Okay, so I'm going to try to help fanfiction authors again. Or criticize them. Whichever one it seems I'm doing better.
Anyway, in my article 'Common Mistakes Made by Disney Fanfiction Writers' I pointed out that many authors have Aurora play the role of the mean, popular girl in their high school AUs, probably because Aurora is a very unpopular princess.
Since I find it very irritating when characters are written OCC, I am going to list all of the Disney girls that I feel could play a good mean girl when written in-character. Of course, it would depend on what type of person the character you'd chosen as your protagonist is. So, remember to choose your villain carefully.
Let's start with the obvious ones...
Vanessa from The Little Mermaid
There are a lot of people who use Vanessa as the mean girl, but Aurora is still more popular as the alpha bitch. Vanessa's your classic mean girl. She has that evil glimmer in her eye, is self-serving, and could easily play the type of girl who steals boyfriends for no reason. Vanessa would be the popular mean girl, who gets away with murder.
Anastasia and Drizella
Anastasia and Drizella would probably be very... disliked, and unpopular. Still, they'd make good mean girls. The stupid type of mean girls, who boldly attack the easy targets, and hide their own insecurities by making others feel inferior. The boy-crazy kind of mean girls, but not quite cunning enough to trick the guy into falling for them.
Now for the less obvious options...
Cinderella
While Cinderella is usually considered Disney's nicest princess, I think she's got a little mean girl inside of her. She's vain, and knows who she's "better than". She is polite but has a sarcastic sense of humor, and she's seen mocking her step-sisters and -mother behind their backs. While I believe that Cinderella's kindness is genuine, her politeness is fake. And that's the kind of mean girl that Cinderella would be; polite to your face and a bitch behind your back.
Ariel
I don't think that Ariel would be intentionally cruel to people, just for the fun of it. I just think that she's very likely to ditch her friends for the next hot guy that comes along. So, she'd only make a good kind of frenemy-type mean girl, although she's probably better off being the friend who messes up but gets it right in the end. Ariel could be a mean girl, but she'd definitely be the mean girl with a secret heart of gold.
Belle
Belle is smart, and she knows she's smart. In fact, she probably thinks she's smarter than she actually is. Belle is kind of condescending towards the, uh, less thinky people, and people who aren't like her. But she patronizes people in such a subtle way. Belle is the know-it-all kind of mean girl, but also the 'polite to your face but judging you in her head' type, like Cinderella, just a little more genuine and straight-forward. I think Belle can be written in character and mean at the same time.
Jasmine
Now this can't be a shocker. I've seen Jasmine been used as a mean girl before, but she's usually used as a slutty type of mean girl. Jasmine is definitely no slut. Jasmine is very honest. She definitely let's her feelings about people show very clearly. Jasmine, when used as a high school villain, is often shown being mean to everybody, even her friends. But remember, Jasmine is sweet towards the people she cares about, so you've got to incorporate that if you're going to write her.
Pocahontas
This is a personal peeve with me. I'm pissed about the John Rolfe situation. Here's the deal with Pocahontas, if you were a guy in high school with her. You start dating her, and you're going strong and do everything so that you and she can be together forever. Then something happens and there's some space between you guys, until eventually you come together again. Then Pocahontas tells you that since you're both headed in different directions and that it's best you break up, and you just agree with everything she says. A week later you learn that the whole 'separate path' story is a load of crap and she actually broke up with you because she liked another guy. So that's why I think Pocahontas is kind of a bitch. I love her, but she was a bitch in the sequel. Her break up speech to Smith was a total lie. Poca's the nice mean girl. The one who lies to spare your feelings and always seems to get her way by using her charming, spiritual, wise words.
Esmeralda
Similar to Jasmine, Esmeralda expresses her like and dislike for others quite easily and openly. Plus, when Disney casted Demi Moore as Esmeralda, they said that it was because they wanted somebody who sounded like they "got around" or something. So Esmeralda was intended to be a slut, basically, so making her a slutty kind of mean girl will still have her be in character, just as long as you show her compassion and kindness to the people she cares for.
Megara
Fanfiction writers really seem to love Meg. Meg is actually often the protagonist of these high school fanfics, along with Ariel and Belle, and she's usually better written than Ariel and Belle, probably because she's more difficult to turn into a Mary Sue. With Meg's snarky, cynical and guarded attitude she's very easy to use as the mean girl. All she has to do is pass snarky comments, and ta da! You have a fun, in character mean girl. Just as long as she's not a slut, because Meg is definitely no slut and I hate it when she's portrayed as one.
