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Concerns with earlier princesses - With Disney's enormous influence on young children, many have raised concerns surrounding how the famed fictional princesses look, act, must always be saved, and more.

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Started with 'Snow White' (1937) -

The first Disney princess is completely passive, sitting around waiting for a prince, cleaning up after seven men, falling prey to tricks, and needing saving by true love's kiss.

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Everything had to revolve around romance - The early Disney princess' happily ever after once necessarily included finding a prince, and it involved very little action on their part—merely dreaming and waiting.

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A lot of dreaming, little action -

No questioning the status quo or fighting for their freedom... yet. See Cinderella's song 'A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes,' and Aurora's 'Once Upon a Dream' for reference.

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A reflection of that period's social context - The first three Disney princess movies, 'Snow White,' 'Cinderella,' and 'Sleeping Beauty,' were made from the 1930s to 1950s, and reflect the etiquette rules of that time.

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The "Classic Era" of Disney - The three princesses from Disney's "Classic Era" personified the traditional, obedient, and reserved housewife stereotype, thriving on housework.

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Outward beauty was privileged above all - In 'Cinderella,' her image is what gets her to the ball and makes the prince fall in love with her, and in 'Sleeping Beauty,' Aurora needs only to look nice to receive "true love's kiss."

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A specific kind of beauty - Cinderella's tiny feet are more desirable than her stepsisters' big ones, which is an example of Disney's old preference for princesses with frail figures and impossibly small waists.

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Many of these films would be controversial if made today -

The storylines involving kissing princesses while they are asleep have concerned many, and likely wouldn't hold up in the #MeToo era.

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The "Renaissance Era" - Disney's "Renaissance Era" started in 1989 and featured Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan—princesses who, despite still having tiny bodies, saw a lot more action and spirit.

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The problem with 'The Little Mermaid' (1989) - Though beloved to this day for Ariel's hunger for the world, in 1989 young girls were presented a spirited woman who ended up relying on looks instead of words, sacrificing everything for a man she had just laid eyes on.

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'Beauty and the Beast' (1991) - Two years later, girls were then shown that intelligence like Belle's will alienate you, and, as per the film's title, Belle is above all evaluated for her beauty.

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And that wasn't the most concerning part - Most people's problem with the film, however, lies in the way Belle loves the Beast despite his emotional abuse and his treatment of her father.

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Diversity done wrong with Princess Jasmine - 'Aladdin' (1992) reinforced harmful stereotypes  about Arab culture, from blatantly calling it barbaric (the lyrics of the opening song were eventually changed), to portraying women as exotic sirens in culturally and historically insensitive clothing.

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A clearer shift in the late '90s - Then came 'Pocahontas' (1995) and 'Mulan' (1998), princesses of culturally diverse backgrounds who are hardworking, assertive, independent women.

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'Mulan' made history - Though there were certainly cultural and historical inaccuracies that spread offensive stereotypes, Mulan completely shattered the image of a Disney princess: she fought to protect her father's honor and saved China, all while disguised as a man.

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Diversity became more important in the "Revival Era" - 'The Princess and the Frog' (2009) kicked off the era with Tiana, the first black Disney princess.

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The Revival Era empowered princesses - The films that followed—'Tangled' (2010), 'Brave' (2012), 'Frozen' (2013), 'Moana' (2016)—made sure princesses were no longer the victim but the hero, with dreams much bigger than waiting for a prince.

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'Frozen' introduced new love - For the first time in Disney history, true love was sisterly, not romantic. And the prince turned out to be a villain!

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Evolving more than just princesses - When princesses stopped needing to be rescued, it also allowed the space for male characters to offer more than the tired machismo and magical kisses.

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'Moana' made huge waves - In the ancient Polynesian tale, the daughter of the island chief, due to inherit leadership upon coming of age, sails out solo to save her island.

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And the male character is not a love interest - Moana is helped by demi-god Maui, who, despite being male, is far from a love interest. Disney acknowledged that not every woman saving the world needs to fall in love.

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A significant step - Foregoing romance is a significant step for Disney scriptwriters, and up until that 2016 film, a marriage, or at least a romance, was mandatory for a Disney princess, as even 'Frozen' had a romance subplot.

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Growing more culturally sensitive - 'Moana' also strived for historical accuracy, recruiting a group of cultural advisers (anthropologists, cultural practitioners, historians, linguists, and choreographers), and hiring a cast of mostly pacific-islander descent.

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Moana also brought muscles - Her strong arms and legs with clear curves are far from the classic Disney princess look. Co-director John Musker said in an interview with Vanity Fair, "We wanted this action adventure heroine … that could really believably carry all that stuff … and command a boat across the ocean."

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Live-action Disney has some work to do - With Lily James' controversially tiny waist in 2015's 'Cinderella,' and a very tiny Belle played by Emma Watson for 2017's 'Beauty and the Beast,' the old Disney princess physique persists.

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But 2014's 'Maleficent' saw an interesting twist - The live-action film re-tells the story of Princess Aurora from Maleficent's side, and ultimately positions the infamous antagonist as the princess' one true love.

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What's next? - The co-directors of Moana revealed that an LGBT princess could be the next big thing. 

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Fans want Elsa to come out - In 2016, Twitter got behind a #GetElsaAGirlfriend campaign for the 'Frozen' sequel, including a petition, and with the release of the sequel, speculation over her sexuality only increased.

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Why does all this matter? -

For generations, Disney films have influenced both children and adults' ideas of what is attractive, admirable, and worthy of a crown. The company's financial success means they're here to stay, so it's important this media giant continues to evolve their idea of ideal relationships.

See also: The world's biggest companies owned by Disney.

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