Friday, October 28

Wonder-Woman vs. Cinderella

We're modern women you and I.

We have careers to manage, or jobs to turn into careers. We love to surpass ourselves, act like wonder-woman and have everything under control. We are independent you see, a trait we learnt to develop and appreciate after all the hard work our grandmothers and great-grandmothers put in to get us that level of freedom. We want a man in our life but we don't need him.  I know how to work out the cables behind the TV and I know how to call a mechanic when my car's battery decide to suddenly die at the worst possible moment and I also know how to manage my paycheck at the end of the month and contrary to what men believe, not spend it all on shopping. We like to be sexy as opposed to sweet, powerful as opposed needy.

We know how to do it all -but we don't really want to. Because deep down, inside each one of us is a little girl that watched Disney movies growing up and dreamt of being Cinderella, the Little Mermaid, or Snow White. Princesses in a fairytale, with a charming prince by their side. Because even if you do know how to work out the cables behind the TV, it's so nice to pretend that you don't and let your man deal with it while you're cozy underneath your covers. We like that we're able to pay for our own meals and buy our own jewlery and spoil ourselves, but we also enjoy it when men spoil us.

We try to live in this modern world that expects of us to be self sufficient but we also have this innate desire to be taken care of.


And it translates into the type of men we're attracted to. I think it's all Disney's fault. That's who I'm blaming it on anyway. Girls have high expectations because we grew up watching Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. They make it seem like princes are running around every corner. Take the Little Mermaid, who gets out of the water once, just once: the first guy she meets on dry land is a prince. Even in Beauty and The Beast, the freakin beast is a prince. And the girls who grew up on those Disneys end up looking for their own version of Prince Charming. The guy who is from a good family, who has enough money to ensure we can live comfortably but also take those five trips a year and go shopping every Saturday. A guy who is attentive but not clingy, tender but courageous, romantic but not cheesy.

And then there are the girls who are even more screwed up. The ones whose favorites cartoons were Robin Hood, Aladdin and Lady and the Tramp. Those who want the prince to come in the form of a street stud. Now the guy we dream about is not really from a good family, but he has made it despite everything and he did it all by himself. He doesn't have any money but when you're with him he makes you feel like you don't ever need anything  --and he would move heaven and earth to get you whatever you want.

Some girls want to be escorted in Limousines, dine in the best restaurants, vacation in Cannes and have their own Yacht. And some girls want to get lost backpacking through Europe, end up on an island living in tents for a month, having him catch a fish to fry for dinner. 

Other girls (God help us) --well, we want both.

4 comments:

  1. Wonder-woman say you? Far from it.
    All I could read was how maudlin, lazy and needy the modern women - according to your description - are.
    And I certainly hope you're wrong.

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  2. It's weird that that's what you read because it's the opposite of what I mean. Language barriers maybe.
    And if I did say that modern women are maudlin and lazy and needy then I certainly hope I'm wrong too.

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  3. Hey Yasmina!
    Yeah it’s me, The Prince. It’s been a while!
    Sorry for not giving any news lately, but I’ve been busy fighting Dragons and witches… Don’t worry; Zazu, my faithful messenger, did deliver all your passionate letters, but I feel, and really believe that you don’t believe in me anymore.
    See, it’s been seven years that I’m wandering, fighting my way through haunted castles, battling devils and killing tyrants; but everytime I get to the princess, while administering the wake up kiss, she freaks out and calls me a creep… Whenever all I need is a dance before midnight and love forever after, she won’t be that much into me. I kinda understand her, I mean, would you accept a Prince, out of nowhere, on a big white horse?
    Let me tell you about myself. I’m not a cheesy romantic prince. In fact, I’m a self-made prince; I didn’t always possess this mighty sword and my shiny shield. I actually grew up in a bazaar, a street rat I was. On my way to “princehood”, I met Jasmine (see you’re not the only Jasmine I know!), hooked up with Jane – yeah I had to fight Tarzan off - and I even saved Mowgli from Sheri khan’s claws! I have lived and been through a lot to write these words to you.
    One thing Walt taught me is that the Prince won’t appear unless you get stunned by a needle, he won’t kiss you unless you eat this apple, you won’t live happily forever after unless you’re ill-treated by some awful stepmom.
    That’s Disney’s way…
    But is it the truth?
    My battling years taught me that all we really need is a ship and a guiding star. Find yours. Cry for it, sail towards it. And you will bump into your prince sailing for this star too. You might even share a moment in the blue, look in the same direction, discover treasures and fight pirates before sinking into eternity.
    I believe that if you want have something to achieve with “someone”, this “someone” will appear. Just like us, princes. The mermaid wanted to discover life out of the ocean, come along the Prince. Belle willingly went to the Beast's castle only to find the love of her life. I believe that if you set yourself a goal you will find your match.
    Sometimes I feel the whole forever after is overrated… Even the sun is not eternal. The moon, which I cry for when I miss my Lady, is slippin away day after day but yet again there’s hope, and we’re all searching for truth.
    Keep on searching.
    Good luck princess,
    With Love
    A Prince

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  4. Thank you prince. You made my day. My month actually :)

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