In Defense of Rapunzel. 

is so great. It is such a joyful, uplifting film. This could easily be my favorite Disney princess movie. I adore Rapunzel. However, critics say that she is (in a bad way) just a return to the original princesses. They complain about her being a weak, naïve, bland, feminine stereotype. Noooooooo! She is such a strong character and deserves way more credit.

I’ll admit, she is fairly naïve. You know why? She has literally been locked in a tower for 18 years. She has been trapped within the same walls for her whole life. She has only ever interacted with one person. That one person is very manipulative and emotionally abusive. Taking these conditions into consideration, Rapunzel is an absolutely inspiring character.

Her terrible situation explains any moments of frailty, ignorance, or fear. She does get pretty scared sometimes, especially when she first leaves her tower. I hope you realize that’s okay. Being afraid is not the same thing as being cowardly, and Rapunzel is no coward. She faces her fears with impressive courage and daring.

Can we take a minute to talk about the scene when Flynn first enters the tower? Remember that Rapunzel has never even seen another person besides Mother Gothel in her whole life. She has been constantly warned that the outside world is cruel and vicious. Men have scary fangs. People are trying to hunt her down specifically to steal her magical hair. She has been brainwashed to believe all these things. Then one day, while she is left all alone, a man barges into her home. Instead of falling to pieces, she whacks him over the head with a frying pan and stuffs him in a wardrobe. She ties him up and confronts him. That’s awesome! She can take care of herself way more than you would expect.

Another thing that is pretty remarkable is Rapunzel’s capacity for hope. This is definitely a strong similarity to the first three princesses and a wonderful quality. Rapunzel could easily be bitter, sullen, depressed, etc. But she has this never failing optimism. This girl strives to live life to the fullest, even when trapped in a tower. She finds bright side of every situation. Think about all the things she lists in “When Will My Life Begin.” She’s amazing. That energy and positivity affects how she deals with people. She brings out the best in everyone she comes into contact with on her adventure. The ruffians, Maximus, all the townspeople, and especially Flynn. She brings them all joy and helps them to open up and be themselves.

Back to the accusation of her being weak. She takes her life into her own hands by running away to see the lights. Gothel finds her, tells her she’s stupid, makes her feel guilty for leaving, and demands that she come home. Rapunzel stands her ground and asserts that she is going to stay with Flynn. At the end, when Rapunzel finds out that she is the lost princess, she rages at Gothel for lying to her. Gothel ties her up and threatens to keep her prisoner forever. Rapunzel says “For every minute for the rest of my life, I will fight. And I will never stop fighting until I get away from you!” That is anything but weakness and frailty.

I love her so much. If anyone wants to mess with Rapunzel, they have to go through me first.

Posted on Wednesday, August 28 2013. Tagged with: flynn ridermother gothelDisney charactersheroinerole modelsprincessfairy talefeminismcriticismanalysisdefensedisney movieRapunzeltangledDisneyDisney Princess

myimaginationplain reblogged this from disneyprincessdefender and added:

A lot of the posts and blogs that call Tangled “anti-feminist” or say it has a damaging message, tend to have very weak...

joyseeker56 reblogged this from disneyprincessdefender and added:

hardcoretangled reblogged this from disneyprincessdefender and added:

I know she comes across as a whinging irritating 18 yr old but seriously she is such a good role model she even stood up...

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I have always been an avid Disney princess fan. Lately I\'ve been saddened to see so many criticisms and attacks toward the princesses. This blog is devoted to their defense.

This is also a feminist blog. Beyond Disney, it is dedicated to the defense and celebration of all women.

I also have a Harry Potter blog! http://whatscurious.tumblr.com/