小的時候，每個女孩心中都有一個灰姑娘夢，希望有一天，能有一位英俊的王子騎著白馬路過，相互一見傾心，從此與王子過上幸福的生活。

長大以后，才發(fā)現(xiàn)這不過是童話中才有的美事。王子不是最終的目標，愛情不是生活的全部，堅強獨立、追求自我、實現(xiàn)心中理想才是現(xiàn)代女性面對生活應有的態(tài)度。

君不見，從《白雪公主與七個小矮人》中沒有王子就注定悲苦的白雪公主，到《冰雪奇緣》中用自己的勇敢堅毅意外收獲真愛的安娜公主，這些迪士尼公主的形象都隨著時代的變遷發(fā)生了改變。

Much like almost every other kid growing up in an Americanized culture during the 1990's， my first cartoons were Disney animated movies. There's much to love in Disney films： the beautiful animation， the exciting adventures and wondrous1） magic， the uplifting2） and catchy3） songs， the thoughtful lessons the stories brought—even if we couldn't understand them entirely back then， the happy endings with the triumph of love and truth over evil， and， perhaps the most important， the characters. Like many other girls and boys in the world， some of these characters became my heroes， particularly the group of characters that in 2000 became known as the Disney Princess.

Now more than ever， the cultural importance and the social influence of these Disney Princesses is at its strongest—and Disney is aware of it， which is perhaps why these characters have evolved so much from the conception of the first Princess， Snow White in 1937， to what we've witnessed in recent ones like Mulan （1998）， Merida （2012）， and Anna and her sister Elsa （2013）.

For me， there's a clear line dividing these princesses into three groups， marking them as the products of their generations and the cultural values of that time， and they all have to do with romantic love， how it defined these characters and the role it plays in their stories.

同20世紀90年代在美式文化中長大的幾乎其他所有孩子相似，我最早看的動畫片也是迪士尼的動畫電影。迪士尼的影片有許多令人喜愛的地方：制作精美的動畫、激動人心的冒險和令人驚嘆的魔法、令人振奮又朗朗上口的歌曲、故事帶來的富含哲思的教益（盡管我們在當時并不能完全領(lǐng)會）、愛和真理戰(zhàn)勝邪惡的大團圓結(jié)局，以及片中的角色（這也許是最重要的一點）。與世界上許多其他男孩和女孩一樣，其中的一些角色成了我的偶像，特別是那些在2000年開始被稱作迪士尼公主的角色。

如今，這些迪士尼公主在文化上的重要性及其對社會的影響比以往任何時候都更為突出。迪士尼公司也意識到了這一點，或許正是由于這個原因，從1937年誕生的第一位迪士尼公主白雪公主到我們近年來所看到的木蘭（1998年）、梅莉達（2012年） （編注：出自《勇敢》）、安娜和她的姐姐艾莎 （2013年） （編注：出自《冰雪奇緣》），這些迪士尼公主的設定都發(fā)生了很大的變化。

在我看來，有一條清晰的界線將這些公主分為三類，每一類都是各自時代與當時的文化價值觀的產(chǎn)物，而這些公主都要面對浪漫愛情、愛情對這些人物的界定以及愛情在她們的故事中所起到的作用。

Princesses have always been a very important part of Disney's storytelling. Most Disney movies are based on already-existing fairy tales， short stories， and historical myths， and royalty and nobility always takes the spotlight in these stories. The first category of Disney Princesses fits perfectly into the princess archetype4）： gorgeous5）， graceful， feminine， coy6）， and sweet. The first type of Disney Princess is kindness， innocence， and beauty personified—and not much else. The earliest Disney Princesses—Snow White， Cinderella， and Sleeping Beauty—were loved and hated exclusively because of their beauty， and aside from that the only thing we know is that they loved animals and liked to sing.

Moreover， all of them were subservient7）； Snow White and Cinderella never complained about the manual labor forced on them. They accepted their work graciously8）， never questioning it or doubting for a second that life would eventually get better through the arrival of their prince. That's all these princesses wanted out of life. They demurely9） waited for their lives to be saved by the arrival of love， even before they experienced magic. The only one to get involved in changing her own circumstances was Cinderella， but still she wished solely for love and a prince to take her out of her life of servitude10）， and she did it solely through her beauty.

