You want to be a princess? GREAT!!

I'm going to vent now, so look away if you don't want to hear venting. You have been warned. I am sick and tired of seeing all the shirts, pictures, memes, etc. basically saying that girls should want to be pretty much anything other than a princess. I'm waiting for the "Forget princess. I'm going to be an armed felon." Some many people want to vilify the princess. I'll be the first to admit, that I'm not signing Gabi up to be Cinderella, Snow White, or Aurora (the first three princesses from a time of less free thinking), though they all have traits I hope she'll have: joy in all things, cleanliness, willingness to trust others. I don't want her sitting around waiting to be saved by a prince, but that isn't the message she's getting from her princesses.

• She loves Elsa, who doesn't have a man in her life at all. Elsa makes mistakes and has unique traits that she hasn't been taught how to handle, but through it all, she tries to stay strong and make her way in the world. In the end, she learns the power of love. She learns that message from her sister. 
• She loves Anna, who tells the man to stay home and mind the castle while she goes to take care of a problem that she caused. Anna negotiates for what she needs, but keeps her kind and loving heart. She isn't willing to give up on her sister. Even when betrayed by a man she thought she loved, she keeps fighting and ends up saving the day. 
• She loves Sofia the First, who was a commoner before she became a princess. Sofia keeps close to her friends, both royal and not. She helps everyone who needs her help and in fact, helped save another princess from being trapped in an amulet. She has also fought against gender discrimination and makes sure that she will be a member of the flying derby team even though it isn't a princess thing.  
• She loves Nella, who is a princess and a knight who wears sparkly armor and helps solve the problems of her land. When others see the bad side of a situation, she looks for the good, but isn't afraid to fight for what is right.  
• She loves Ariel, who wants to explore new worlds and learn about different lands. Ariel stands up for what she believes even when it is in conflict with her family. She saves a prince and then fights for him. She never gives up even when the odds are against her. 
• She loves Jasmine, who refuses to accept the unfair rules of her times. She wants to change the way a young woman is treated and wants to find a man who loves her for who she is, not what she has or how she looks.
• She loves Belle (her mommy's favorite princess), who loves to read and wants to find something different than the life she is stuck in. She looks for someone who understands her and doesn't think she's weird because she doesn't show signs of changing. When Belle realizes her father is in trouble, she takes off to help him without a thought to her safety. She trades her freedom for her father's because she knows he needs to be free from the castle. Even when she is trapped in a castle by a mean beast, she refused to cave to his commands and continues to do things her own way. 
• She loves Rapunzel, who never gives up hope, even though she is trapped in a tower. When a man, who she has been lead to believe is after her hair and very dangerous, enters her tower, she knocks him out with a frying pan and then secures him until he agrees to take her to see the lanterns and fulfill her dream of learning about them. She frequently saves Flynn Ryder and tries to help him see that he is good enough as who he really is. 
• She loves Elena of Avalor, who is Disney's first Latina princess. Elena was trapped in an amulet when a wicked sorceress kills her parents. When she is released (by Sofia), she is the ruler of her land. She fights to be a strong leader, but realizes that she might not be ready for this responsibility and appoints her cabinet from her family and friends to help support her. She values her family and their traditions. She uses her brains rather than force to solve problems. 
• She loves Merida, who refused to allow herself to be limited by the fact that she was a princess. She explores the land, takes risks, and conquers challenges that others didn't think possible. When an archery contest was held to determine who she would marry, she shot better than all the men and said that she wasn't going to marry any of them and it should be her choice. 
• She loves Princess Poppy (the troll), who risked everything to save her troll family and friends. Her over-exuberant behavior and love of glitter lead to her friends being taken and she refused to give up on them. Her motto is "If you knock me over, I'll get back up again." 

When you read through those descriptions, being a princess doesn't seem like such a bad thing. I'll stand up against this forever. The princesses that my daughter has as role models demonstrate traits that I hope she develops. And if she finds her prince, then I think that's okay too. After all, I found mine and he saves me as much as I save him. Stop hating on princesses until you look more closely. Or keep on hating and know that I'm going to secretly, or not so secretly, think you are being closed minded. No one is suggesting a t-shirt that says, "Forget astrophysicist. I want to be a princess." I'm just saying that being a princess isn't that bad and it should be a young girl's choice. Because, isn't choice the backbone of the feminist movement? Dream big, princess, dream big.

Closing comment: There are other amazing princesses that are strong and powerful. However, I stuck with the princesses that are favorites of Gabi. I hope that Moana will soon join this list, but we haven't seen it yet.