The Princess Blog

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 ca...

I'd like to expand a little on my  "Confessions of a Grown-Up Princess Fan"  to discuss how getting older has not only affected my perspective on princesses, but also my attitude toward the world in general. Thinking about how a live-action "Snow White" movie  would inevitably be different for a modern audience  sparked some of these thoughts. One of the biggest complaints about the "Damsel in Distress" stigma  that Disney has been working hard to overturn  is that princesses only smile and look pretty while their princes do all the hard work. I personally think that the movies from the Disney Renaissance have the best balance of proactiveness between the male and female protagonists. In today's movies , it's often the men who sit back and do nothing while the women lead the majority of the action for the plot, which creates an imbalance in the opposite direction. It also forces princesses to take on a lot more responsibility , which impedes t...

There's certainly no shame in loving princesses when you're older . However, ever since I entered my 30s, I noticed that there were certain aspects of princesses and fairy tales that I could no longer relate to. I still believe in fighting for what's right and following my heart, but I don't view the world with the same wide-eyed innocence as I did when I was a teenager. Most princesses are roughly 16, and they tend to act their age. When we're younger, everything is new and exciting, and there are infinite possibilities for the future. Our lives may not be the easiest, but we've never been let down or had our heart broken yet. The older I get, the more I understand why queens are often portrayed as dark or evil . Though I still relate to Ariel's passion and desire for freedom , I probably act more like Megara from Hercules  or Kida from Atlantis . These animated heroines have been around long enough to see the world for what it is and don't feel the ne...

I've never been much of a makeup person, but I am obsessed with my nails. I started growing them out in high school, and I get very sad when one breaks. Since I get so many compliments on my nails, I decided to write a little guide to help you have princess nails too! With the recent advancements in nail wraps, there have never been more easy princess and affordable princess nail options than the are now. You never know when having long nails will come in handy for something. If you use a computer a lot, you tend to look at your fingers fairly often. That's why I try to find the best designs to make my nails look as princess-like as possible. If you like how your nails look, you'll smile every time I look down at your keyboard. Check out these amazing Swan Princess  nail wraps I just got from Espionage Cosmetics ! These Moonlight Transformation  nail wraps are officially licensed by The Swan Princess  and portray the effect of moonlight over the waves on Swan La...

While compiling songs for my next princess karaoke medley , it occurred to me that an overwhelming amount of princess songs are about freedom. It's no secret that freedom is a common theme among fairy tales and princess-like characters , but the concept goes much deeper than that. What's particularly interesting about it is the fact that it applies just as much to characters who were born princesses as it does to the ones who found their freedom by becoming princesses. The desire to be free is such a universal concept that it transcends status, power, or race. Everyone can feel as though they are trapped at some point in their life. The beautiful song written for Princess Jasmine in the retired  Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular  show was entitled  "To Be Free"  (which got replaced by "These Palace Walls"  in the inferior Broadway production )  The song's opening line, "Lucky bird inside a gilded cage," is recited with perfect irony because t...

I don't generally write about cosmetics because I don't use them very often. Even though I may have a bias toward natural beauty, I can certainly appreciate the lovely aesthetics that skilled makeup artists are able to create. In fact, when it comes to anything I could wear that would make me shimmer and sparkle like a faery princess , I actually have a pretty low resistance. When I regularly frequented the princess-themed attractions at Walt Disney World , I used to go to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and ask to be pixie dusted  by one of the Fairy Godmothers in Training far more often that what someone would probably consider healthy. That's why when I first heard about Foamo Holographic Hair Foam from IGK , which turns your hair sparkly and iridescent, I scoured the internet for weeks impatiently awaiting its release. I first heard about Foamo from a viral Facebook video entitled "How To Be a Mermaid in 2018."  There were a lot of things about it that appe...

A few days ago, I saw a meme pop up on my Facebook feed listing a bunch of empowering adjectives to use for girls to replace the words "princess" or "beautiful." I admit I might be a little bias as the proud owner of a princess blog, but when I saw this, I couldn't help but think to myself "Those two things are not mutually exclusive!" In recent years, there has been a huge surge of princess-related content in the media that has not only changed what it means to be a princess but has also created an entire culture around it. Just like with all movements, princess culture enthusiasts were quickly met with a large opposition who focus heavily on the negative aspects of what it means to be a princess. As a result, we end up with books like Cinderella Ate My Daughter  by Peggy Orenstein, which claim that princesses may prevent girls from living up to their full potential. Being a princess today means something completely different than it did 50 ye...

