I was not the princess archetype as a kid. There will be few pictures in my dusty albums that would show me dressing as one but believe me when I say that I got bribed putting on those gowns. I grew up in an environment that made me free on who I want to be, although my tights and dresses and sneakers inclination could be directly attributed to my mother’s idea of fashown.

My favorite Disney princess is Belle, because in the generation of princesses waiting for their Prince Charmings to knock them off their feet while singing in an operatic kind of way, she was the one who wanted to go out of her mundane life. Not to meet a prince but to find something bigger, something greater for her. It’s just a mere coincidence that she met The Beast while trying to find herself. My next favorite would be Mulan, the Asian kick-ass who proved that you don’t need a strong dose of testosterone to save a country. She was then followed by a long line of Disney princesses trying to prove their worth instead of looking for their worth on their male counterparts.

I love how Disney turned around and is now focusing on the strong, independent women of the world. Girls who can think on their own feet. Girls who can act with their own will. Girls who don’t need guys to drive them around and carry their frilly little purses. Let’s not get started with the purses. Thinking about it might give me brain cancer. And actually writing about it might make me incoherent because of too much annoyance.

Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against girly girls. I would be lying if I say that I don’t like dressing up from time to time. There’s nothing wrong with laces, tiaras, high heels, pearls, and mascara. If I am happy that I wasn’t prevented from being who I wanted to be, who am I to shun the ones who wanted to express themselves by being the quintessential dainty girls? I have nothing against them. What I don’t like and don’t entirely agree with are the “princesses” who use their being a girl to their advantage.

I would make it my life’s mission not to bring a daughter into the world who would turn out someone like that. And so here are the three things that I would tell my future daughter once she’s old enough to comprehend: 

1. BE independent and be your very own person.
2. NEVER base your existence on someone else’s.
3. NEVER EVER use your being a girl to take advantage of nice boys.

P.S. If you wanna get inked, wait until you’re out of school. And let me know. I could recommend a good artist. And maybe.. just maybe… we could get inked together.

The postscript has a condition, of course — when she’s of legal age already. 🙂