Disney Princess Cynicism

Prince Charming: noun. A. A handsome man who sweeps a lady off of her feet and lives happily ever. I heard they tried to place a picture of Prince Charming in the dictionary next to his definition, but Webster couldn’t actually find one to photograph.  They haven’t realized it’s because he doesn’t exist.

                My Disney princess infused childhood makes me cynical of the “and the lived happily ever after” theory. Cinderella was chased down by her prince after her carriage turned into a pumpkin. Ariel sold her soul to a witch in order to seduce a man she had only seen via bronze statue. Rapunzel ran away from her mom with a convict that attempted to smolder her. Prince Charming may work for girls with proportionally wrong bodies and lyrical singing voices, but that’s not reality.

                Disney, Jane Austen, throw a little Teenage Dream in there, and the all too allusive Prince Charming is portrayed as temporarily playing hide and go seek, just waiting for you to look in your dryer and find him waiting there for him. In case you haven’t checked that spot yet, I can promise you he isn’t there.

                My roommate has a vase to put flowers in, but she actually has never received flowers. There’s a little rubber ball occupying it instead.  She can wait for Prince Charming. She can look under the bed and even in the fridge, but he’s not there.

                For all of you optimists out there, hang on. I’m getting to the point.

                Sure I’m cynical of their existence, but I don’t see the lack of Prince Charming’s in the world being a problem. Girls have been taught to hold out for the perfect guy- one who will bring flowers on a special occasion, never forget to call and can bench press at least 200 lbs. Let’s get real for a second though; I would hate dating Ken almost as much as I would hate being Barbie. The whole point of having a friendship or relationship is to grow together. People are never going to be perfect, no matter how much you groom them. There are plenty of guys, however, that are determined to do what’s right and become better.

                I’m not going to lie and say I know what it’s like to be in love. I do, however, know what it’s like to have extreme respect for a guy. I appreciate the boys in my life who are consistently there for me, and setting an example for me. I guess what I’m trying to say tonight is I am grateful for the guys in my life. So if you are one of them, thank you.