Sorry, everyone, but I got frustated again and had to do something about it.

So, well, you all know my opinion.

Of course NOT. Ugh, I thought people were over this on the club, but I just saw the argument you had and it made me so mad. Why do people nowadays think that women are only strong if they're working manually and/or are aggressive? The classics are just as strong, a lot of them stronger than the Renaissance and Modern princesses, and it's really annoying that society is so closed minded that they can't see that.

Not at all.

Snow White could handle herself MUCH better than any of us can!!! Like, let's be real, none of us would ever have her calm and pretty mature thought process in the situation she was in.

Cinderella is MUCH stronger than me or most people! She took care of herself for so many years! And what's so bad about falling in love? Being a damsel in distress doesn't mean that you shouldn't be able to fall in love!

And Aurora...well, she couldn't really help touching the spindle she was under a spell for heaven's sake.

They are strong just not in the stereotype ways.

Well they are weak characters compared to the other Disney Princesses in terms of depth, distinct personalities (not that they don't have personality), and development as characters. The only one who's actually a weak damsel in distress is Aurora. She does absolutely nothing, does whatever she's told without much of an argument, and her dream is to be saved by her true love and by doing nothing that happens.

However the other two are strong women because they have to deal with scary situations and still stay so positive and kind hearted, something a whole lot of people can't do. However the fact that all Cinderella did was cry and not do anything to try to escape when she was locked in her room gives her less credit. Plus the fact that she didn't do anything and just let her step-sisters ruin her dress doesn't help her either. But the fact that she still held on to her believes makes her strong. Her and Snow are kind of weak but also strong and they are kind of damsel's in distress but only a little bit.

Thanks everyone. I'm glad not everyone is so close-minded. KataraLover, you explained your points well, but I disagree. Cinderella did something to escape her room - she told the birds to fetch Bruno the dog, so that he would scare Lucifer off. And I don't think there was anything she could have done to the stepsisters, since that would only have made things worse. And I also don't think Aurora is weak, because she tried to shake off Maleficent's spell. She is a damsel-in-distress, I agree, but not a weak one and not by her own choice.

Silverrose1991 if someone tried that in real life it wouldn't work out because birds don't take commands to go get dogs or anything. As for the step-sister thing I suppose you do have a point. When I called Aurora weak it's the fact that she's in love, even though she was only with the guy for less than a minute but that's more of the logic of fairy-tales, and she wouldn't try to fight to stay with her true love instead of being in an arranged marriage. All she does is cry instead of saying anything. I realize it's not her fault that she's a damsel in distress, she was just a baby when she became one and didn't have a choice. However she's a weak character also because of her lack of personality and character development. Cinderella and Snow want to find true love but they are strong women in a more passive way and have qualities that Aurora lacks to make her be considered strong.

Well, yes, it wouldn't work in real life, but the thing is - that wasn't real life. In the princesses' movies, we have to separe fantasy from reality, IMO. Regarding Aurora, I think she has a developed personality and obviously we have a different opinion about what makes one strong/weak. It's all a matter of opinion, of course, and I respect yours.

Likewise

No, not at all!

I think Aurora is. Snow White is a damsel-in-distress but I don't think she's weak. Cinderella is less of a damsel-in-distress than the other two, and certainly not weak.

All the princesses have their moments when they are a damsel in distress

Imo, no.

Snow White did fine on her own. It was not her fault she is so trusting that she ate the apple.
Cindy is in no way shape or form a damsel in distress. XD
Aurora was not in control when she needed help. I mean, magic, people.

^^Really good point, princecatcher93.

Not really. I mean, at one point almost all the DPs are in a damsel in distress situation, and I don't think any of them are weak.

if needing help makes you weak or a damsel, then every single Disney *heroine* (not just princesses) is those things. every single girl got help- including from a man. most even got rescued (I say most because Poca is the only one who doesn't, unless you count Kokoum "saving" her from John, or being at the mercy of her dad when he almost kills John).

they have a lot more strength than almost any modern princess if you ask me. strength is not and never will be: being cocky, holding a weapon, fighting, being rebellious, being aggressive, being a tomboy, being loud, etc. Society has a very skewed idea of strength, which is totally unrelated to real strength.

I think 'Damsel in Distress' is overused (not just regarding DPs). To me a damsel in distress isn't just someone who needs to be rescued, but someone who gets themselves into situations where they need to be saved based on their own stupidity.

Aurora was cursed as a baby... last time I checked a baby is unable to defend itself (and this curse affected her whole life). With Snow White she was naive/being nice but I understand why she'd believe the apple was magical since the wishing well worked earlier in the movie (in her mind), also at the beginning she was scared for a brief moment when she finds out her stepmother wants to kill her, who wouldn't be, but regains composure and finds a place to stay. Cinderella is not a damsel in distress since SHE goes to HIM. Her life changed because she took an opportunity and it paid off.

Aurora comes across as a damsel in distress due to her lack of depth.
Snow is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but due to her naivety, she falls for the Evil Queen's trick.
Cinderella is emotionally strong and withstood the oppression if that household for many years, and only needed the prince as her ticket out of there.

They sort of fit the traditional damsel-in-distress role, in that they find themselves in perilous situations that they cannot or do not get out of on their own. Snow White has to go hide in the forest from her murderous stepmother and relies on the good will of the animals and dwarves to give her shelter, then falls for the Evil Queen's trick. Cinderella gets locked in the tower and needs the help of the mice to get the key, and Bruno to get rid of Lucifer. Aurora falls for Maleficent curse and needs to be kissed by her true love to wake up.

With that said, they aren't completely helpless. Snow White's good personality wins over the dwarves, as well as her house-keeping skills that she learned being made a servant by the abusive Queen. (A fair trade with hard-earned skills.) Cinderella is the one who thinks to call Bruno, which the animals would not have thought to get without her, and Lucifer would have held the key till after the Duke was gone. She also has the good sense to keep the other slipper with her in case anything happened. Aurora... I can't make much of an argument for, sorry. She is loved by Philip and the Three Fairies, and that's what saves her. Ah well.

So, yes and no. Traditional gender roles of distress, but not completely powerless either.

Cinderella needed something special to happen in her life to get out of the awful life she was having.
Snow needed someone to wake her up from the spell so did Aurora.
It was just at a point in their lives.