迪士尼公主进化史

Lorraine

小的时候，每个女孩心中都有一个灰姑娘梦，希望有一天，能有一位英俊的王子骑着白马路过，相互一见倾心，从此与王子过上幸福的生活。

长大以后，才发现这不过是童话中才有的美事。王子不是最终的目标，爱情不是生活的全部，坚强独立、追求自我、实现心中理想才是现代女性面对生活应有的态度。

君不见，从《白雪公主与七个小矮人》中没有王子就注定悲苦的白雪公主，到《冰雪奇缘》中用自己的勇敢坚毅意外收获真爱的安娜公主，这些迪士尼公主的形象都随着时代的变迁发生了改变。

Much like almost every other kid growing up in an Americanized culture during the 1990's， my first cartoons were Disney animated movies. There's much to love in Disney films： the beautiful animation， the exciting adventures and wondrous1） magic， the uplifting2） and catchy3） songs， the thoughtful lessons the stories brought—even if we couldn't understand them entirely back then， the happy endings with the triumph of love and truth over evil， and， perhaps the most important， the characters. Like many other girls and boys in the world， some of these characters became my heroes， particularly the group of characters that in 2000 became known as the Disney Princess.

Now more than ever， the cultural importance and the social influence of these Disney Princesses is at its strongest—and Disney is aware of it， which is perhaps why these characters have evolved so much from the conception of the first Princess， Snow White in 1937， to what we've witnessed in recent ones like Mulan （1998）， Merida （2012）， and Anna and her sister Elsa （2013）.

For me， there's a clear line dividing these princesses into three groups， marking them as the products of their generations and the cultural values of that time， and they all have to do with romantic love， how it defined these characters and the role it plays in their stories.

同20世纪90年代在美式文化中长大的几乎其他所有孩子相似，我最早看的动画片也是迪士尼的动画电影。迪士尼的影片有许多令人喜爱的地方：制作精美的动画、激动人心的冒险和令人惊叹的魔法、令人振奋又朗朗上口的歌曲、故事带来的富含哲思的教益（尽管我们在当时并不能完全领会）、爱和真理战胜邪恶的大团圆结局，以及片中的角色（这也许是最重要的一点）。与世界上许多其他男孩和女孩一样，其中的一些角色成了我的偶像，特别是那些在2000年开始被称作迪士尼公主的角色。

如今，这些迪士尼公主在文化上的重要性及其对社会的影响比以往任何时候都更为突出。迪士尼公司也意识到了这一点，或许正是由于这个原因，从1937年诞生的第一位迪士尼公主白雪公主到我们近年来所看到的木兰（1998年）、梅莉达（2012年） （编注：出自《勇敢》）、安娜和她的姐姐艾莎 （2013年） （编注：出自《冰雪奇缘》），这些迪士尼公主的设定都发生了很大的变化。

在我看来，有一条清晰的界线将这些公主分为三类，每一类都是各自时代与当时的文化价值观的产物，而这些公主都要面对浪漫爱情、爱情对这些人物的界定以及爱情在她们的故事中所起到的作用。

Princesses have always been a very important part of Disney's storytelling. Most Disney movies are based on already-existing fairy tales， short stories， and historical myths， and royalty and nobility always takes the spotlight in these stories. The first category of Disney Princesses fits perfectly into the princess archetype4）： gorgeous5）， graceful， feminine， coy6）， and sweet. The first type of Disney Princess is kindness， innocence， and beauty personified—and not much else. The earliest Disney Princesses—Snow White， Cinderella， and Sleeping Beauty—were loved and hated exclusively because of their beauty， and aside from that the only thing we know is that they loved animals and liked to sing.endprint

Moreover， all of them were subservient7）； Snow White and Cinderella never complained about the manual labor forced on them. They accepted their work graciously8）， never questioning it or doubting for a second that life would eventually get better through the arrival of their prince. That's all these princesses wanted out of life. They demurely9） waited for their lives to be saved by the arrival of love， even before they experienced magic. The only one to get involved in changing her own circumstances was Cinderella， but still she wished solely for love and a prince to take her out of her life of servitude10）， and she did it solely through her beauty.

