Like Belle

Beauty and the Beast came out when I was in Kindergarten.  I adored that movie.  Belle was so beautiful, adventurous, and brave.  She wanted to be smart, she didn’t like the guy all the other girls did, because she could tell he was a conceited, douchebag, and she even had brown hair like me! Belle made the greatest sacrifice she could for the person she loved most, she was kind to the beast who held her captive, she was feisty and stood her ground, and she became a beautiful light in a very dark place.

Belle was awesome and so I dressed up as her for Halloween. I was so excited to let my inner Princess Belle shine! When the day came for us to wear our costumes to school many of the other girls in my class had also dressed up as Belle.  However, my mom had made my Belle costume and they had all gotten theirs from a store.  On the playground a few of the other Belle’s made fun of my costume.  They informed me that I didn’t have the real costume, which meant I wasn’t the real Belle. I didn't cry or let them know that I was hurt. But I was broken hearted because I wasn't a princess.  

 

 

Flash forward to now.  It’s been 20 years since I showed up to school in that Belle costume and that encounter on the playground still sticks with me. I’ve gone through the past 20 years wanting to let my inner princess shine while being told by the world around me that I’m no princess at all.

I’m told I’m not beautiful enough, or brave enough.  I’m told I’m not smart enough or that adventure is for someone else.  Guys (not all of course) don’t treat me like I’m a valuable princess.  To so many I’m just a regular girl, easily tossed aside, easily ignored, easily replaced.  The world has spent the last 20 years trying to convince me that I’m wrong in believing I’m a princess and deserve to be treated like one.  And recently, I must admit,I have started to believe that I belong in the tower alone, and not in a ballgown with a crown on my head. But tonight, tonight I realize that’s ridiculous! I am a princess and I must remind myself of that!

Like Belle I am beautiful, adventurous and brave.  I desire to learn and grow.  I don’t want to settle for guys who don’t treat me like I’m a priority, who act as if I’m invaluable and replaceable. I want to make great sacrifices in the name of love and I want to show kindness to the beasts I encounter.  I want to be like Belle, a feisty  princess who knows what she deserves and knows what she is worth. A pricess not because I have the right dress, but because I am a light in the darkest of places.   

So starting now I’m going to pick myself up off the tower floor, I'm going to wipe the tears from my eyes and I'm going to lift up my head. I’m going to pick up my crown that the world has for 20 years been knocking off my head.  This time however, instead of just putting it on and waiting for it to be knocked off again I’m going to shine it up and I’m going to secure it to my head, it’s not coming off again.  I’m going to wear it proudly while I go on my adventures, and gain knowledge.  I’m going to show it off while I’m making sacrifices and when I encounter beasts.  I’m going to let it shine while I wait for the guy who recognizes that the dungeon is no place for me, that I’m supposed to be in a beautiful dress being swept across a dance floor. I am a princess and from now on the world is going to know it.