公主向來都是迪士尼故事中非常重要的組成部分。大多數(shù)迪士尼影片取材于現(xiàn)有的童話、短篇小說和歷史傳說，王室和貴族常常是這類故事的中心人物。第一類迪士尼公主就完全符合公主的典型形象：美麗動人、姿態(tài)優(yōu)雅、不勝嬌羞、甜美可愛，擁有女性的嬌柔。第一類迪士尼公主是善良、純真和美麗的化身，而幾乎沒有別的什么了。最早的迪士尼公主——白雪公主、灰姑娘和睡美人——被人愛慕和遭人嫉恨完全就是因為她們的美貌，除此之外，我們只知道她們喜歡動物、愛唱歌。

而且，她們?nèi)寄鎭眄樖堋０籽┕骱突夜媚飶奈幢г惯^強加給她們的勞作。她們溫順地接受了這些勞務，從未對此質(zhì)疑過，也從未有一刻懷疑過她們的王子的到來終會帶她們走向美好的生活。這就是這類公主對于生活的全部所求。甚至在被施魔法之前，她們也只是靜靜地等待愛情的降臨來拯救她們的生活。唯一參與改變自身境遇的公主就是灰姑娘，但她唯一祈盼的仍是愛情和一個能帶她脫離苦海的王子，而她實現(xiàn)愿望的唯一憑借還是她的美貌。

Nearing the 1990's， the approach to the characterization of the princesses changed. The princesses now had ambitions and desires aside from finding true love： they had stronger personalities and stood up for what they believed in. They were still beautiful and desired for that beauty， but they wanted to be more than just beautiful： they wanted to be adventurous， knowledgeable， and， most of all， free of the lives they had always known.

Ariel wanted to walk with humans； Belle wanted to find adventure like those in her books； Jasmine wanted out of the palace and the possibility of an arranged marriage； and Pocahontas wanted to follow her own path. Romance wasn't exactly the primary concern for these princesses， but most of them did think about it at one point or another， and ultimately， they were only able to fulfill their wishes through loving a man： Ariel's wish to remain human depended entirely on Eric falling in love with her and kissing her； Jasmine discovered a whole new world only through Aladdin； Belle found her book-like adventure when she learned to love a beast； and Pocahontas' path was literally John Smith， and although they don't end up together， she fulfilled her destiny through her love for him.

臨近90年代時，迪士尼公主的性格設定發(fā)生了變化。除了找到真愛，此時的公主們有了其他不同的志向和愿望：她們性格更為堅毅，堅決維護自己的信仰。她們依然美麗動人，也十分渴求這樣的美貌，但她們不甘于僅僅做個美人兒：她們想變得有冒險精神，想變得博學多聞，更重要的是，她們想要擺脫自己已經(jīng)熟知的人生。

愛麗兒（編注：出自《小美人魚》）希望能和人類一起行走；貝兒（編注：出自《美女與野獸》）希望經(jīng)歷像書中那樣精彩的冒險之旅；茉莉（編注：出自《阿拉丁》）想走出王宮，避開被包辦婚姻的可能；寶嘉康蒂（編注：出自《風中奇緣》）想要走自己的人生道路。對這些公主而言，愛情并不是她們真正最關(guān)心的事，但她們中大多數(shù)人確確實實偶爾會憧憬愛情，而且最終她們也只能通過愛一個人來實現(xiàn)自己的愿望。愛麗兒繼續(xù)做人類的愿望只有靠讓埃里克愛上她并親吻她才能實現(xiàn)；茉莉全靠阿拉丁才發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個全新的世界；當貝兒學會愛上一頭野獸，她才找到了像書中一樣精彩的奇遇；而寶嘉康蒂的人生之路其實就是約翰·史密斯，雖然他們最終沒能在一起，但她卻通過對他的愛完成了自己的使命。

The third group comprises11） those princesses for whom love either came as a by-product12） of their pursuit of ambitions and desires， or those for whom love never took part in their stories at all. This is the most contemporary13） style of Disney Princess， and they are often （seemingly） normal women who take their futures into their own hands—kind， hardworking， and selfless， but with strong convictions14） and real flaws.

This movement started with Mulan in 1998， the only non-royal Disney Princess， and continued in other princesses like Tiana， Rapunzel， Merida， and the pair of sisters from Frozen， Anna and Elsa. Clumsy15） but brave Mulan， workaholic16） but kind Tiana， innocent but spirited Rapunzel， impetuous17） but strong-willed Merida， self-conscious18） but wise Elsa and na?ve but determined Anna， they are all Disney's most effective attempts at rounded， relatable， and strong but flawed princesses and heroines. Every single one of them embraced their virtues and imperfections and went on journeys to take hold of whatever they wanted： to protect a loved one， see the world， or save their own lives. Romantic love was a by-product of the alliance19） on a journey—not the focus or the destination， but a respite20） from it. For others it never happened， like Merida and Elsa， simply because they didn't need it to grow up and evolve in their stories.