公主向来都是迪士尼故事中非常重要的组成部分。大多数迪士尼影片取材于现有的童话、短篇小说和历史传说，王室和贵族常常是这类故事的中心人物。第一类迪士尼公主就完全符合公主的典型形象：美丽动人、姿态优雅、不胜娇羞、甜美可爱，拥有女性的娇柔。第一类迪士尼公主是善良、纯真和美丽的化身，而几乎没有别的什么了。最早的迪士尼公主——白雪公主、灰姑娘和睡美人——被人爱慕和遭人嫉恨完全就是因为她们的美貌，除此之外，我们只知道她们喜欢动物、爱唱歌。

而且，她们全都逆来顺受。白雪公主和灰姑娘从未抱怨过强加给她们的劳作。她们温顺地接受了这些劳务，从未对此质疑过，也从未有一刻怀疑过她们的王子的到来终会带她们走向美好的生活。这就是这类公主对于生活的全部所求。甚至在被施魔法之前，她们也只是静静地等待爱情的降临来拯救她们的生活。唯一参与改变自身境遇的公主就是灰姑娘，但她唯一祈盼的仍是爱情和一个能带她脱离苦海的王子，而她实现愿望的唯一凭借还是她的美貌。

Nearing the 1990's， the approach to the characterization of the princesses changed. The princesses now had ambitions and desires aside from finding true love： they had stronger personalities and stood up for what they believed in. They were still beautiful and desired for that beauty， but they wanted to be more than just beautiful： they wanted to be adventurous， knowledgeable， and， most of all， free of the lives they had always known.

Ariel wanted to walk with humans； Belle wanted to find adventure like those in her books； Jasmine wanted out of the palace and the possibility of an arranged marriage； and Pocahontas wanted to follow her own path. Romance wasn't exactly the primary concern for these princesses， but most of them did think about it at one point or another， and ultimately， they were only able to fulfill their wishes through loving a man： Ariel's wish to remain human depended entirely on Eric falling in love with her and kissing her； Jasmine discovered a whole new world only through Aladdin； Belle found her book-like adventure when she learned to love a beast； and Pocahontas' path was literally John Smith， and although they don't end up together， she fulfilled her destiny through her love for him.

临近90年代时，迪士尼公主的性格设定发生了变化。除了找到真爱，此时的公主们有了其他不同的志向和愿望：她们性格更为坚毅，坚决维护自己的信仰。她们依然美丽动人，也十分渴求这样的美貌，但她们不甘于仅仅做个美人儿：她们想变得有冒险精神，想变得博学多闻，更重要的是，她们想要摆脱自己已经熟知的人生。

爱丽儿（编注：出自《小美人鱼》）希望能和人类一起行走；贝儿（编注：出自《美女与野兽》）希望经历像书中那样精彩的冒险之旅；茉莉（编注：出自《阿拉丁》）想走出王宫，避开被包办婚姻的可能；宝嘉康蒂（编注：出自《风中奇缘》）想要走自己的人生道路。对这些公主而言，爱情并不是她们真正最关心的事，但她们中大多数人确确实实偶尔会憧憬爱情，而且最终她们也只能通过爱一个人来实现自己的愿望。爱丽儿继续做人类的愿望只有靠让埃里克爱上她并亲吻她才能实现；茉莉全靠阿拉丁才发现了一个全新的世界；当贝儿学会爱上一头野兽，她才找到了像书中一样精彩的奇遇；而宝嘉康蒂的人生之路其实就是约翰·史密斯，虽然他们最终没能在一起，但她却通过对他的爱完成了自己的使命。endprint

The third group comprises11） those princesses for whom love either came as a by-product12） of their pursuit of ambitions and desires， or those for whom love never took part in their stories at all. This is the most contemporary13） style of Disney Princess， and they are often （seemingly） normal women who take their futures into their own hands—kind， hardworking， and selfless， but with strong convictions14） and real flaws.