Tiana
Tiana can actually be a bitch sometimes, like when she refused to help Naveen until he promised to donate money to her for her restaurant, but I think that she would have helped him anyway when the alligators got even closer. She was just pissed and used to doing things by herself without help. But Tiana will probably be a Belle-type of mean girl, just more straight-forward. The hard-working overachiever who looks down on the kids who fool around in class, not hesitating to impose her morals on them.
Rapunzel
Bet you're surprised to see sweet, innocent Rapunzel here, but remember when she first met Flynn? She almost killed him a few times (granted, a few of those times it was to defend herself) and she even blackmailed him. I actually found that impressive, but it still puts her on this list. Rapunzel seems kind of like a go-getter, and she'll even play dirty to get what she wants. That's the type of mean girl Punzie is. The go-getter who's willing to do anything to get what she wants. She may not mean to hurt anybody in the process, and she'll feel guilty if she does, but it's still bound to happen. Rapunzel was just lucky that Gothel didn't really care about her in the movie.
Merida
Let me put it this way. If most of the other girls are the Regina George-type mean girls, then Merida (and probably Meg) is the Janis Ian type. People probably think she's a lesbian but she doesn't care. She rolls her eyes and passes snarky comments to the other girls, the ones who sit around talking about boys and shoes and feel the strange need to plaster their faces with make-up for school. She doesn't have many friends and probably slacks off in class, and honestly, this is my favourite kind of mean girl.
Elsa
Out of all the princesses listed, Elsa is second highest on my list, being ranked #3. She's cold, and I love that about her. But I feel like she'd be too closed off to become friends with the bubblier girls, save for Anna because they're sisters. Elsa would probably be seen as a snob, and we've all seen her fight dirty against those guys, although she was defending herself. I also think that Elsa, like Tiana, would be too practical to not kill the moods of most Disney girls, who have their heads in the clouds. Actually, Elsa would be a very similar type of mean girl to Tiana, just a lot less confident.
I'm contemplating doing a guy version of this. Until next time, farewell!
Anyway, in my article 'Common Mistakes Made by Disney Fanfiction Writers' I pointed out that many authors have Aurora play the role of the mean, popular girl in their high school AUs, probably because Aurora is a very unpopular princess.
Since I find it very irritating when characters are written OCC, I am going to list all of the Disney girls that I feel could play a good mean girl when written in-character. Of course, it would depend on what type of person the character you'd chosen as your protagonist is. So, remember to choose your villain carefully.
Let's start with the obvious ones...
Vanessa from The Little Mermaid
There are a lot of people who use Vanessa as the mean girl, but Aurora is still more popular as the alpha bitch. Vanessa's your classic mean girl. She has that evil glimmer in her eye, is self-serving, and could easily play the type of girl who steals boyfriends for no reason. Vanessa would be the popular mean girl, who gets away with murder.
Anastasia and Drizella
Anastasia and Drizella would probably be very... disliked, and unpopular. Still, they'd make good mean girls. The stupid type of mean girls, who boldly attack the easy targets, and hide their own insecurities by making others feel inferior. The boy-crazy kind of mean girls, but not quite cunning enough to trick the guy into falling for them.
Now for the less obvious options...
Cinderella
While Cinderella is usually considered Disney's nicest princess, I think she's got a little mean girl inside of her. She's vain, and knows who she's "better than". She is polite but has a sarcastic sense of humor, and she's seen mocking her step-sisters and -mother behind their backs. While I believe that Cinderella's kindness is genuine, her politeness is fake. And that's the kind of mean girl that Cinderella would be; polite to your face and a bitch behind your back.
Ariel
I don't think that Ariel would be intentionally cruel to people, just for the fun of it. I just think that she's very likely to ditch her friends for the next hot guy that comes along. So, she'd only make a good kind of frenemy-type mean girl, although she's probably better off being the friend who messes up but gets it right in the end. Ariel could be a mean girl, but she'd definitely be the mean girl with a secret heart of gold.
