Disney, is there any niche demographic your marketing department has left untouched? Not anymore - make way for Disney Princess-inspired wedding dresses. Shoes will be released at a later date. And no, I'm not kidding about that last part.

Personally, I think the dresses sound absolutely beautiful. My only complaint is that two notable princesses - Mulan and Pocahontas - were left out of the line up. Okay, Mulan is technically not a princess, but she is a noble, so that still counts.

I understand that the concept of the romantic princess tends to be more appealing to women and little girls. We all want the dashing prince to rescue us from the unfairness and mundanity of day to day life.

Mulan and Pocahontas go against the grain of that. Mulan saves her love interest's life and is then rejected by him because she went against the laws of her country, and Pocahontas goes against her family and her people to be with the man she loves. This is Disney, so they both get happy endings, but the forces of good and evil in their stories aren't as clear-cut as in those based on traditional fairytales.

You expect your daughter or little sister to dress up and pretend to be Cinderella. If she dresses up in her brother's clothes, picks up a toy sword, and declares that she's off to rescue her prince, well, that's not so expected.

I've always liked the whole warrior princess concept. I'm definitely a romantic at heart, but there's nothing I despise more in a female character than a propensity to get into dangerous or difficult situations and then sit there and cry instead of doing anything about it. You don't have to take out the villain all by your lonesome, but for goodness' sake, you could at least try to run away from him instead of trembling in the corner. And when your hero does come to rescue you, go with him. Don't pull back because you're scared and then trip and break your ankle and become a liability.   

I think it's important, therefore, that a princess have something to offer in addition to her beauty. Belle has her courage and intelligence, Cinderella has her kindness, and Mulan is a dead shot with a firework. Princes fall off their horses from time to time. They appreciate a princess who has their back.

Coming soon when Teresa has more time: Teresa's top (and bottom) female characters from film and anime, hopefully with pictures and video clips. Please look forward to it. :)