Saving Cinderella

Book excerpt: It's time to save Cinderella!Ready for a radical statement? Disney princesses aren't anti-feminist. Until the 1990s, Disney princesses were role models for little girls, teaching them how to grow up into strong, centered, moral women. But then something terrible happened. A vocal minority of viewers and film critics (let's call them "princess critics") got hold of the narrative. They called Disney princesses "drips," said they were "boring," and boiled their dreams down to "husband hunting." And Disney listened, churning out princesses who were virtue-signaling, man-hating puppets shouting the ideas of the princess critics. But the princess critics were wrong. Each chapter in this book covers one of the eleven "official" Disney princesses (plus Elsa and Anna from Frozen, who aren't yet "official"). In chronological order the book will explore the themes, tropes, and symbolism of these movies, and the ways in which the princess critics have influenced our perceptions of them. And then it will prove the princess critics wrong.Saving Cinderella rescues the Disney princess narrative from the princess critics, giving Disney fans everywhere the validation they need to proudly love the princesses they've always admired in secret.