Are the Disney Princesses Good Role Models? Part 5: Belle

This is a continuation of the series where I examine each of the Disney Princesses as role models. Disney Princesses have received much backlash and debate over their worthiness of being feminist role models for young girls. I set out to examine the admirable qualities in each and clear up any distortions of their characters. 

Belle is a beloved Princess, often regarded as the "strongest", "smartest" or "most feminist".  Yet some people like to simplify the character down to “read = smart”. But of course, it goes deeper than that. 

Based on the way the town citizens react to her reading (“and her nose stuck in a book/ what a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle”) you can tell that not many people in the village are educated enough to read, or even interested enough in becoming educated to read, let alone the women of the village. Maybe they do not think education is important.

Education is so important. I could rant forever as to why, but perhaps the most relevant point to this article is that education is the key to breaking down ignorance. And the villagers seem very ignorant. They have a set way of life and can’t fathom why anyone would want anything different.

Education is also the first step for achieving equality and equity. How can you fight for justice if you are unaware the world is unjust? 

People think Belle is strong because she stands up for herself. We all know Gaston is the villain in the story. Everything he wants goes against what the protagonists want. Gaston is praised by the village and he loves it. He gets mad when his sidekick LeFou offers a differing opinion. Gaston wants to spend his days hunting and pass his genes down to lots of boys. He also wants Belle to be his wife. Not necessarily because he likes Belle, but because “she’s the most beautiful girl in town…and that makes her the best!”. Gaston doesn’t even try to get to know Belle before proposing. And he thinks she’ll say yes because the whole village agrees he’s the strongest and best looking man – why wouldn’t Belle also agree? Gaston is a character that represents the worse parts of society. And it’s not too far of a stretch to say he represents toxic masculinity. In one scene, Gaston (a figure of toxic masculinity and the status quo) takes Belle’s book (a symbol of her freedom) and throws it in the mud. “You should focus on more important things. Things like me” he says. Yet Belle picks the book up, cleans off the mud, and continues to read. 

An overwhelming amount of “Stockholm Syndrome” jokes have been made about this movie. And I’ve even seen some people take this claim seriously. But this is an uneducated take away. Stockholm Syndrome is the named phenomenon that occurred during a robbery in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973.  The hostages of the robbery developed sympathy for their kidnapper and refused to testify against him court, despite the fact that he put their lives in danger. The victims somehow justified the obviously illegal and dangerous acts. The validity of Stockholm Syndrome is debatable, and the phenomenon has never been listed in the DSM. 

 

Belle does not immediately take kindly to Beast. As soon as she takes her father’s place as prisoner, Beast throws him in the carriage and he is sent back to town. Belle is crying because she never got to say goodbye to him. Beast acts harshly towards her family and Belle herself. When he demands she join him for dinner, she aggressively refuses. She does not want to have dinner or be around someone so cruel. She stands up to him, just like how she stood up to Gaston who also acted mean towards her. And the first chance she gets, she escapes from the castle.

 

Her attempted escape is the pivotal part of the movie. She is riding through the woods to freedom, but is attacked by wolves. She tries to fend them off, but can’t. Suddenly, Beast appears and scares off the wolves. But he is injured in the fight and passes out. Belle starts to get back on her horse to leave, to continue her escape. But Beast is hurt. And despite his cruelness earlier towards her, he did risk his life for her. So she helps him back to the castle and takes care of him. 

 

Even in the scene when she is taking care of him, Belle is not afraid to set him straight. Beast howls in pain and chagrins her for running away. She gives it right back at him and tells him that his poor behavior scared her off. It is this argument that the audience slowly sees Beast soften. He realizes that he can no longer act selfish and harsh towards Belle without consequences.

 

It is from this point on that he tries to act kinder towards Belle and begins to really fall in love with her. He works on fixing his behavior – from his manners to his short-temper to the way he talks to his servants. It is because of Belle that he begins to change.

 

And the Beast’s grand act of love is setting her free like she wanted to be all along. As much as he wants to break the spell, he cannot in good conscious keep Belle prisoner. So he lets her go, knowing that she will leave him and that spell will never be broken. It is because of this act of love that Belle realizes she reciprocates the feeling. And when the village storms up the castle to kill the Beast, Belle tries to save Beast just like he saved her from the wolves. 

 

Their love is reciprocated in similar ways. There is no power imbalance. There is no justification of abusive behavior. 

 

Belle teaches girls what a healthy relationship looks like. She teaches us to not settle for someone who is mean just because other people may want us to be with them. She teaches us not to put up with selfish partners who do not care about our dreams or loved ones. She teaches us that both partners need to be kind towards one another.

 

Belle also teaches us not to care what society thinks of us. Belle reads because she likes it, even if the other villagers don’t like to read. Belle does not accept Gaston’s marriage proposal just because everyone else views him as the catch of the town. She makes her own opinions. Instead of partaking in mob mentality, Belle stands up for what she knowns is right.

 

These two messages – forming your own individual opinions free of society’s expectations but also learning to depend on another person may seem like opposite goals, but Belle teaches us both are possible and essential.