Friday, October 5, 2007

Cinderella's Lies

Ladies and Gentlemen - boys and girls. I have some very important news, that will most likely effect you. Disney has lied to us. Yes - that's right. They lied.

I remember as a 5 or 6 year old girl, I loved the Disney movie Aladdin. I wanted to be Princess Jasmine. I mean, who wouldn't want a cute boy to take them on a magic carpet ride? All the while he's singing her love songs, and they very quickly discover that they are, indeed, meant to be together. Soul Mates in fact. If I remember correctly, there were most likely fireworks in the sky during their wedding/first kiss. (*So often those happen at the same time in Disney movies. . . )

Well, here's the thing. Disney gave me unrealistic expectations. I honestly grew up expecting that when I got old enough, my Prince charming would show up. He would be more than perfect, fireworks would fly, he would wine and dine me - because the second we met, we'd both know that we were meant to be. Heck, cheesy music with unreal lyrics would also be playing in the background. Boys and girls, I'm here to tell you, it's all a stupid lie. I think that Disney has seriously screwed over the dating ethic here at Utah State - and after a few rants and raves with numerous friends on many different occasions, I'd like to do my part to try and dispell the horrible myths that Bell, Jasmine, and Cinderella have always led us to believe.

I think that we all expect to have some brilliant sign, some fireworks, butterflies, creepy crabs and seagulls singing - trying to persuade us to just go ahead and enjoy a first kiss. People - it's not real. I think that there is a growing trend of belief that if we're not feeling fire/sparks/butterflies within the first few weeks, we should just throw in the towel. Obviously, Cinderella would have been angry if Prince Charming didn't fall in love after that first dance. But what girls at USU do you see that have a fairy godmother, a pumpkin for a carriage, and mice that talk to them. That's right. All that stuff is crazy. So is the mentality that we must all be as the forementioned couple - and initially know that it's meant to be. Disney only had two hours to entertain little kids - but my dear friends, we've got plenty of time to figure out our own story. If we all just took a deep breathe and relaxed, Who knows! We might end up hearing the creepy little crab singing after all. :)