Princesses are Formidable: 6 Reasons Why Pocahontas Should Be Your Favorite Disney Princess

Last week, a very wise two-year-old recited the qualities that define a princess as taught

to her by her mother, who happens to be the director of the Gender Relations Center at Notre

Dame. Amidst countless media messages that focus on superficial beauty, it can be hard even for

adults to remember that aesthetics aren’t everything – and they’re definitely not most

representative of goodness. While Disney has its pros and cons in terms of portraying

reality, there are many good messages to take away from their movies. In an effort to instill in

young girls a sense of confidence and inherent self-worth, a good place to start is teaching them

that princesses are more than pretty.

 

Take Pocahontas, for example. Pocahontas is definitely more than pretty. While glowing

beauty is an accepted characteristic of all Disney Princesses, Pocahontas isn’t boastful about

hers. Instead, she is much more representative of these important qualities:

 

1) Pocahontas was real

Okay, so Disney did cause a bit of controversy in the 90’s by taking a number of

liberties, such as embellishing John Smith as a love interest, making Pocahontas older and more

independent, and having nature perform magic. But apart from that, she was a real woman who performed incredible acts of strength. 

 

 

2) Pocahontas is brave

In the real story, Pocahontas was around 12 years old when John Smith came to

America. Which makes her bravery resonate with us even more because she really did, as a twelve-year-old, place her head on top of John Smith’s when her father raised his weapon. Just like she did in the movie.

 

3) Pocahontas is kind

Native American culture dicatetd kindess and communal enterprises. Thus it was no gimmick that when the English anchored off the coast of Virginia, the Native Americans progressed peacefully and offered the English food for the winter. One of my favorite

scenes in the movie is when Pocahontas comes to say good bye to John Smith at the end,

and her people are revealed behind her carrying baskets of crops for the colonists to take

back to England.

 

4) Pocahontas is independent

 

One of my favorite things about Pocahontas is that she doesn’t end up with the

guy at the end. In the movie, instead of going to England with John Smith, she decides to stay where

she is needed, with her people. Also, a significant part of her character development is

her struggle between the expectations from society and her father to marry the hero

Kocoum and her own desire to marry someone she loves and to seek adventure.

 

5) Pocahontas is modest 

I think Pocahontas tends to get overlooked as a favorite or as a role model for

little girls. Maybe it’s because she doesn’t have a grand, colorful ball gown like Belle and

Cinderella. Have you noticed that when Belle and Cinderella are portrayed in pictures,

posters, stickers, etc. they are always wearing their “dress-up” outfit, not their simple

everyday dresses? I actually had a Pocahontas doll when I was little, and in order to make

her little canvas dress more interesting, it featured heat-sensitive ink that showed

butterflies when placed in sunlight. But her (Disney-embellished) story is much more

valuable and meaningful than a pretty dress.

 

6) Pocahontas is formidable

 

Enough said.