At long last, the long-awaited Favorites list I always mentioned but was too meticulous about writing and incredibly distracted from to actually finish! So sorry it took so long. I talk about things I dislike about some of the princesses, but keep in mind that I still love them all.

13. Belle:
Previous Position: 12

I respect Belle more now and even like her personality more after coming here. I just don’t care for her much or really relate to her, aside from being a daydreamer and wanting adventure when I was younger. I don't think her personality is that inspiring or original, which would be okay if she weren’t seen as so revolutionary when she doesn't really do anything the other DPs don't already do. Even with her “flaws” she’s still almost perfect. She’s only stubborn when she's standing up for herself like she should, for instance. And when SHE breaks the rule, she’s portrayed as the victim we have to side with. Sure, he shouldn’t have scared her, of course, but it annoys me that she would put herself in danger for some short-lived excitement. Don’t think I don’t appreciate her though- you guys know I love Cinderella and I think they have a lot in common, like their essentially loyal, responsible natures, good manners, patience, and sophistication. I think it's touching and unselfish how she won't have the adventure she wants because she doesn't want to leave her dad alone (and I used to not understand that at all). I just think she's overrated.



12. Ariel:
Previous Position: 11

My opinion on Ariel goes up and down. I used to truly detest her, but I like her a bit more now; I just don’t see her as a role model. She keeps flip-flopping with Belle’s place. I respect Belle more, but I think Ariel is more interesting. Maybe I’m just biased because I love TLM more than BATB. Anyway, I don’t really relate to Ariel. We both like seeing new things, but I’m too loyal to my family and home to want to leave for good. I can get obsessive over things that interest me, but I’m very cautious. Ariel is a nice and a fun character; I just feel kind of neutral towards her, and I feel like the one person who doesn't care that she's a merrrrrmaiiiddd :S She also reminds me of my best friend, who has Ariel as her favorite (yes, because she’s a mermaid). They’re both too impulsive and self-focused for their own good! So I guess I like that she reminds me of her.



11. Merida:
Previous Position: 10

I dislike Merida at the beginning, but by the end I actually like her. I completely admit that Merida did a great thing in the end, something almost no princesses (maybe none at all) have done: confessed when they’ve done something bad and selfish and accepted responsibility for it, but I don’t consider her to be the bad@ss role model some people see her as simply for being the anti-Disney princess, like she's a hero for not having a guy or girly personality. She doesn’t bring anything new to the DPs, and most people don't think of thing good she does at the end of the movie when they think of Merida, they mostly love her for the adventurous, independent rebel she is. However, I kind of like her. I just find her interesting, I guess how she contrasts with the majority of the other DPs.



10. Rapunzel:
Previous Position: 4

Wow, what a drop for poor Rapunzel! I actually liked her a LOT more than I thought I would. When Tangled came out, I thought, “Oh, another ‘spunky’ and ‘independent’ heroine. Boring.” But no, Rapunzel is very charming and like this generation’s Ariel. And she loves Gothel and tries to do what she says. She finds meaningful ways to spend her time ( heroine who's allowed to have domestic hobbies?!), is very optimistic and sweet. I also love that she’s homeschooled- growing up I BADLY wanted that. And how refreshing it is to have a really girly princess again!The only thing I really dislike is how she turns back on her morals, which she consistently goes back on, with leaving when she believes it's wrong to, then letting Flynn’s stealing history slide when they become rulers. I don't really like her dream of just seeing the lights, either. After nearly getting themselves killed just to get there, once she sees them… it ends. Nothing else happens! She doesn't try to find out who's sending them so it seemed pointless. I don’t mean to rag on Rapunzel, honestly; there’s just a lot about her movie that bothers me that the filmmakers could have fixed if they tried.



9. Mulan:
Previous Position: 7

I’ve said it many times- I love Mulan’s quieter strengths over the fact that she sneaks off to war disguised as a guy and saves China.That’s great but I admire Mulan herself more than her action there. People think she’s some emotionally hardened, manly action girl but she isn’t at all. She’s so cute and insecure and timid! Clumsiness aside, I think she has more poise than she realizes. She is capable of speaking eloquently and is actually kind of graceful to me (even if she does make a lot of messes in the movie). I love that she actually wants to follow tradition and do what her parents say- it contrasts so sharply with what our modern culture says and does, where kids usually rebel and parents are just okay with it. She doesn’t mind marrying a guy she may not love if she thinks it’s the right thing to do and will honor her family. And her crush on Shang is cute. However, I’ve come to see her as a little too perfect. There’s nothing really flawed about her- she’s just so brave, so smart, so strong, so independent, so noble. She's the one princess absolutely no one criticizes. At best her worst flaw is that she’s too heroic. I like her, truly, just not as much as before anymore.



