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.