Let's Talk About Toxic Positivity
This is not a typical discussion about an upcoming princess story, but it's still an important topic for those of us who desire to live the princess lifestyle. Princesses are generally known to be upbeat and spread happiness to those around them. While this is a wonderful trait, it can create some misconceptions about people who love princesses or want to portray them. Similar to the misconception that princesses never get angry, they are not happy all the time, nor are they unwilling to admit when something is wrong. In fact, this is a big reason why their "happily ever after" is so impactful. Pretending that everything is perfect all the time and denying the bad in any given situation can lead to toxic positivity.
A great example of toxic positivity is Mother Gothel. By constantly reminding Rapunzel how lucky she is to be safely locked away from the world in a tower, she uses gaslighting to make Rapunzel think that there is nothing wrong with her situation. This causes Rapunzel to question her own reality and wonder if her dissatisfaction is silly and misguided. Gothel tries to convince Rapunzel that she is paranoid and negative and that she should be content with what she has. Rapunzel, who is a naturally positive person, has a hard time accepting her doubts about Gothel's treatment, but when she finally does leave the tower, she realizes that they were spot-on. This does not make her a negative person for having doubts. Instead, it makes her someone who wants to see things for what they really are.
The overdramatized sadness of earlier princesses is something that is frequently memed about with the phrase "Disney taught me that the best way to express sadness is to throw yourself on the nearest object and dramatically sob." While this is typically used for light humor, it expresses how many of us grew up learning to come to terms with our emotions. The commonality of princesses expressing negative emotions in their films is in stark contrast to the way they are portrayed at theme parks and parties, as these events are meant to inspire joy in children. My friend and I observed that if we ever mentioned anything negative to princesses we met in theme parks, they would brush it off and change the subject. This is not exactly the same as toxic positivity because they are paid professionals who are meant to have brief positive interactions with guests, but it is still a form of denying reality.
Princesses teach us that it is important to make the best of every situation and have hope for the future. However, if princess movies did not include hardships, it would lessen the impact of their joyful endings. Take Cinderella, for example. She makes the best of a toxic situation, but she never denies the reality of it. If she had allowed her stepmother to convince her that she was happy toiling day and night in her own house, she would not have cared about going to the ball. She would have told her Fairy Godmother, "No, thank you" when offered, and the movie would end with her happily scrubbing floors for the rest of her life. That's why I think it's important to see the world with open eyes and take in the bad just as much as the good. It's only when we can accept that there is a problem that we can strive to improve it. This also contributes to the trend of live-action remakes. If people keep telling Disney that they are good, we may never see a return to creative filmmaking.
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