In Defense Of Snow White. 

When I was younger, I didn\'t care about Disney princesses.

The Lion King is my favorite Disney film, so I wanted to be Simba. (Our names are similar too.) Esmeralda was my favorite heroine, and I still adore her to this day. Belle, Pocahontas, and Mulan were the princesses I grew up with, and I liked them all the most. I related especially to Belle and Mulan because I loved to read, and was awkward and clumsy. I didn\'t have time for those other princesses. I was indifferent towards Snow White and I despised Cinderella because I bought into the myth that she needs a prince to rescue her. But now, I\'ve come to appreciate and love each of the Disney princesses, and I\'ve done a fair amount of defending them as well. I\'m only going to focus on Snow White for this post, because I don\'t think many people realize how hypocritical and sexist they are in dismissing her for not being a "strong female character."

One of the most common criticisms hurled against Snow White is that she depends on a man to save her. That is patently untrue. Indeed the nameless prince does kiss her awake, but his presence in the film is negligible. If Snow White does depend on a man to save her, why didn\'t she sing for him to rescue her from her being treated as a servant? I don\'t recall her hoping or wishing for a prince when she was scrubbing those steps. In fact, what she did was sigh a little about all the work she still had to do. It\'s rather interesting how Snow deals with her lot in life. When we often like to complain over the cards we\'re dealt, and often focus so much on the passing bad things, Snow White remains cheerful and almost unaffected by her stepmother\'s treatment. The only time she wishes for a prince is at the well, and she just has a desire for romance. But this makes her "boy crazy" and a bad influence. Since when is romance anti feminist?

Walt Disney said Snow White was merely a simple girl wishing for love. And although she is a simple girl, she\'s also the fairest in the land. Her stepmother misunderstands. Being beautiful comes from within and Snow White embodies that to the utmost. This may be a matter of opinion, but I don\'t think Snow White is as physically attractive as the queen. In fact, the latter\'s beauty falls into the more culturally accepted standard, with her hourglass shape and sharply defined features. But of course the mirror declares Snow White the fairest in the land, because "rags cannot hide her gentle grace." Even though she\'s dressed in rags, that beauty of hers still shines through. Look at that; neither her worth nor her looks are dependent on the latest fashions. But she\'s still a bad influence for some reason.

But back to that pesky prince. He\'s a pretty lousy savior if you ask me. Throughout the film, when Snow White\'s life is in visible danger, why doesn\'t he ever show up to rescue her? Where was he when the huntsman was about to murder her? Why didn\'t he ride in

before the huntsman\'s conscience intervened? Or how about when Snow White was running terrified through the forest and thought every single tree and animal was some kind of sinister force trying to harm her? Notice that she overcame that all on her own. Where was he when the queen disguised as the old peddler woman gave her the poisoned apple? Oh, he wasn’t there. He’s in the movie for maybe, 8 minutes, and I’m being pretty generous with that estimate. He literally says one word: “Wait!” The rest? All singing, and again, not for very long. He serves an explicit narrative function, to wake her with true love’s kiss, because Snow’s stepmother didn’t kill her, she just put the draught of living death in that apple, meaning she would fall asleep and only true love’s kiss could wake her. But she didn’t factor in the prince, so he rides in and kisses her, and she awakes. There\'s only one character defined by their love interest in this film, and it\'s the prince, not Snow White.

I\'ve read the original Grimms version of this fairy tale, and there is no kiss. The prince finds the beautiful maiden in the glass coffin, and he\'s so taken by her that he asks the dwarfs if he can bring the coffin back to his castle. As they\'re moving the coffin, the apple core lodged in her throat is released, and she wakes. Disney added the kiss probably because it adds a new dimension to the romance. 

Snow White may not be the strong female character everyone thinks of, the fierce warrior who swears off romance and feelings, but there is no one type of woman. Snow happens to be a kind and sweet, feminine woman, one who gets scared and cries. Maybe strong female characters face their oppressors head on, but then, if they are so strong, they wouldn\'t be oppressed in the first place. Why do we have to place such standards on female characters to either make them masculine or "tough" in order to value them?  It\'s wrong to only value fictional female characters on their ability to fight and be "strong", as many people do when they claim Mulan is better than all the other princesses. Stop that.

This picture does not define Snow White or her narrative, but it does make for a sweet happy ending. And I think we seriously underestimate little girls if we expect them to yearn for this in life, and that they will be negatively influenced. Much of Snow\'s critics should take her advice: "There\'s no use in grumbling."

Simoa, this is a fantastic piece. Not only does it do a fantastic job at setting everything straight (all those princess myths and such), it is also very well-written and analytic. Sometimes I wonder if the people who criticize the princesses actually even watched these films, or better yet, actually payed attention to the storytelling and themes. I think most of these generalizations come from what people see out of the "Disney Princess" brand, and the fact that parents assuming these characters were meant to be role models (already incorrectly assuming these are children's films).

That said, it's a great article, and people who assume so much about these characters should definitely read it.

Great post! I love it! I was talking to Emma Wallace the other day and she made a brilliant point about Snow: that she is the first and original working princess. She finds a job where she's basically a housekeeper and, for her work, she gets room and board and well treated. Not bad for a girl who's been working as a slave for who knows how long.

Wonderfully written, Simoa! I completely agree. Since when does 'being a strong female' = 'being as close to masculine as possible?' Loved your point about the minimal role the prince plays in the film and about her beauty being from within.