The Disney princesses are the bread and butter of the Disney Company, but these princesses have been attacked for teaching some unsavory lessons about love and what a female is supposed to be.

Surprisingly it is the older princesses, rather than the newer, that have come under fire. Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora are all criticized for not doing anything. Events happen but the three of them are passive; these events happen to them, not by them.

Their passivity is shown in the stories that they tell. In Snow White, the titular character has to run away because the evil queen wants to kill her for her beauty. She is then rescued by the dwarves for the same reason-her beauty. The entire movie revolves around her outward looks. In the end, the prince kisses her without knowing that it will bring her back, simply because she is beautiful. In Cinderella there is a similar situation. The villains are jealous; Prince Charming falls in love with her all because of her looks. Sleeping Beauty spins the tale with at twist. The main characters are not Prince Phillip and Princess Aurora but the villains. Her beauty does not move the plot; it is Maleficent and the curse she put on Aurora.

All of the princesses are notorious for falling in love too quickly. The time frame of love ranges from two seconds to three days. The problem with this is that it does not show real love, it shows infatuation. Real love takes time to build; it takes more than three days and certainly more than two seconds. At least Beauty and the Beast upholds this concept. It takes the pair an increased amount of time to even like each other. Unfortunately the situation bears more resemblance to Stockholm syndrome rather than one of falling in love.

The later princesses have more personality than the older ones. They also have more of a say in their own futures. But most of the stories are kicked off by men and the entire plot is resolved with the two characters falling for each other.

Disney is not necessarily a bad influence for kids. It has lessons, such as the good guys will win and the bad guys will lose, but the princess formula needs to change.