The evolution of these princesses， their worth as heroines and even as possible feminist ideals， is measured by who they are， what defined them， what they fought for and what they contributed to their own stories， not who they loved. Jasmine was just as feisty21） as Merida， Belle just as stubborn as Tiana， Pocahontas as brave as Mulan. But in many cases， love was used as an excuse for the princesses' inactivity and lack of involvement in not only the pursuit of their own dreams， but also in the saving of their own lives. That's where the problem was， but Disney continues moving away from that issue， developing not just pure and beautiful princesses， but multi-faceted， strong， and flawed heroines.

Each of the princesses teaches something truly important to children： the first generation of princesses teaches about love and kindness； the second about ambition， self-discovery， and the pursuit of what we want； but the third generation teaches what is perhaps the most valuable lesson of all： you have flaws， weaknesses， and insecurities and you will make mistakes， but so does everyone， and that doesn't mean you're not strong， that you can't bravely take life head-on and pursue whatever you want. Flawed can still be beautiful， and that's just the type of princess the world needs right now.

第三類公主包含兩種。一種公主是這樣的：愛情于她們只是在實現(xiàn)志向和愿望的過程中附帶發(fā)生的。另一種則是這樣的：對于這些公主而言，她們的故事中根本從未有過愛情。這是最具現(xiàn)代范兒的一類迪士尼公主，她們往往（看上去）就像那些將未來掌握在自己手中的普通女性一樣，善良、勤奮、無私，但有著堅定的信念和真實的缺點。

這一變化始于1998年的木蘭（她是唯一的非王室出身的迪士尼公主），并在其他公主如蒂安娜（編注：出自《公主與青蛙》）、樂佩（編注：出自《長發(fā)公主》）、梅莉達以及《冰雪奇緣》中的安娜和艾莎姐妹身上得到了延續(xù)。笨拙卻又勇敢的木蘭、工作拼命卻心地善良的蒂安娜、純真無邪卻活潑自信的樂佩、行事魯莽卻意志堅定的梅莉達、害羞卻又睿智的艾莎以及天真而堅定的安娜，這些都是迪士尼在塑造形象豐滿、性格堅強、能讓人產(chǎn)生共鳴但卻擁有缺點的公主和女主人公形象方面最見成效的嘗試。她們每個人都接納了自己的長處和不足，并踏上征途去實現(xiàn)自己心中所愿：保護自己愛的人，見識外面的世界，或是拯救自己的生命。浪漫愛情只是她們在征途上與盟友合作時的附帶收獲——既不是她們關(guān)注的重點，也不是她們追逐的目標，而是旅途中的一種調(diào)劑。而對另一些公主如梅莉達和艾莎來說，愛情從未降臨，只因為在她們的故事里，她們并不需要通過愛情來實現(xiàn)成長和改變。

這些公主的演變以及她們作為故事女主角甚至是可能的女性典范的價值，是由她們自身、她們的特點、她們的奮斗目標和她們?yōu)樽约旱墓适滤龅呢暙I來衡量的，與她們愛誰無關(guān)。茉莉和梅莉達一樣堅強獨立，貝兒和蒂安娜一樣性格倔強，寶嘉康蒂和木蘭一樣勇敢無畏。但很多時候，愛情被用作一個借口，讓這些公主在追逐夢想和拯救自身性命的過程中表現(xiàn)得不那么主動且缺乏參與。這正是問題所在，但是迪士尼沒有在此停留，他們塑造出的不只是純潔美麗的公主，而且是一個個性格多面、堅強卻也有缺點的女主角。

每一位迪士尼公主都能教給孩子們一些真正重要的東西。第一代公主教孩子們懂得愛和善良；第二代公主教他們樹立志向、發(fā)現(xiàn)自我和追求夢想；但是第三代公主所教的或許是其中最有價值的一課：你有缺點，會軟弱，不夠自信，會犯錯誤，但每個人都是這樣，而這并不意味著你就不堅強，你就不能勇敢地直面生活并追求心中所想。有缺點的人依然可以是美麗的，而這正是當今世界需要的那類公主。