9 Times Disney Princesses Were Actually The Villain

In recent years the Disney Princesses have become problematic symbols of sexism, clashing with modern sensibilities and falling out of favor as role models for impressionable young minds. Putting aside the more blatant issues of their unrealistic bodies and damsel-in-distress tendencies, there are other traits the princesses exhibit that should give Disney fans pause.

Whether it’s Aurora’s complete lack of situational awareness, or Ariel’s egotistical antics, the princesses make choices that time after time put not only themselves in danger, but their entire communities. On the verge of their kingdoms being cursed or their family being killed, a Disney princess will without fail make the one decision that results in utter catastrophe, and become the villain no one saw coming.

10 Snow White Trespassing On Private Property

Disney’s first princess, Snow White, may seem a bit naive on the surface, but there’s something insidious beneath her doe-eyed innocence that goes beyond not being able to deduce the Evil Queen’s agenda.

After Snow is released by the compassionate Huntsman, she flees into the woods and promptly trespasses on private property. Sure, the dwarves’ cottage is a little messy, but that’s no reason to assume no one lives in it. She just decides to move right in, sleep in their beds, and dictate house rules just because they forget to wash up for dinner.

9 Belle Thinking She’s Better Than Everyone Around Her

In Beauty and the Beast, Belle certainly shows herself to be courageous, resourceful, and compassionate in her dealings with The Beast. While a lot of her ability to make the best out of a bad situation is the direct result of her intelligence and self-education, it’s also used to spite anyone she considers beneath her.

Belle perceived herself to be an outsider because everyone around her wasn’t enamored with the same intellectual pursuits, but she never participated in her community. She all but oozed, “I’d let you borrow my book but you wouldn’t get it”, so could she really expect the townspeople to take her side over Gaston, a provider and protector of the village, when she wanted them to suddenly be understanding of The Beast?

8 Merida Getting Her Mother Cursed

Merida may be a spunky, courageous princess, but she’s also childish and careless, and because of her negligence she gets her mother turned into a bear. Had she been paying more attention or minding her parents, her family wouldn’t have had to struggle under the shame and danger of the curse.

As resourceful as Merida can be, everyone has to help her when her self-centered escapades go too far. Eventually, she learns from her mistakes and tries to use them to grow as a person, but much of the damage has already been done.

7 Ariel Putting The Mer People In Danger When She Didn’t Get Her Way

Ursula is touted as the major villain in The Little Mermaid for wanting more power, but from a different perspective, she was just a woman who wanted to give the merpeople a different brand of leadership, only to be ousted by a threatened King Triton and left to waste away as an outsider.

The heroine Ariel, unconcerned with how her actions would affect not just her family, but the entire mercommunity, put them all in danger to be with a man she’d never spoken to. Her father tried to intervene, but her selfishness and entitlement jeopardized lives, and she was somehow forgiven thanks to her compassionate family being understanding of the impulsiveness of teenagers.

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5 Jasmine Reinforcing The Patriarchy

In real 12th century Baghdad, the urban inspiration for the fictitious city of Agrabah Disney created for Aladdin, Jasmine may not have had many rights even as a princess. However the animated film blatantly conveys her father is little more than a pushover, and she lives a life of luxurious privilege, making her desperate escape from the palace seem entitled.

When she can’t enact any change for the social unrest on the streets of Agrabah, where citizens like Aladdin steal to survive, she gives up and returns to her life in the palace. She complains daily about her gilded cage and that men shouldn’t try to “win” her, but then promptly uses her feminine wiles to her advantage to ensnare Jafar, and then waits for Aladdin to come to her rescue.

4 Aurora Trusting Some Strange Guy In The Woods

Some fans might argue that because of their betrothal since birth, Prince Phillip wasn’t really a “stranger” to Aurora when she met him in the woods. However, they weren’t aware of each other’s true identities, which made it all the worse when Aurora invited the equivalent of “some guy in the woods” to the miller’s cottage, placing her roommates -the three faeries- in considerable stranger danger!

She invited someone in who might as well have been an agent of Maleficent, because the Mistress of All Evil certainly used him to track Aurora’s whereabouts and make sure her curse was enacted. Aurora was sheltered and protected for a reason, but she completely disregarded her family’s warnings because she couldn’t wait one more year to hook up with a prince.

3 Anna Cursing Her Entire Kingdom

Frozen is a film about the indelible bonds of sisterhood, friendship, and being true to one’s self. The themes come about the hard way, however, when viewers see how petulant Anna is regarding her sister Elsa’s standoffish behavior. Elsa doesn’t want Anna to marry Prince Hans too quickly, and while she doesn’t realize how callous her words are perceived by her little sister, she’s only being protective.

Anna steals one of Elsa’s special gloves, and accuses her of intruding on her life while simultaneously pushing her away. In essence, she mocks what can really be perceived as her sister’s chronic physical illness, and then acts victimized when Elsa snaps, blanketing Arendelle in eternal winter.

2 Mulan Bringing Dishonor On Her Family

Mulan is often hailed as one of the most empowering Disney princesses to date, breaking the mold of the typical princess and casting aside the damsel in distress trope in favor of something more realistic. But as brave as she was in Mulan, taking her father’s place in the Emperor’s army, things could have just as easily gone very wrong.

Had Mulan’s true gender identity been discovered by anyone other than Shang, she would have been put to death. Her recklessness could very likely have gotten soldiers killed, to say nothing of the dishonor her mission brought her family. Had it not been for her incredible luck (shout out to Mushu!), her choices would have been disastrous.

1 Cinderella Being Ungrateful

To most fans, Cinderella is an inspiring figure; a young girl who despite her tragic childhood and depressing living situation, remains perpetually optimistic. To her roommates Lady Tremaine and her daughters, however, she’s a scrounge and an uncomfortable reminder of their dire circumstances.

Consider that after Cinderella’s father died, Lady Tremaine took her in and raised her, despite the fact that it meant having another daughter who needed to be married off at a time when women didn’t have many rights going for them. Cinderella has First World Problems if she’s complaining to mice about having to wash dishes, especially since she could have been put in the poor house.

About The Author

Kayleena Pierce-Bohen
(1343 Articles Published)

Kayleena has been raised on Star Wars and Indiana Jones from the crib. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she’s particularly proud of. When she isn’t writing for ScreenRant, CBR, or The Gamer, she’s working on her fiction novel, lifting weights, going to synthwave concerts, or cosplaying. With degrees in anthropology and archaeology, she plans to continue pretending to be Lara Croft as long as she can.

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