I saw this and immediately thought of the time one of my profs told us about this fellow who had a pet lobster he liked to take on walks because, “It does not bark, and it knows the secrets of the deep.”  I don’t recall how this fact fit into the actual lecture, but apparently the guy’s name was Gérard de Nerval and he was a rather troubled French poet who ended up committing suicide in 1855.  (See?  Wikipedia is useful!)

misandryisnotfeminism: Belle was a feminist. A misogamist male was trying to force her into a marriage and she kept saying no. Even when in a position to lose her own father, she refused. She went out alone to find her father instead of going to ask the men in town to go out. She exchanged herself in the place of her father so he could live because she loves him. While Beast did go soft on her - maybe because he thought she was the one? - she still endured hell for a while. Only her appearance mattered? It was the town calling her a beauty, she never doted on her own appearance and dressed as the other 3 girls in town did - you know the ones I’m talking about. Belle was highly intelligent and witty and it’s why the Beast fell in love with her. Her brains and passion for it. Ariel was a feminist too. If you watched the cartoon, she had a lot of sisters. All of them behaved and married young - except Ariel. She didn’t want to. She went exploring, collected treasures that were against what her father said. She fell in love with the prince and wanted to marry him. Saying it was only her looks that made him love her is ridiculous. Did you see her trying to comb her hair with a fork? She had so much charisma in actions! And in the end he heard her voice and her opinions and he still loved her! Even with the witch cursing him, he still ended up with her because she worked hard for it and was headstrong. Jasmine was a feminist. So many men were trying to marry her and she said no. She stood up to the politics that would enslave her to a horrible marriage. She went against the rules and escaped the castle walls to see the real world. She broke the rules and found love. Even after Aladdin revealed himself as not a prince, she was mad that he lied. She over-came everything and Aladdin fell in love with her for her, not because of her marriageability. I don’t know that I’d go quite so far as to label these girls feminists, but I definitely appreciate what’s being said here.  They were more than just pretty faces.  They had spirit.

misandryisnotfeminism:

Belle was a feminist. A misogamist male was trying to force her into a marriage and she kept saying no. Even when in a position to lose her own father, she refused. She went out alone to find her father instead of going to ask the men in town to go out. She exchanged herself in the place of her father so he could live because she loves him. While Beast did go soft on her - maybe because he thought she was the one? - she still endured hell for a while. Only her appearance mattered? It was the town calling her a beauty, she never doted on her own appearance and dressed as the other 3 girls in town did - you know the ones I’m talking about. Belle was highly intelligent and witty and it’s why the Beast fell in love with her. Her brains and passion for it.

Ariel was a feminist too. If you watched the cartoon, she had a lot of sisters. All of them behaved and married young - except Ariel. She didn’t want to. She went exploring, collected treasures that were against what her father said. She fell in love with the prince and wanted to marry him. Saying it was only her looks that made him love her is ridiculous. Did you see her trying to comb her hair with a fork? She had so much charisma in actions! And in the end he heard her voice and her opinions and he still loved her! Even with the witch cursing him, he still ended up with her because she worked hard for it and was headstrong.

Jasmine was a feminist. So many men were trying to marry her and she said no. She stood up to the politics that would enslave her to a horrible marriage. She went against the rules and escaped the castle walls to see the real world. She broke the rules and found love. Even after Aladdin revealed himself as not a prince, she was mad that he lied. She over-came everything and Aladdin fell in love with her for her, not because of her marriageability.

I don’t know that I’d go quite so far as to label these girls feminists, but I definitely appreciate what’s being said here.  They were more than just pretty faces.  They had spirit.