Belle
Belle is smart, and she knows she's smart. In fact, she probably thinks she's smarter than she actually is. Belle is kind of condescending towards the, uh, less thinky people, and people who aren't like her. But she patronizes people in such a subtle way. Belle is the know-it-all kind of mean girl, but also the 'polite to your face but judging you in her head' type, like Cinderella, just a little more genuine and straight-forward. I think Belle can be written in character and mean at the same time.
Jasmine
Now this can't be a shocker. I've seen Jasmine been used as a mean girl before, but she's usually used as a slutty type of mean girl. Jasmine is definitely no slut. Jasmine is very honest. She definitely let's her feelings about people show very clearly. Jasmine, when used as a high school villain, is often shown being mean to everybody, even her friends. But remember, Jasmine is sweet towards the people she cares about, so you've got to incorporate that if you're going to write her.
Pocahontas
This is a personal peeve with me. I'm pissed about the John Rolfe situation. Here's the deal with Pocahontas, if you were a guy in high school with her. You start dating her, and you're going strong and do everything so that you and she can be together forever. Then something happens and there's some space between you guys, until eventually you come together again. Then Pocahontas tells you that since you're both headed in different directions and that it's best you break up, and you just agree with everything she says. A week later you learn that the whole 'separate path' story is a load of crap and she actually broke up with you because she liked another guy. So that's why I think Pocahontas is kind of a bitch. I love her, but she was a bitch in the sequel. Her break up speech to Smith was a total lie. Poca's the nice mean girl. The one who lies to spare your feelings and always seems to get her way by using her charming, spiritual, wise words.
Esmeralda
Similar to Jasmine, Esmeralda expresses her like and dislike for others quite easily and openly. Plus, when Disney casted Demi Moore as Esmeralda, they said that it was because they wanted somebody who sounded like they "got around" or something. So Esmeralda was intended to be a slut, basically, so making her a slutty kind of mean girl will still have her be in character, just as long as you show her compassion and kindness to the people she cares for.
Megara
Fanfiction writers really seem to love Meg. Meg is actually often the protagonist of these high school fanfics, along with Ariel and Belle, and she's usually better written than Ariel and Belle, probably because she's more difficult to turn into a Mary Sue. With Meg's snarky, cynical and guarded attitude she's very easy to use as the mean girl. All she has to do is pass snarky comments, and ta da! You have a fun, in character mean girl. Just as long as she's not a slut, because Meg is definitely no slut and I hate it when she's portrayed as one.
Tiana
Tiana can actually be a bitch sometimes, like when she refused to help Naveen until he promised to donate money to her for her restaurant, but I think that she would have helped him anyway when the alligators got even closer. She was just pissed and used to doing things by herself without help. But Tiana will probably be a Belle-type of mean girl, just more straight-forward. The hard-working overachiever who looks down on the kids who fool around in class, not hesitating to impose her morals on them.
Rapunzel
Bet you're surprised to see sweet, innocent Rapunzel here, but remember when she first met Flynn? She almost killed him a few times (granted, a few of those times it was to defend herself) and she even blackmailed him. I actually found that impressive, but it still puts her on this list. Rapunzel seems kind of like a go-getter, and she'll even play dirty to get what she wants. That's the type of mean girl Punzie is. The go-getter who's willing to do anything to get what she wants. She may not mean to hurt anybody in the process, and she'll feel guilty if she does, but it's still bound to happen. Rapunzel was just lucky that Gothel didn't really care about her in the movie.
Merida
Let me put it this way. If most of the other girls are the Regina George-type mean girls, then Merida (and probably Meg) is the Janis Ian type. People probably think she's a lesbian but she doesn't care. She rolls her eyes and passes snarky comments to the other girls, the ones who sit around talking about boys and shoes and feel the strange need to plaster their faces with make-up for school. She doesn't have many friends and probably slacks off in class, and honestly, this is my favourite kind of mean girl.
Elsa
Out of all the princesses listed, Elsa is second highest on my list, being ranked #3. She's cold, and I love that about her. But I feel like she'd be too closed off to become friends with the bubblier girls, save for Anna because they're sisters. Elsa would probably be seen as a snob, and we've all seen her fight dirty against those guys, although she was defending herself. I also think that Elsa, like Tiana, would be too practical to not kill the moods of most Disney girls, who have their heads in the clouds. Actually, Elsa would be a very similar type of mean girl to Tiana, just a lot less confident.
I'm contemplating doing a guy version of this. Until next time, farewell!
