Everybody makes a big deal about Cinderella, with her long blond hair and poofy blue dress that matches her twinkling eyes. But I've never wanted to wear that powder blue gown or win the adoration of the tall, dark prince charming. In fact, the prince charming in Cinderella always seemed a bit superficial and transparent to me. Though I by no means seek to disclaim the title of a prince seeking, castle loving girly girl, the Cinderella story never really satisfied me--there was always that little puzzle piece of the story that seemed displaced within the tale that left me unsatisfied.
Then came Pocahontas. There's been a little controversy concerning whether or not my favorite Disney princess is really a princess atall and as you'll observe within the Disney Dynasty, she's certainly not the favorite. You never spot her wearing an impressive outfit or a shiny crown. She's always hanging out in the background perhaps with Mulan or the other ones with questionable princess status and never attends the afternoon teas with Cinderella, Aurora, and Ariel. But her earthy, compassionate, and free spirit always intrigued me and inspired me to be more like her--the song "The Colors of the Wind" runs chills down my spine as she sings, "But I know every rock and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name." It sounds silly, but something about her sincerity and freeness just speaks to my soul and helps me to see nature as such a gift and want to share my love for it with others. I always felt like Pocahontas when I went to camp and wandering off on my own I would rush through the leafy forests and skip from rock to rock of a babbling brook. She helped me to see what others couldn't and ponder on the more important things that this life has to offer.
So long story short, my best friends make fun of me for favoring the ethnic, black haired, nature girl princess and you probably will too, but I can't deny the overwhelmingly powerful inspiration that I feel when I watch it, even now.
