At some point in your childhood, you probably wished to be a princess – and maybe you still wish to become one. At a young age, I became fascinated with princesses and with their royal duties; being a princess seemed like the most rewarding and glamorous job in the world, as you get to help people, wear beautiful gowns regardless of the occasion, and parade around town with a handsome prince at your side. What could be better? Until age eight, I dressed up as a princess every year for Halloween and Purim, while scavenging for the best Halloween candy and my very own Prince Mordechai. However, I soon had to let go of the idea of becoming a princess and dream of a more “attainable” career. Soon enough, I shoved my ball gowns to the back of my closet, trading them for business suits and button-downs, as my father convinced me of how great my life could be as a business tycoon on Wall Street.
After recently seeing the new “Cinderella” film, I realized that Disney princesses have a lot more common with us colliegettes than we often think. Although many of us prefer sundresses at Super Saturdays to ball gowns at the Palace, our routines for a night out aren’t strikingly different.
Before Cinderella attends the Prince’s Ball, she has a lot of chores to do, like us. As Cinderella cleans the house, attends after her evil step-mother and step-sisters, we clean our rooms, do homework, and maybe utter some offensive words about one of our “evil” professors, along the way. But once that is all complete, Cinderella sifts through her few rags, searching for the perfect dress, realizing that she is doomed; she has nothing to wear! At the same time, we may search through our closets and come to the same conclusion. Luckily, Cinderella has her Fairy God-Mother to help her out, while we have a very fashionable BFF to lend us a cute top for the evening. Although Cinderella’s outfit will probably be more elegant and show less skin, both outfits are sure to be eye-catching.
It’s time to hit the ball, or make your way downtown, whichever you prefer. As Cinderella arrives at the Castle, everyone’s eyes are on her, wondering who she is. As you make your way into a party downtown, onlookers may have the same reaction – or at least you like to think so.
Finally, it’s time to hit the dance-floor and you waste no time. While Cinderella is being dipped and twirled by Prince Charming, you may also be dancing with a guy just as handsome — thank you, beer goggles! As the clock strikes twelve, Cinderella runs out of the ball, leaving the prince wide-eyed, confused, and without any contact information; all he has is one glass slipper. At the same time, your best friend tells you that she wants to go back home, so you utter a quick “laters, baby” and leave. Your frat-prince calls after you, yelling “You forgot your fracket!” but you can’t hear him over the shouts of other Bucknell princesses ordering nacho tots and fried mac & cheese at the Flying Bison.At the end of the night, you and Cinderella reminisce about the night’s events, reflecting of how regal your night was with your respective princes. Cinderella then remembers that she lost her glass slipper, and you realize that you lost your favorite fracket. However, you’re not that upset because losing your fracket was worth it this time, although you definitely don’t want to make it a habit. Although it may seem like wishful thinking, you hope that your prince finds your fracket and holds on to it until next Wednesday night; nothing illustrates the beginning of a love story better.
Although you may not feel like royalty as you make your way to the Caf the next morning with last night’s makeup dripping down your face, don’t let anyone make you feel like anything but a princess, because even princesses have their off-days.