Many times, when people see my room, they ask me for decorating advice. I usually don't have anything useful to tell them. Knowing how to decorate might just come naturally to modern princesses . We have a strong sense of style and aesthetics, buy whatever looks nice, and find a good spot to put it. Princess fans also rarely throw anything away because there's a high probability we will still love all the same movies we did as children. Many of us have huge collections of merchandise that we have been building for years for years. I've gotten so many compliments on the way I set up my room the years that it's only fair for me to try to give a few tips and tricks for people who are struggling to make their rooms look as perfectly princess as possible. The first thing I recommend to any modern princess is to find a sheer canopy to hang over her bed. Nothing says "princess" more than waking up to the world through a rose-colored filter every morning. Canop...

There are many princesses who come off as introverts. Cinderella , Belle , and Tiana  prefer to keep to themselves and avoid social situations if given the opportunity. Since they were not raised as princesses and lead generally quiet lives, this is not a problem for them during the course of their movies. However, as we get older, it becomes more and more difficult to avoid such situations. An inability to maintain the proper amount of social decorum can make it challenging to show the world that you are a modern princess . Keeping to yourself is often misinterpreted as pretentious, a criticism that even Belle has faced from naysayers. Is it possible to maintain your princess mannerisms in social situations without running away like Elsa ? How introverted or extroverted you are has nothing to do with how much of a princess you are. Yet, there are certain struggles that introverts face that do not affect extroverts as much. A princess must be the face of order among chaos, th...

Here I am trying to come up with an idea for my last post before my big 100th post extravaganza. It seems I've exhausted practically every relevant princess topic there is. So, I decided to switch things up a bit and talk some more about how to be a princess in the real world . Plenty of little girls say they want to be princesses when they grow up, but when that fated day arrives, is this dream truly practical? Though it is possible to be a professional princess at a theme park or as an independent contractor, that isn't necessarily the best thing for a long-term career. There are plenty of more realistic options for a young woman with the personality of a modern princess. Let's start with the obvious. Girls who take their dream of wanting to be a princess into adulthood do have the option of going to the Disney Parks and doing a face  character audition . However, not every grown-up princess lover is eligible for this job. The company has many strict requirements ...

I've been making a lot of posts here about fairy tale princesses from movies and TV shows and how they inspire me , but the real challenge is taking these traits and bringing them into the real world. I will be the first to admit that it is not easy. The older I get, the harder it becomes to maintain my dignity and grace as a princess. I can understand why queens often lose their sense of innocence . If you've ever worked in a customer service job, you know what I'm talking about. Despite this, being a princess simply means trying your best every day, which is something everyone can do. If you can believe in yourself, you will always grow and improve as a person. No one knows this better than Haruka from the Magical Girl anime Go! Princess Precure . Haruka is a modern teenage girl who dreams of one day becoming just like the flower princess from her favorite fairy tale book. She attends a special private school to chase after that dream and studies subjects that would...

Earlier this week, high fashion designer Paolo Sebastian  unveiled a Disney Princess-inspired dress collection . In addition to being strikingly gorgeous, these gowns convey a modern style that does not look like cosplay  or the outdated  old-time princess fashions of corsets and crinoline cages. The collection shows us that it is possible to dress like a princess without looking like you're going to a fan convention or a Renaissance Faire. However, these particular types of gowns are exorbitantly expensive and impractical to wear during everyday life. Is it possible, then, to dress like a modern princess on a modern millennial budget without attracting too much unwanted attention? I say it is. Let's begin by examining the details of my favorite dress from Paolo's collection. Unlike a costume or DisneyBound  outfit, it is not suggestive of any specific princess, yet it contains elements that are common to all fairy tale princesses. The two things that stand o...

A tiara is considered the ultimate symbol of being a princess. Yet, surprisingly few princess characters wear them in their movies. While it may not seem very practical to wear a tiara in every day life, I try to come up with as many excuses as I can. Tiaras make us feel beautiful and important, just like a real princess. It's considered socially acceptable to wear a tiara on your birthday, at your wedding, to a fancy party, or at the Disney Parks . Like princesses, tiaras come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and styles. There are shimmering crystal and rhinestone tiaras, flower circlets, mermaid crowns, headbands and more. Let's take a look at these sparkly symbols of princesshood. Rapunzel would win in a contest for best tiara hands down. Her tiara was a major plot point throughout the entire movie. The moment she put it on for the first time was incredibly magical even though she didn't even know it was meant for her. It has a stunning amount of detail for an animate...