She swam and she swam but to no avail, she'd never be a princess with a beautiful tail.

I am one of four girls in my family. Until my sister Rachel grew up and discovered Marvel and DC comics, all we watched of animated cartoons were Disney films. My sister Sarah was Sleeping Beauty, Diana was Cinderella until Belle came along, Rachel was also a Belle but more Mulan. When The Little Mermaid came out I was in 1st grade and I wanted to be Ariel! Everything about her world made me want to be "a part of her world." Her hair was long and flowing, she sang like an angel, her friends (fishes or not) were loyal, her prince was tall, dark, and handsome, and she could swim!

My family is made of swimmers. My father is an amazingly talented and well-known coach in the world of USA Swimming, my Uncle Robby was a gifted college athlete, and at the time The Little Mermaid came out my sister Sarah was beginning her club swimming career. I couldn't swim, and though I wanted to fit in with the rest of my family, my fear of drowning stopped me from learning. To feel better I would watch The Little Mermaid and imagine it was me zooming around tirelessly "under the sea." I was an outsider in my family because I couldn't swim, and Ariel was an outsider in her family for wanting to walk.

There came a point in my life where rather then Ariel I became more like Jasmine. Strong-willed and determined, in third grade I taught myself how to swim. I swam through the rest of elementary school and high school and despite having a lot of fun and good technique, I never had a talent for swimming fast like Ariel, Sarah, or Uncle Robby could. By senior year in high school however, I knew the difference between fantasy and reality, and although it would be wonderful if life were like a movie, there came a point when I knew how unrealistic the women in Disney's films are (although they have admirable qualities) and rather then hoping for their world to become mine, I accepted it as fantastic and magical. I grew up, I still fit in with my family, and I found my niche in coaching.

What Susan Douglas says about the women of power in Disney films and how their portrayal at the time may of discouraged women from seeking such power makes some sense, but I honestly cannot think of one woman that would watch those movies with such an analytical eye. I don't think any female now, or at the time, who is determined enough would stop pursuing her goals because the wicked witch with the apple goes from glam to hag at the height of her power. In today's world we see on shows like Dr. 90210 that if we do go hag there is a way to reverse it, so why even worry?

I don't want to close on a negative note- considering that Disney cartoons end with "happily ever after." Once I quit swimming competitively (bye bye Ariel) and gave in to the "power of love" to be a giddy girl with a boy (later Jasmine!) I saw an ad in the paper for a Halloween "prince" (Cornbelly's Corn Maze) in search of his Pumpkin Princess. What luck! Halloween is my favorite holiday, nobody appreciates a pumpkin better then I do, so I pursued my princess dream and the rest is history. . .