Admirable Character Traits of Disney Princesses (Part 10)

This is the final chapter of the Disney Princess series that I started.  The last princess is Rapunzel from the movie Tangled.

I personally prefer her at the end of the movie with the short brunette hair, but that’s just me…

Rapunzel is unique in that she expresses what most 18 year old girls in the modern world feel.  How many parents or boyfriends have said to their young loves “What do you want? Just tell me what you want!” and the young woman replies with tears in her eyes “I have no idea what I want!”

Rapunzel knew she wanted to see the lanterns, she knew she didn’t want to disappoint her “mother”, she knew she wanted out of her tower, she knew she was scared of the world outside the tower – see the contradictions here?  She was truly a confused teenager.  But she has some amazing character traits that we can learn from her.

1. Mastered her natural talents – she studied and practiced as much as she could in her tower.  She learned to bake, sew, paint, and many other activities.  She was always looking for something to do and she didn’t allow herself to become idle, if she had a talent for something she learned to do it well.
2. Kind – all the Disney Princesses are kind to others, and Rapunzel is no exception.  She is kind to the people around her and even those who are “undesirables” in society.
3. Charismatic – even though she had been starved of human interaction in her tower, she was extremely charismatic and knew how to handle people.  She was able to get people to do what she wanted them to do, but she never abused this ability by getting people to do things that were bad, rather to get people to do good things.
4. Adventurous – she loved the adventure of travelling to see the lights.  Even though she was scared, and showed it at times, it never stopped her from continuing her journey.
5. Adapts quickly – when she left her tower she was shy and a bit jumpy, but she grew and adapted to the outside world quickly and fit right in with the people around her.
6. Overcomes her fears – I think her biggest trait though is her ability to overcome her fears.  During her quest she was afraid of many things, but with internal difficulty she overcomes each fear.  How often are we held back by our fears? But when we overcome them we really move forward in life!

Admirable Character Traits of Disney Princesses (part 9)

My series on Disney Princesses and their character traits has almost reached an end with 2 princesses remaining.  Today we are going to look at the second last princess, Tiana from The Princess and the Frog.

Tiana doesn’t come from the distant past or a fantasy land like most of the Disney Princesses, but rather a land sparked in the music and mystery 1920 New Orleans.  Perhaps this allows her to relate to the modern generation of women a little better than the other princesses.  So what character traits can we learn from her?

1. Disciplined – Tiana is extremely disciplined and focused on accomplishing her dreams and goals.  She works 2 jobs so that she can save up enough to buy her restaurant, and in both jobs she is not the sort of woman who would ever be late for work, getting up early in the morning and going to bed late at night.
2. Hard-working – this is a common trait among the Disney Princesses and Tiana shares this one with Cinderella and Snow White.  You won’t catch Tiana relaxing on the sofa when there is still work to be done.
3. Self-reliant – this is a trait Tiana shares with Mulan.  They rely on themselves to get things done and don’t expect hand-outs.  Tiana does have a little more difficulty accepting help from other people than Mulan does though.
4. Self-motivated – she has the ability to motivate herself to get stuff done, she doesn’t need somebody nagging over her shoulder.
5. Hospitable – this is most noticeable in the young Tiana at the beginning of the movie in the scene where she is so excited to see her Daddy and then invites everyone in the neighbourhood to come and eat with them on their front porch.  It can also be seen in the restaurant where she works in the way she handles the customers.  However as she grew up she seemed to get distracted by her dream and forget what was really important and it wasn’t until the end of the movie that she remembered.

Admirable Character Traits of Disney Princesses (Part 8)

Princess Number 8 of the 10 Disney Princesses is Mulan. I thought Jasmine was hard to write about, but Mulan is proving even more difficult…

What appeals to me the most about Mulan’s character is that she was completely willing to fulfil her duty as a woman in the society she was raised in, but she was not created to be the typical woman.  Instead she was created to be extremely unordinary.  Occasionally in human history we are faced with woman like this one, woman who are simply MADE by God to go against the grain… examples: Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth I

Woman like Mulan are extremely rare and if you find a handful in each generation we should consider ourselves blessed.  There is only 1 Disney Princess in this league and that is Mulan.  So let’s take a look at her personality traits:

