It's been discussed lately which princess is more Mary Sue-ish. Belle, Snow White, Rapunzel, Cinderella... all these have been mentioned. I'm ashamed to say that I said (that sounds strange) that Rapunzel was the most Mary Sue-ish princess (though I also said there was a far marge from her to a Mary Sue).

I wish we would stop talking about which princess is the most Mary Sue-ish, because none of them are. In this article I'm going to try and prove it. I'll list some flaws they have, and I'm going to name what I think is their fatal flaw. I'm dividing these articles by era, because I need to rewatch some of these movies, so this article is only about the Classic Princesses. Without further ado, let's begin with Princess Number 1:

Snow White

I'm still unsure what Snow White's fatal flaw is: either her stubborness or her naivety. If she had stopped and listened to her animal friends, she wouldn't have allowed the witch in her house. But her naivety also helped. Earlier on the movie she said, "But she'll never find me here!". Snow White is so wrapped in her innocence and optimism that it can turn to naivety: sometimes she fails to see the bottle full.

Snow White is also very disobedient: she lets a strange inside the house, even though the Dwarfs warned her not to. It's their house, so shouldn't she obey their orders? Snow White's vivid imagination can also turn against her: when she's running through the woods, she start to imagine all sort of creatures and monsters. Snow also can come across as a bit of a nag: she blackmails the Dwarfs into washing their hands, or they "won't have a bite to eat".

She is manipulative: sure, none of her manipulations are for evil, but she still uses her natural charm and the skills she mastered to get what she wants. Tiana said in The Princess and the Frog: "The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach". Well, Tia, Snow taught this lesson way before you.



Cinderella

Cinderella's fatal flaw is allowing her emotions to get hold of herself. This is displayed a couple of times: first is when she fails to notice Gus is in one of the teacups in Anastasia's breakfast tray. She is on a hurry, we can notice that by the way she moves quickly, so she doesn't stop to check if everything is in order. She doesn't even see Lucifer under the table!

The second time is when the mice present her with the dress. She never once stops and thinks, "Wait. Where did all this come from? Where did you get these sash and beads?" She is wrapped up in her joy and she can't see beyond it.

The third time is when she delays in leaving the ball. She was feeling so happy, beautiful and loved, and the mood was so romantic, that she only left when the clock was already striking twelve.

The fourth (and most important) time is when she daydreams in front of her stepmother and hums the waltz So This is Love. Lady Tremaine notices she was the girl the Prince fell for, and locks her up without her stepdaughter noticing. And when she was locked up, she didn't think of anything to help her out until the mice brought her the key (then she told the birds to fetch Bruno so he could scare Lucifer away). But I think it's unfair to say Cinderella didn't work for her happy ending, because all the help she received from the mice was because she cared for them all these years, including sewing for them = hard work.

Like I said above, Cinderella can be distracted, and this can also be noticed in the fact that she is always losing her shoes. She did it three times: when she was going upstairs to serve breakfast, at the ball and at her wedding. Of course, this isn't a flaw, but it adds to her flaw, so that's why I'm mentioning it.

Cinderella can also be bitter and angry, and she was going to beat Lucifer with her broom because he messed the floor she was cleaning. For an animal friend, Cindy doesn't have high standarts.

Cinderella can also be a hypocrite: she says "They can't order me to stop dreaming", yet she admonishes Bruno for dreaming of chasing Lucifer. Of course, she was only worried for his well-being, but it's still a bit contradictory.



Aurora

Aurora doesn't have a fatal flaw. But that is because she isn't the protagonist of her movie: sure, the story revolves around her, but the main characters are the three fairies. They are responsible for most of the action and their screentime is bigger than any other character's in that movie.

However, Aurora do have flaws: her biggest one is that she doesn't stand up for herself. She never argues with the fairies, "Why did you hide it from me? Why did you do that?". After she leaves the man she loved and the life she knew before behind, she is left pratically lifeless, like a puppet. She doesn't even speak anymore.

Aurora can be pessimistic, because she fails to see the good side of things. She could have thought, "I'm a princess! I'm rich now!" but she only thought of the bad side of things. She is also quite childish. She complains about being treated like a child, but when you think about it, that's exactly what Aurora is: a child.

Aurora is indecisive: she tells Phillip they'll never see each other again, but in the next moment she is planning to meet him at the cottage. And like Cinderella, Aurora can become distracted and lost in her daydreaming: she doesn't even notice when Phillip sneaks up behind her, and he's holding her hands.



So that is it. This is part 1 of my serie of articles. I'll (hopefully) have part 2 written and finished soon.