Feminism and the Disney Princesses

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Even though I'm for girl power, I, for one, support the Princesses. Sure, they're not wielding swords 24/7, but you know what? They don't need to! These princess movies stemmed from fairy tales, which were written years ago. So it would make a lot of sense to make them housewives and maids. Also, the time periods the movies were released have something to do with how they're portrayed:

• 'Snow White,' 'Cinderella' and 'Sleeping Beauty' were released in the 30's and 50's, which, at the time, the idea of women working outside the house was laughable and new.
• 'Little Mermaid,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'Aladdin,' 'Pocahontas' and 'Mulan' were released in the 80's and 90's, where women in the workplace had been flourishing since the 70's.

Another thing I hate about feminists bashing the Princesses is they kept saying, 'The Princesses depend on men to help them.' That. Is. False! Several of the Princesses use their animal friends or even have a weapon to help defend themselves. Some even attempt at helping the male lead.

• An example of the previous statement is in 'Aladdin' during the climactic battle against Jafar. Aladdin holds him off and tells Jasmine to grab the lamp, she does get it and Jafar traps her. But she at least tried to help!
• Cinderella, Belle and Ariel are great examples of the animal help. For Cinderella, the mice gave her the key to her room so she can get out and meet the Duke. A variation of this trope can be seen with Belle, but instead of animals, it was the help. For Ariel, her friends helped defeat Ursula's eels.

Finally, another statement I've heard is 'the Princesses are just housewives that do nothing but clean and cook.' WHAT?

• Snow White and Cinderella are the common targets for the statement, but they were both made SERVANTS by their own stepmoms.
• Aurora doesn't even clean the Fairies' cottage and the reason why she does 'nothing' is because she was put in a sleeping spell. Which the Fairies couldn't reverse!
• Ariel, Belle and Jasmine did things other than cleaning or cooking. Belle read and both Ariel and Jasmine explored a world outside of their comfort zones.

Bottom line, ask yourselves this: Is it better to bash a rare species of good role models for girls and women or to learn from them?