1. Self-reliant – she counts on herself to get things done and doesn’t expect anyone to be there for her.  A woman with this trait won’t ask somebody to do something for her if she can do it herself.
2. Not arrogant in her self-reliance – she has the personality to appreciate help when it is offered to her, and doesn’t show arrogance towards offers of help.
3. Determined – she will try and try again until she gets something right.  She will never accept that she cannot do something.
4. Innovative – she will look at a problem and find an innovative solution to it within her capabilities.
5. Mischievous – she has the little girl naughtiness about her.  A woman with this trait may be the sort to occasionally play a harmless prank on her family which then turns into a game… e.g. shoot her children with a water pistol from behind the garage when they least expect it on a hot summers day.
6. Respectful – Mulan respected her family, her elders and her superiors (in the army), even if she didn’t always follow or agree with them, she was always respectful in her speech to them.

Yet again I ask my readers, do you know any more of her traits?

Admirable Character Traits of Disney Princesses (Part 7)

This Disney princess is definitely the most independent woman of them all.

I remember that my cousin dressed up as Pocahontas for one of her birthday parties.  I must be honest, that this specific cousin’s personality really matches that of Pocahontas!

So what are the character traits of this out of the box Disney Princess that we can admire?

1. See’s common ground – The one trait of Pocahontas that stands out is that she is able to find common ground among people no matter how different they are from each other.  She’ll focus on the what people have in common more than their differences.
2. Brave – she is brave, and brave in a stronger way than Belle was.  While Belle took a brave approach in the face of danger, she was still very sensitive. Pocahontas on the other hand is naturally brave and will even stand up against others when her life is on the line.  She seems to have no fear.
3. Nature Lover – she loves nature and being in the natural world.  I love this about her because one of our first commandments, as Christians, was to care for the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15).
4. Teacher – she would eagerly teach others what she knew to be true.  I see this in the way she taught John Smith about the natural world.
5. Compassionate – She cared about other people, animals and nature.  She would see their point of view even if she didn’t fully understand it.
6. Spiritual – This is a touchy subject, but let’s not debate her beliefs compared to Christian beliefs, let’s focus on the character trait of being spiritual instead.  Pocahontas was a deeply spiritual person, she was in touch with the spirit in herself, the spirit of others and the spirit of the world.  Let’s translate this into a Christian context, it is a positive trait to be spiritual and focused on the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), because ultimately we are here to serve God and serve our brothers/sisters.  Being so spiritual, can translate in Christianity to being strong in ones faith.
7. Wise – She is a wise young woman, and see’s the world for the way it is.  How can one accurately describe wisdom?

Now these are the traits I have seen in Pocahontas.  What others can you spot?  Leave it in a comment below!

Admirable Character Traits of Disney Princesses (Part 6)

Jasmine, the headstrong princess.  My oh my, what to say about her….

Jasmine is such a unique character.  She has it all, wealth, good looks, charm, intelligence… and an only child!  A long story short, Jasmine is the spoiled rich girl.  She has everything, but what about her positive character traits?

1. Guards her heart – she is not the sort of woman to give her heart to any man.  She is a princess and he needs to prove himself worthy of her love and her heart.  I think this is such an important trait for a woman to have.
2. Values character over wealth – maybe it is because she doesn’t need any more wealth, but I would like to believe Jasmine truly valued a man’s character over his financial background or reputation.
3. Loving and generous – she was a loving woman, you can see it in how much she cared for her father and pet tiger.  It can also be seen in the way she helped the child reach for the apple.
4. Clever – even though she was naive in regards to the world, she was a clever woman and I imagine she was well-educated.
5. Confident – Princess Jasmine always held her head high, she always gave the impression that she was sure of herself and who she was.

There are a few other character traits of Jasmine’s that could be seen in a negative light, but if they are channelled/managed correctly, they can be very powerful personality traits.

