Occasionally, the stunning Esmeralda from the Hunchback of Notre Dame and gorgeous Megara from Hercules get thrown into the Disney princess pictures with all the classical fairytale princesses, but as we all know, they are not actually considered Disney princesses. Esmeralda however beautiful, kind and charming is a young gypsy on the streets of Paris. She is betrothed to no one and doesn’t have a palace. Megara has no connections with royalty either. She is a ‘damsel in distress,’ an ordinary maiden in a town full of problems awaiting a true hero. So why are these gutsy beauties sometimes thrown in with the rest of the princesses? And more to the point, why are they not actually considered real princesses? Lets start with Esmeralda.
Up until 2005 Esmeralda was actually part of the Disney princess franchise, but her products were discontinued for a number of in-concrete reasons. Its obvious from the start of the film, that she is not the star character, merely a young Romani dancing in the streets, glared down upon by the public because of her gypsy heritage, but her valor and independence is very noticeable throughout the film, she serves no one but herself, she falls for no one's trickery and stands up to what she believes in; justice and equality (easy there, she’s only a cartoon). She stands up for Quasimodo as he is terrorized at the festival of fools, helps Phoebus, (although they get off on the strong start) when he is injured and stands up to the evil Frollo even when she is about to lose her life. Furthermore, her song to the Lord, ‘God help the outcasts’ in the picturesque Notre Dame where she acknowledges her place in society, but prays to God to ‘help the outcasts’ for we are all ‘children of God’ highlights her compassionate nature and deep understanding of social segregation and the injustices of social class distinction. Her words ‘I ask for nothing, I can get by, but I know so many less lucky than I’ adds somewhat of a saintly attribute to her character, she is not only beautiful, she is a real lady, a real human, and thus a real sovereign, a beacon of generosity, morality and love. Still not a princess? Think again.
And then we have the gorgeous Megara, whose friends call her Meg, (‘at least they would if she had any friends’), the girl who claims that ‘no man is worth the aggravation’ and that ‘people do crazy things when they are in love’ (both true) and also shows a sense of independence. Like Esmeralda, she is isolated from the majority of society and is also incredibly vulnerable. Due to past heartaches she joins the evil Hades in his plan to tear down wonder boy, Hercules. Consumed by her fear of being lost and alone she makes mistakes, but nobly picks herself back up, owning up to her wrongdoings and prompting the stubborn Phil, to save Hercules’ life towards the end of the film. So although she is portrayed as somewhat defenseless, she isn’t perfect, but comes out a true woman winning the heart of the film’s hero. Sassy yet classy, Meg also constitutes a princess role model as she demonstrates that no one is perfect and all young girls can learn from their mistakes and go with their heart. We can all fall for the wrong company due to internal conflict, but we can come out stronger and ever more beautiful.
So there we have it, two incredibly beautiful and strong young heroines set out to better themselves, as we all should in all ways possible. Despite their un-royal legacies, they both serve as an inspiration to young female watchers and if a princess is a reflection of inner style, vulnerability, beauty and morality then these girls are princesses at heart. I will definitely be dressing up as one of them at the next Disney princess party!
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| Esmeralda from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame |
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| Megara from Disney's Hercules |
By Tasneem Mahmoud
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