Okay, let’s talk princesses for a minute.
Jade Torch is about a princess, but I’m always hesitant to tell people that my story is about a princess because, generally, that has a certain connotation. The other day, I told a friend that my book was about a princess, and the first thing that my friend asked was if it was a “Disney princess” kind of thing. And that’s very much not what Jade Torch is about. It—and Lune—is about so much more than pretty dresses, talking to animals, and rebelling against expectations.
Growing up, I never really liked the princesses that were glittery, rebellious, or that sassed off to their parents. They annoyed me, and I decided pretty early on that I was, generally, on the side of the parents. After all, a lot of times, the (glorified) rebellious behavior of these young ladies landed them in a heap of trouble that ended up spiraling out of control and negatively impacting a lot more people than just the sassy princesses.
No, these weren’t my favorite princesses. But that’s not to say I didn’t have princesses that I looked up to and admired. So, here are my top 5 princesses that inspired and influenced me as a child.
- Mia Thermopolis
Okay, maybe this one surprises you because Mia makes some pretty impressively dumb moves, which you might think would annoy me…and you’d be right. There are several mistakes Mia makes that are just plain dumb (in both movies). BUT! Especially in the second film, she does a pretty good job embodying a princess who is ready, willing, and strives to put the needs of her people above her own desires. Yes, she messes up along the way, but it wouldn’t be a comedy without some colossal blunders, right? And in the end, she gets to have her cake and eat it too, ducking out of the arranged marriage to instead choose the man she loves. It’s a nice fairy-tale ending. However, it’s not her romantic struggles that draw me to her as a character. I simply adore her poise, resiliency, and responsibility in the second movie. She’s grown into a proper princess who is ready to shoulder the responsibility of her birthright and be a true leader and statesman for her people.
On the role-model-o-meter, I give her a solid 3/5.
And above all—to me—a princess should be a good role model.
- Kidagakash “Kida” Nedakh
Underrated lady. Like, seriously, WHY is she never included in the official Disney Princess lineup??? It’s actually a massive pet peeve of mine that Mulan, who isn’t a princess at all, is always in the lineup and on the merchandise and my gal Kida is left out. I genuinely don’t understand it. (Disclaimer: I absolutely adore Mulan, and this is nothing against her. I just don’t get how she’s on the list and actual-princess-Kida gets left off.)
So, here’s what I love about Kida: a) she’s kick-butt, b) she just plain cool, and c) she’s clearly a part of her people and their lives, not just a figure ruling over them.
This third point is the most important. For me, a true princess has nothing to do with pretty dresses and everything to do with leadership and servanthood. And Kida is clearly a servant leader to her people. When we first meet her, she’s not in some stuffy, stately throne room holding court. No, she’s in a set of warrior’s garb patrolling the borders of her land with her people. Then, she immediately dives in, pulls up her metaphorical sleeves, and begins the diplomatic work. She serves as translator and then ambassador, presenting the newcomers to her father, her people, and their culture. Afterwards, she works tirelessly to save her people and solve their mystery. The argument could also be made that she was willing to sacrifice herself for her people. (It gets a little murky since she was kind of in a trance when she bonds with the Heart of Atlantis, but still, it’s not out of character to assume that.)
Does she have disagreements with her father? Yes, but they’re not giant fights, and anyway, I don’t put her in the same category as someone like Ariel, a teenager. No, Kida is literally over eight thousand years old. At that age, you’re allowed to have disagreements with your parents, for sure. But note: even when she disagrees with her father, she’s not a brat about it. She’s frustrated, but still respectful, and she clearly loves and respects her dad.
Anyhoo, Kida is easily and by far one of the absolute best Disney princesses!
For me, she’s a solid 4.5/5 on the role-model-o-meter.
- Anneliese
Oh goodness! This one! This fantastic princess is such a good role model! I’ve already said that princesses should be servant leaders, and Anneliese embodies this beautifully. She understands the importance of duty and responsibility in a way that very few of the Disney princesses do.
There’s a line in the song “Free” from the movie. It says, “duty means doing the things your heart may well regret.” I could write an entire essay on Anneliese and how much I adore this lyric alone. You see, in the self-centered, follow-you-heart culture we live in today, Anneliese is an anomaly. She understands that because of her birthright, she has certain duties. I think spider-man has something to say about power and great responsibility?
Anneliese—much like Mia, but even more so—understood that serving the needs of her people sometimes would mean setting aside her own wishes and wants.
She’s smart, gracious, brave, and responsible.
I give her an easy 5/5 on the role-model-o-meter.
- Mulan
I know, I know—considering my rant up in the Kida section, this may seem weird. Yeah, but since Disney includes her in the line-up, I will too. Besides, growing up, Mulan was my favorite Disney “princess,” so that’s why she’s in the #2 position instead of Kida.
She doesn’t have the same duty-over-desire themes that some of these other princesses have, but I so admire her sacrificial love, her resiliency, her brains, and her strength of character. Did she disobey her father? Yes, but she did so because she wanted to save his life. There’s a pretty decent argument to be made that she didn’t think she was coming out of that war alive when she left home. After all, she was completely untrained and was choosing to take the place of her father because she thought he would die if he went.
Once she’s in training, she struggles with the challenge of it, but then she makes the deliberate choice to rise to the challenge and be the best she can be. A+ role model material right there. And once she’s exposed, she doesn’t just turn back. She puts her life on the line again to do what’s right and first warn her friends, then fight for the country she loves.
Yep, I’m gonna give her a 4/5 on the role-model-o-meter.
- Nausicaä
And here she is! Nausicaä, princess of the Valley of the Wind. I’m gonna have to be careful to not spend the whole time just gushing over this character. When I first saw this film, I was probably either nine or ten years old, and the impression she made on me was HUGE. I won’t lie, it’s definitely fair to say that Nausicaä did a lot to influence the character Lune became and the kind of princess I wanted her to be.
You see, more than any other princess in this lineup—and she’s among good company—Nausicaä is the most well-rounded servant leader. She is humble, curious, smart, strong, skilled, and brave with an unwavering sense of right and wrong.
The scene early in the film where she’s helping repair the windmill has always stuck out to me. I love how Christ set a perfect example of servant-leadership when he washed his disciples’ feet. Well, Nausicaä isn’t washing feet, but she’s participating in the everyday tasks of her people by doing something as menial as climbing on top of a windmill to do repairs. Then later, she’s seen helping dig the graves and bury the dead of the ship that crashed. No task is too small or humble for this princess. She is a servant to her people and, therefore, she is truly a part of them. She doesn’t just have their love and admiration as their princess, she has their trust and respect as their leader.
This. THIS is what I think a princess should be.
I also like that her story isn’t bogged down with unnecessary romantic dilemmas, but I feel confident that if she was ever faced with the choice of doing what she wanted or what was best for her people, she would doubtlessly choose her people over herself.
Overall, Nausicaä is the peak embodiment of a good princess and role model. She’s smart, humble, she knows how to love and show mercy to her enemies, and she’s willing to lay down her life for the innocent and to do what’s right.
Yeah, Nausicaä gets, heck, a 6/5 on the role-model-o-meter.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into my childhood and the princesses that I admired and were inspired by as a kid. Who are your favorite princesses and why? How did they impact/influence you growing up? What qualities do you think are most important in a princess?
Next time, I’ll give y’all a rundown of my least favorite princesses from my childhood.
-Anne Marie