The Princess Project: Final Results.

   First, let me begin by thanking all of the Muses. We have duplicated in numbers in the month since this project started, thereby beginning my plot to take over the world. Or, G+ at least! All joking aside, your support and insight has been huge! So huge, in fact, that it was quite the task picking out quotes for the final collage! Check my Bulletin Board to take a closer look at a few of them.

Now that I got that off my chest, here is the final product of this month-long search for The Fairest among the bunch. For many of us, these images are the one's we've grown up with--that we've seen scattered all over the internet and within the Disney Store itself. My whole point, in conducting this little "project", was to put it to you. Who did you relate with more, I asked? Who was "The Fairest" in your eyes… and tell me, in your own words, why that is. So, here is our own little poster. I believe this provides a more accurate portrayal of why we love these ladies so much; what they stand for and mean to us. Our very first heroines and role models before there was a Katniss Everdeen or a Tris Prior.

I have often heard different sides of the argument of what these princesses stand for. Are these women setting unrealistic standards? Do they challenge gender norms, or quite the contrary, do they simply enforce feminine stereotypes that are ingrained in young girls as they grow up? I put my personal opinions asides and put it to you; Disney fans and Muses alike. The answer was a stark "NO!" Each of you found at least one to relate with. In the case of week two, a tie was formed. A decision couldn't be made between Belle and Jasmine; I tried to repost the collage again for your consideration but the answer was the same… a few of you even insisting I just use both. And so I did! Who am I to question my Muses? Also, Snow White not with standing, all of you had strong opinions regarding each lady. They are dreamers, rebels and fighters; all the while maintaining a certain level of feminine poise that you all could connect with or maybe even idealized in the end.

They are as varied and colorful as we are, showing us the true value of change, love and a strong sense of self. Never lose yourselves, they insist, never settle for less than absolute happiness. They highlight the power of love in the face of everything; even pure evil.. and how that, within itself, can be a purer weapon than a sword. Not to discount the power of a bow and arrow of course (I am a Hunger Games fangirl, after all) but there are various ways to endure through life's greatest challenges. It is just as difficult to fire off an arrow as it is to forgive an evil stepmother, for instance.

Regardless of the fact that they are fictional, they taught us the most important lesson of all: the fun of losing yourself in a fairytale. Whether it's in a book or a movie, we all want to believe in something. Why not in true love or magic? Besides, who knows, maybe we might find our own Happily Ever After in the end.

The Fairest of Them All

Do you remember this apple? You might recognize it from a previous post: The Golden Apple Awards. In the late 1940s and even the early 2000s, a similar award was handed out to honor women in film, with Sour Apples being given by those who were, say, more difficult to work with. The ideology of the Golden Apple goes back even further: to a Greek myth in which the Goddess of discord, Eris, is not invited to a wedding by held by Zeus. In retaliation, she shows up uninvited to the festivities and tosses a Golden Apple with the inscription To The Fairest scrawled across it. What inside afterwards, ladies and gentlemen, literally caused the siege of Troy. But, I digress

    Not wanting to create any discord between my Muses, I opted to hold a contest of our own here. There has been much debate over the years, and even most recently, as to the anti-feminist nature of the Disney Princesses. So, I put it to you. Who is The Fairest?

    There are so many to choose from, and with them spanning basically every generation how can you define the evolution of fictional, pop culture characters down to just one? So, my idea is, to post here on G+ an offering of 3 fair maidens a week for your consideration. Every Tuesday I'll refresh my offering, so look out for the next 3 (mostly done in order of their appearance to the Disney Dynasty). I'll be doing this till the end of the month, or basically when we've covered them all. 

 No, I'm not saying that one is better than the other… I think that the sheer fact that these princesses exist to empower and lead young girls into womanhood is totally amazing. For many of us, these were our first role models who taught us how to believe in magic, to fight for what we really want; and most importantly how to dream. This is partly for fun and also part social experiment. Many of these ladies have been around since before many of us were born, and let's face it,  perceptions of femininity have changed over the years. So, I'll be interested in seeing who we connect with the most. Have we found that certain princesses have changed for us as we've grown up? Do you think the themes of a certain, princess-themed Disney, movie might resonate more now than when you were a little girl? Or has it gone in reverse? And no, this is not a quiz so I don't expect any of you to want to answer these questions. This is basically just an example of what was going through my head when I came up with this idea in the first place.

And to what end, you ask? Well, each week the "winner" (their not really winners so much as the chosen ones) will wind up in my list, in no particular order of course. So, please comment and vote. I'm hoping to create a post around your own words. As I stated once before, it gets quite lonely in my little Corner here…and I do get tired of my own voice. 

So, thank you for stopping by and joining in my little "game". Please check back for further developments and I'll see you all again next week!

UPDATE: I just expanded my horizons…to Facebook! I've noticed, in my travels, that anyone outside of G+ can't comment on my little Princess Project here. So, let's see how this goes, but I'm going to give another Social Networking site a try. So, if you make it to my blogpost here, follow me on Facebook and spread the word! I would greatly appreciate it:  facebook.com/bontecorner

UPDATE for the UPDATE: Hey all, just checking in on week three. For everyone that noticed Week two's re-posting of the Princess Project Poster; yes there was a tie. I'm sure it comes as no surprise, however, that it was going to be a very close call. Many of you even asked me to just go with both fair and very strong ladies; so I took your advice! Thanks for all your help and support these past three Weeks. Please spread the word. I'm now on Facebook as you can see in my update above. Thanks for 1,000+ views on Bronte's Muse; and over 100 "+1s" on this blog post alone! Please follow my blog so you can get an update when I post the final results of all your hard work and support! We're getting down to the wire. Only one more week to go!  And who knows, Something Wicked could be waiting around the bend…