1. Head-strong – She had her beliefs and nobody could tell her otherwise.  This trait can very easily be a negative because if a person is head-strong about the wrong things you are bound to fail.  But being head-strong about righteous causes can be an amazing positive trait.  For example, a mother being head-strong in raising her children according to Biblical principles.
2. Outspoken – this trait also has the potential to be a negative.  If a person is outspoken and their words are hurtful to another then this definitely is a negative.  Take an example where an outspoken lady stood up for somebody who was being pushed down by others.  The friend had a passive personality and would just take all the harmful words, going home to cry about it later, the outspoken woman spoke out on behalf of the passive friend.  In a case like this, being outspoken can be a positive, but it must be used correctly.

So these are the traits I’ve spotted in Princess Jasmine, can you spot any more?

Admirable Character Traits of Disney Princesses (Part 5)

I’ve had a great deal of difficulty with this instalment of the Disney Princess series because this princess is my favourite.  I’ve studied this character more than any others, and yet I still struggle to sum her up completely.  The fifth Disney Princess is Belle from Beauty and the Beast.  I think that she most resembles the character of Elizabeth from the Jane Austin book, Pride and Prejudice, and this may be one of the reasons why I like both characters equally.

So let’s take a look at her positive character traits:

1. Intelligent – she is a very smart woman and continues to further her intelligence through reading.  This is a positive trait for a woman to have because a woman who knows a lot is better able to hold an intelligent conversation with other people and less likely to fill the conversation with frivolous gossip.
2. Thinks for herself – she is not the sort of woman who will follow blindly, she is not a sheep.  She will form her own opinion and is extremely unhappy when she feels as though she is being forced to be something she is not.  This is a positive trait for a woman to have in that it allows her to be willing to stand out from the crowd, and she doesn’t rely on other people to form opinions for her.  There are times when it is better to follow obediently, but there are also times that require a person to think for themselves and question everything, so the questioning personality is definitely a positive trait.
3. Imaginative – she has a “hyper-active” imagination and is often in a dream land.  If this trait is channelled into the world correctly it can be a positive trait.  I can imagine Belle with children where she would give them a big cardboard box, a broom and newspaper to turn into a sailing ship, and keep them occupied the whole afternoon.
4. Patient – she is not afraid to speak her mind, but she is patient with other people’s faults.  The beast had many faults, and over time she gently encouraged him to become a gentleman.  Who knows how much time passed during her arrival to the castle and the grand ball that was so famous.
5. Unconcerned by appearances – she doesn’t mind what other people think of her, and she is unconcerned by her appearance.  She is beautiful, but seemingly unaware of it.  She is not impressed by the “handsome” Gaston, but rather falls for a Beast who is a gentleman.
6. Loyal – when she made the promise she stuck to the promise, she also showed extreme loyalty to her friends and father.
7. Self-less – she took the place of her father in the beasts prison.
8. Courageous – she was a valiant woman, and appears to not be scared of anything.

Do any readers have anything to add to this list?  How do you feel about this Disney Princess?

Admirable Character Traits of Disney Princesses (Part 4)

Today’s princess is the sprightful redhead, Ariel. And her positive traits follow the picture.

1. Child-like – She had big dreams and she was fascinated by the simplest things (like driving a horse carriage), her child-like side won many hearts and made it so nobody could be angry with her for long
2. Made people laugh – while in her human form she couldn’t say a word, yet the simple things she did, her mannerisms and happy attitude made the people around her happy.
3. Loved to sing / Happy - she was a happy soul and loved to sing. (Added after Regina's comment - Thank You!)
4. Loved learning new things - she enjoyed learning, and was always exploring new ideas (Added after Regina's comment - Thank You!)
5. Energetic/Fun-loving/Outgoing – she was always on the go.  This was one active young woman, always searching for new discoveries and adventures (although this does get her into trouble)

For the first time, Disney didn’t make a “Perfect” princess.  I’m going to write about some negative character traits, these made the character more “human”.  These negative traits do indicate that we should strive to be the opposite though.

1. Disobedient – She disobeyed her father in going up to the surface, even though she was following her heart, that still isn’t a reason to disobey your parents, especially since he was a loving father who was genuinely looking out for his daughter’s safety.
2. Stubborn and determined – this can be a positive trait when the person is stubborn and determined to pursue righteous pursuits, but in Ariel’s case it was mostly fuel for her disobedience to her father.

I now open the floor to my readers.  Can anyone think of other admirable or not so admirable traits Ariel had?