This movement started with Mulan in 1998， the only non-royal Disney Princess， and continued in other princesses like Tiana， Rapunzel， Merida， and the pair of sisters from Frozen， Anna and Elsa. Clumsy15） but brave Mulan， workaholic16） but kind Tiana， innocent but spirited Rapunzel， impetuous17） but strong-willed Merida， self-conscious18） but wise Elsa and na?ve but determined Anna， they are all Disney's most effective attempts at rounded， relatable， and strong but flawed princesses and heroines. Every single one of them embraced their virtues and imperfections and went on journeys to take hold of whatever they wanted： to protect a loved one， see the world， or save their own lives. Romantic love was a by-product of the alliance19） on a journey—not the focus or the destination， but a respite20） from it. For others it never happened， like Merida and Elsa， simply because they didn't need it to grow up and evolve in their stories.

The evolution of these princesses， their worth as heroines and even as possible feminist ideals， is measured by who they are， what defined them， what they fought for and what they contributed to their own stories， not who they loved. Jasmine was just as feisty21） as Merida， Belle just as stubborn as Tiana， Pocahontas as brave as Mulan. But in many cases， love was used as an excuse for the princesses' inactivity and lack of involvement in not only the pursuit of their own dreams， but also in the saving of their own lives. That's where the problem was， but Disney continues moving away from that issue， developing not just pure and beautiful princesses， but multi-faceted， strong， and flawed heroines.

Each of the princesses teaches something truly important to children： the first generation of princesses teaches about love and kindness； the second about ambition， self-discovery， and the pursuit of what we want； but the third generation teaches what is perhaps the most valuable lesson of all： you have flaws， weaknesses， and insecurities and you will make mistakes， but so does everyone， and that doesn't mean you're not strong， that you can't bravely take life head-on and pursue whatever you want. Flawed can still be beautiful， and that's just the type of princess the world needs right now.

第三类公主包含两种。一种公主是这样的：爱情于她们只是在实现志向和愿望的过程中附带发生的。另一种则是这样的：对于这些公主而言，她们的故事中根本从未有过爱情。这是最具现代范儿的一类迪士尼公主，她们往往（看上去）就像那些将未来掌握在自己手中的普通女性一样，善良、勤奋、无私，但有着坚定的信念和真实的缺点。

这一变化始于1998年的木兰（她是唯一的非王室出身的迪士尼公主），并在其他公主如蒂安娜（编注：出自《公主与青蛙》）、乐佩（编注：出自《长发公主》）、梅莉达以及《冰雪奇缘》中的安娜和艾莎姐妹身上得到了延续。笨拙却又勇敢的木兰、工作拼命却心地善良的蒂安娜、纯真无邪却活泼自信的乐佩、行事鲁莽却意志坚定的梅莉达、害羞却又睿智的艾莎以及天真而坚定的安娜，这些都是迪士尼在塑造形象丰满、性格坚强、能让人产生共鸣但却拥有缺点的公主和女主人公形象方面最见成效的尝试。她们每个人都接纳了自己的长处和不足，并踏上征途去实现自己心中所愿：保护自己爱的人，见识外面的世界，或是拯救自己的生命。浪漫爱情只是她们在征途上与盟友合作时的附带收获——既不是她们关注的重点，也不是她们追逐的目标，而是旅途中的一种调剂。而对另一些公主如梅莉达和艾莎来说，爱情从未降临，只因为在她们的故事里，她们并不需要通过爱情来实现成长和改变。

这些公主的演变以及她们作为故事女主角甚至是可能的女性典范的价值，是由她们自身、她们的特点、她们的奋斗目标和她们为自己的故事所做的贡献来衡量的，与她们爱谁无关。茉莉和梅莉达一样坚强独立，贝儿和蒂安娜一样性格倔强，宝嘉康蒂和木兰一样勇敢无畏。但很多时候，爱情被用作一个借口，让这些公主在追逐梦想和拯救自身性命的过程中表现得不那么主动且缺乏参与。这正是问题所在，但是迪士尼没有在此停留，他们塑造出的不只是纯洁美丽的公主，而且是一个个性格多面、坚强却也有缺点的女主角。

每一位迪士尼公主都能教给孩子们一些真正重要的东西。第一代公主教孩子们懂得爱和善良；第二代公主教他们树立志向、发现自我和追求梦想；但是第三代公主所教的或许是其中最有价值的一课：你有缺点，会软弱，不够自信，会犯错误，但每个人都是这样，而这并不意味着你就不坚强，你就不能勇敢地直面生活并追求心中所想。有缺点的人依然可以是美丽的，而这正是当今世界需要的那类公主。endprint