Lessons Disney Princesses Taught Me: Part 2

this gal.

Tiana.

Now, Tiana definitely was not my favorite princess growing up considering her movie came out when I was in grade 11, and even then I wasn't all that excited. 

I mean, there is no way i would ever never ever kiss a frog. 

But when I did eventually see it, I was in love.

Between the jazz music, the beautiful animation, and a honest-to-goodness real-life princess, I was sold.

Tiana is a real person. She could easily be your next door neighbour or your cousin who works too hard and too long to reach their goals. She is a far cry from the likes of Snow, Cindy, or Aurora (although I love these girls too!). 

From the beginning, we find out that Tiana isn't looking for love ("Mama, I ain't got time for dancing"). She has friends who want to hang out with her during Mardi Gras, and she even has a best friend in Lottie. For one of the first times in Disney history, a princess is (*whispered tones*) ordinary. 

And that's my favorite lesson Tiana teaches us.

Anybody can be a princess.

That blows me away. Tiana, who is talented, but doesn't have a fairy godmother. She's got dream and goals, but she's not the fairest in all the land by a long shot. Tiana is the underdog. But she still makes her dreams happen. 

And, true to Disney fashion, she finds love on the way. 

So what does Tiana teach us?

1) Work Hard. But don't be afraid to ask for help. Tiana literally worked her butt off, but it still wasn't going to be enough to open her restaurant. She slaved away at two jobs, saved every penney, and barely made the down payment. I think we can assume that if she only asked Charlotte for a loan or to invest in her restaurant she would have more than willingly forked over some of Big Daddy LaBeouf's cash. But instead, she missed out on having fun and being a young person. Don't take on huge projects by yourself. Bring along as many people to support and lift you up and help you make your dreams come true. Don't be ashamed of help.

2) You are not flawed by looking for love. I feel like so many of the classic princesses get harassed for this. "Oh all the princesses do is whine for a prince to come rescue them". Well, Tiana spent all of her time preoccupied with her dream, she missed out on what was really important. Having everything you want in life is nothing if you have no one to share it with. Sometimes girls get so shamed because they gorge themselves on romantic movies and just want to find love, but really, it's an important part of life that no one should miss out on.

3) Not everything is as it seems. I'm sure this could be applied to a lot of the princesses in different ways, but Tiana looks past Naveen's arrogance charm and sees that he really just doesn't know how to function in a normal relationship. She sees past Lottie's dumb-blonde exterior and knows that she's a good person with a great heart. She sees Ray and Louis for who they are, not their outward appearance. Tiana gives everybody a fair chance. 

If you can't tell, Tiana is definitely on the top of my list for favorite princess. Who is your favorite Disney princess, prince, heroine, or hero? Why are they your favorite? Comment below and let me know!

Stay Magical,

Sarah

Note: If this seems a little scrambled, I did write it during a fit of insomnia at 3 o'clock in the morning because what else do you do while waiting for your tsum tsum hearts to replenish? xoxo