A while back, my life-long friend Claire was telling me how she first described me to her boyfriend: “Picture a real-life Disney Princess and that’s Annie.” I laughed it off and went on with my life, but it’s stuck in my mind.
How does one acquire this ‘unofficial’ Disney Princess status and is it a desirable title?
I self-examined myself for a total of 5 seconds before I gave up and took to Facebook to ask my friends how I had acquired the moniker.
Now armed with my super official research, I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of what might make you or your friend a real-life Disney Princess.
1. You sing all the time.
There’s a song for everything and everything’s a song. Are you doing chores? You sing. Are you doing menial tasks? You sing. Are you walking somewhere? You sing. Bored? You sing.
It doesn’t matter if you can sing well or not. The songs aren’t for other people, they’re for you. The joy of adding theme music to your life is infectious and everyone can’t help but feel a little happier around you.
Bonus points if you’ve ever said the phrase “I don’t know how to express sadness or anger very well so I like to express it through song.”*
*This is something I actually said once and I now realize why others see me the way that they do.
2. You’re… animated.
Some people talk with their hands, you talk with your whole body. It’s sometimes graceful, sometimes not. Sure Cinderella was graceful, but we’re living in the age of Merida, Rapunzel and Anna. Being clumsy just means you’re a relatable royal.
If you’ve ever reacted to good news with your whole body or had your body language during a presentation described as ‘extra,’ this might apply to you.
3. You try to see the bright side of any situation.
You’re not always positive, but you’re usually the first to mention the bright side of a tough situation. People come to you when they’re sad because they know you’ll listen first and leave them on a positive note.
4. You’re understanding and kind.
You approach conflict by seeking to understand the other side first. Maybe this is because you’ve been through tough times yourself. People probably misunderstood or misjudged you in life. Now, instead of turning against them, you’ve made it a goal to make sure no one else feels that way around you. After all, there aren’t many true villains in life. Most people are trying their best and nobody is perfect, you get that.
You’re kind and you’re proud of it. You try to spread magic wherever you go. To you kindness isn’t an action, it’s a mindset. You’re always trying to leave each person you talk to with a smile.
5. But you still stand up for what you believe in.
Don’t mistake kindness for weakness. You are a strong princess and you won’t take *crap* from anyone. You don’t let people walk all over you, which is surprising to some, but not to your closest friends.
You are strong, confident and kind.
6. You dream big and work hard.
Why dream small when there are so many possibilities? Whether you’ve had one goal since you were 3-years-old or have had thousands of different dreams, you work hard to get to where you want to be and more importantly, you work hard to be who you want to be.
7. You are true to yourself.
In the end, this list doesn’t matter. Whether you’re a princess, a dwarf, a chameleon, or superhero all that’s important is that you are true to yourself. You are your own ‘real-life’ character and that’s better than being a Disney Princess any day.
If you’re still curious how much of a Disney Princess you are, check out this quiz. By the way I only got 61%…
Annie Proctor 