically the Jewish Halloween). In high school, I started a Disney Princess fan group on LiveJournal. The first costumes I made after completing my sewing elective were princess dresses for cosplay. When I went to college for screenwriting, the first screenplay I wrote was an adaptation of "The Princess and the Pea." After college, I moved to Florida and went to meet the princesses at Walt Disney World on a regular basis. Princesses were there for me even when it felt like no one else was.
You might be wondering why someone in her thirties would want to write a blog about princesses. As strange as it sounds, I found that I grew more fascinated by these ethereal young women the older I got. It wasn't until I entered college that I truly understood and respected the grace and poise of Cinderella and Aurora. Of course, that might only be because the digitally remastered Platinum Edition DVDs allowed me to appreciate the subtleties of the animation in said movies far more than my fuzzy overplayed VHS recordings. Shortly after I entered the working world in 2008, The Princess and the Frog was released in 2009, and I felt myself connect with Tiana instantly. Her responsibility and devotion to her work in order to achieve her ultimate goal made me want to work that much harder. I knew I wasn't quite where I wanted to be in life, but like Tiana, I was almost there and was willing to do whatever it took to get there.
I went through some rough times during both my school years and my adult years. People stabbed me in the back and tried to tarnish my reputation. Seeing these magical princesses fight for what they knew they deserved despite how they were treated by their peers inspired me to be my best self. Though I did become a more cynical that I'd like to admit over the years, I always remember to treat people with kindness and respect so that like like Cinderella. A message that Utena taught me was to never lose my inner strength or nobility, even if the whole world seems to crumble beneath my feet. If I'm ever feeling down, I just need to hear a song sung by one of my favorite princesses, and I'll feel better. Dressing like a princess as much as I can in everyday life makes me feel empowered and ready to take on the world. Princess influence just about every aspect of my life. I believe that they possess all of the traits that everyone should aspire to--kindness, intelligence, grace, humility, and assertiveness.
Even though this may be a controversial topic, I believe that princesses have had a positive impact on my love life as well. When I saw Ariel take a huge risk to go after her prince and my favorite video game princess, Rinoa Heartilly, literally drag the guy she liked onto the dance floor, I learned that it was okay for the girl to make the first move. As a result, I was never afraid to tell my crushes how I felt about them or to ask them out. Did I get my heart broken? Many times. Yet, I'm sure I would have regretted it more if I had never tried. Today, I am happily married and living out my fairy tale ending. I have the princesses of my past to thank for that. They taught me to always follow my heart and never settle for anything less.
I was born into a magical world of stories and dreams, and I intend to continue those stories by telling stories of my own. They always say to write what you know, and I know that princesses inspire me to be my best self. These enchanting women of fantasy remind me to work hard, chase after my dreams, and to always be grateful for what I've accomplished. Thanks to them, I see the world as a glittery rainbow of hope and light instead of a gray vortex of boring adult work just to survive another day.
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