8. Tiana:
Previous Position: 6

The beginning of the princesses I really like. We see how much Tiana's dad’s death really changed her when she was older. She’s still good-humored and didn’t let it crack her, but she doesn’t ever stop to play or remember what her dad told her about love. She gets so caught up in his dream she totally forgot what he said was more important than that, but she learns in the end. I don’t know what common ground she and Charlotte have that keeps them best friends, but their friendship is very cute and touching because they both REALLY love each other. Tiana is never bitter or jealous of those who have it better than she does, unlike Facilier, which is a better role model trait than just her work ethic if you ask me. Also, I can see why people don’t like her as much- she is not a wild, fun free spirit at all. (It makes sense that Tiana is less popular and Ariel is wildly popular, because they’re almost opposites.) But I like that about her. I enjoy having a princess who acts like an adult. She isn’t all as serious and dull as Naveen thinks she is. She’s cheerful and motherly and still had a sense of humor going. My biggest complaints are that after getting turned into a frog BY a witch doctor, she goes TO a witch doctor to fix it, which seems out of character for her. The other is that she's a little politically correct and success-focused. I mean wanting to work hard and earn your happy ending is fine, Disney made her a bit obsessed with it after she turned into a frog, so it became her one trait.



7. Jasmine:
Previous Position: 8

Jasmine and Tiana keep switching places because the former is possibly the hardest for me to decide if I really love or not. For awhile as a kid I made her my favorite, but looking back I realize that was for the same reasons everyone else I know likes her: 1) she’s pretty. 2) she has a tiger. 3) I loved her movie. When I got older I could not stand her and thought she was a spoiled brat. Now, I like her when I see the movie, but dislike her when I think about how often she yells at people and how this seemingly makes her strong and independent (which I think are generally overrated, misunderstand values for female characters anyway). I kind of have a love/hate relationship with her. I relate strongly to how steadfast she is in her beliefs and her impatience with rude people (or who she sees as rude) but she does act bratty and hypocritical. However, while that annoys me, I don’t hold it against her; it makes her extremely realistic. I don’t think Jasmine gets enough credit for being well-rounded as she is. She’s very believable and I find her compelling because of this.



6. Anna.
Previous Position: N/A

I didn't think I would like Anna the way they marketed her. We all thought she'd be a mesh of Rapunzel, Ariel, Merida, pretty much any modern heroine. But like I said in my analysis, she's not that original but neither is she a ripoff. I think she's one of the most realistically written princesses, and one of the best, most loving heroines we've had in a long time. I understand her feelings of isolation very much, I was younger I was quick to fall for a guy I shouldn't have and ended it, and I sort of have that awkwardness around attractive guys too... Interestingly, she starts out as kind of a mix of both kinds of princesses: lonely and looking for love and happiness like the Classics, but having a outgoing, determined modern personality like the post-Renaissance girls. However, I think she's got a better attitude than some of them. While she frequently thinks about herself after being alone for so long, she ends up being one of the most selfless, loving, and bravest princesses we've ever had. She did think of her dream a lot at first, but realized fixing what she started and trying to bring her sister home was the right thing to do. I love her for it! She deserves more credit. I may move her up sometime. I prefer Elsa, but I realized I relate a lot to Anna.



5. Pocahontas:
Previous Position: 7

I think it’s cool that while she’s strong and athletic, she is just as graceful as Aurora, holding her head high and carrying herself gracefully. She is also graceful in the emotional sense. She may be childish sometimes but she is sophisticated in her own way- when she speaks her mind she does it respectfully and calmly, and she has a kind of nobility about her that obviously John Smith was not expecting to see in a “savage”. She also indecisive and doesn’t have much common sense either. It’s funny, the more I think about it, they more things she and I have in common. My mom used to tell me I have no common sense all the time. Like her, I can also be indecisive because I also REALLY want to make sure I do the absolute right thing. We both worry about it and often wait till the last minute to do something. But I think she gets a bit of flack there for that, when all she wants is to do what is best for everyone. She also knows she doesn’t know everything- she goes to others for advice. That shows wisdom in and of itself, as well as shows a kind of humbleness I really admire and wish more characters (and people) had. I guess it really helped that I watched her movie not long ago for the first time in awhile because my feelings on her have moved from neutral to love! I only dropped her from 4 because we got new characters.



4. Cinderella:
Previous Position: 3

These are the princesses I truly adore. Cinderella is so realistic and yet is the perfect role model to me. She's not perfect, contrary to popular opinion, and this is what keeps her from being too ideal. She does feel frustration and annoyance; she just doesn’t let it make her bitter. She’s got a ton of patience, something I wish I had more of. She’s pretends to be stoically cheerful, refusing to let the steps see how angry or sad she really is (which I think suggests she’s proud; not vain proud, but as in a lot of self-respect) but she does have a moment where she cracks because going to the ball was her last chance at a short night of happiness, and it was torn away. But again, I find this to be realistic for someone who has been so abused for so long. She's grateful for what she has- she values her friendship with the mice and what they do for her, and whenever she gets something good, hopeful, and she's stronger than a lot of heroines despite being called a doormat so much. Her quiet dignity and love are her strengths. I only moved her down to make room for my new 3 and may move her back up later. I don’t dislike anything about her personality. She’s awesome!



3. Elsa:
Previous: N/A

I LOVE ELSA. You have no idea how weird it is for me to love a modern princess as much as I do! I suppose that’s because Elsa acts in no way like a typical modern princess. She’s so unique; definitely a throwback to the Classic Princesses, where it was still OK for women to be reserved, vulnerable, and ladylike. I love that about her. I love pretty much everything about her. Her having my favorite element just makes her even… cooler (sorry, it’s so hard not to use that word to describe Elsa!). She’s so regal and dutiful, but she isn’t entirely perfect. Elsa, in trying to be responsible by running away, actually ends up being irresponsible, leaving it to her sheltered sister Anna (who leaves it to Hans). She has a few selfish moments; she can’t say “no” to anything up till Anna wants her blessing; doesn’t have much faith in herself, even post-Let It Go. I also love that while she has splendid powers, she’s still a gentle, insecure person who does in up needing rescuing, showing that not only is it OK for women to need help, but it’s possible for a powerful person to need it, too. I’m overall very happy with her and so glad I finally have a new princess that is similar to me in personality (not to sound selfish or anything, I’ve just never experienced that). I can understand trying to be responsible and unselfish and actually making things worse. She’s very easy to relate to yet also incredibly admirable, like Cindy, to me. She’s only at 3 because I love the top 2 even more.



2. Snow White:
Previous: 1

Oh, Snow, I love you SO MUCH. I love everything about her. I love her optimistic attitude, her willingness to work hard and earn her keep, her sense of humor, and how bossy she is. Everything about her is so lovable and cute. It baffles me when anyone says she has no personality or is passive. Are we seeing the same Snow White? She's outspoken, domineering, and is probably only succeeded in assertiveness by Jasmine. I remember Jayden (I believe) pointing out how Snow needs to be liked by people, which hints at insecurity, and that's probably true. I think it adds to her background of abuse- like Anna, she's probably craving love. I love her ability to love others despite her unhappiness. My dad got custody of me when I was 16 because I was tired of being emotionally abused by my mom, and when I moved in with him, I bought her DVD and became a little obsessed with Snow. I really identified with her because of how she doesn't let bad things break her but always looked at the brightness in things and was able to love and be loved. I loved her since I was a kid so I have a lot of sentimental feelz for her.



1. Aurora:
Previous: 2

Wow, coming here has made me see Aurora quite differently. I mean, I always liked her OK; I just never loved or disliked her because I didn’t get her, like most people. I thought she was nice but didn’t think about her all that much. Now I admire her and see a lot of myself in her, which is why I feel protective of her I guess. She’s underrated, though it’s understandable why. But she’s got as much to offer as the new princesses do. Well, after sort of studying what you guys have gleaned from her personality, I see a lot of myself in her (and we share the same MBTI type) so she’s moved up to 1. Her elegance hides how she’s shy and awkward with strangers, which is cute and very relatable to me. Like her, I get more confident when I’m around people I trust and am used to but stutter and act nervous around strangers. She tries to do what she knows is right, even if she wants something else, which is something I admire enormously and wish we all did more. She puts others over herself, which makes for a fantastic role model. I also love that for someone who supposedly “has no personality”, we see a lot of it, not just in what she says, but visually. She’s like a Fantasia character, where you learn about her the most from her facial expressions, movements, etc.