Following the first women's rights convention in 1848, feminist leaders, like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, started the nationwide push for women's suffrage in the United States. In 1920,

more than 70 years later, women were finally granted the legal right to vote. 

Walt Disney released 'Snow White' at a time when women were, essentially, viewed as second-class citizens—born to be man's inferior. And while the film doesn't explicitly portray Snow White in

this sort of light (she IS a princess, after all), this societal POV is easy to see. 

For example, the foundation of the entire film lies on the basis that

Snow White must run away because she's "the fairest of them all", placing special importance on women's beauty. Additionally, after she does run away, nearly being murdered by the Queen's

Huntsman, she arrives at a house inhabited by seven tiny men, and what's her first thought? To clean, of course. 

A third example, which showcases anti-feminist tendencies, is the fact that Snow White is forced to be saved by the Prince (who doesn't utter a word for the duration of

the movie, btw). She just lies in a glass coffin, another nod at her beauty, waiting for her "Prince to come" and kiss her. Not exactly the portrait of a

strong woman.  

Meanwhile, in history, Frances Perkins, "FDR’s Secretary of Labor and the first woman to serve as a cabinet secretary" was advocating for women's right to a working

wage without regard to sex. Her work on the Fair Labor Standards Act established this foundation for women.

When compared to Snow White, Cinderella is seemingly more feminist in her own mindset, but her story is not. A servant in her own home, Cinderella has to "Make the

fire! Fix the breakfast! Wash the dishes! Do the mopping!" All of the great things expected of women in the 1950s (sensing our sarcasm?). 

A side note, if you will, we

find it odd that, both Snow White and Cinderella are being held down by older women, a theme that shows up in most of the other Princess films. What's up

with that, Disney? There's some woman-on-woman crime here.

Again with the Prince. Clearly, scriptwriters decided the only way Cinderella could escape her subservient life was to meet and marry a man. So, with the help of her Fairy

Godmother, Cinderella gets glammed up for the big ball, another nod to the importance of beauty. However, not much good it did the poor girl, considering the Prince couldn't remember

what she even looked like and only find her after having every other maiden in the land try on her shoe. 

Of all the Disney Princess films, 'Sleeping Beauty' is the most anti-feminist. To start, during the film's opening, the three good fairies—Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather—each bestow a gift on the

newborn Aurora. Remember what the gifts were? The first was beauty, the second was song, and the third? Well, Maleficent arrived before Merryweather could grant her ACTUAL wish for the child,

but we imagine it'd have been something along the lines of professional mopping powers.

Secondly, with anti-feminism at the film's core, it's no surprise that Aurora immediately falls for the first handsome face she sees in a deserted wood. This is necessary to the

plot, of course, considering Prince Phillip will have to face certain death in order to rescue her. 

Then, while Aurora is, well, sleeping (obviously, since that's what all Princesses do, apparently), Phil is forced to escape Maleficent's dungeon and then slay her alter-ego dragon just to climb

a tower to lay a smooch on Aurora.

Lastly, after getting a real workout in climbing all those stairs (we imagine he didn't even break a sweat, since the film must've been written by a man), Prince Phillip

awakens Aurora with true love's kiss. Without even saying thank you, Aurora hops out of bed and the two are hitched later that evening. If that doesn't scream anti-feminist, then

we don't know what does. 

In the real world, though, Women's Rights Activists weren't busy sleeping. Instead, they were lobbying against wage disparity. Their hard work paid off in 1963, when Former President John F.

Kennedy signed The Equal Pay Act, which promised equitable wages—another win for women in the workforce. 

In this specific case against Connecticut state law, the Supreme Court ruled that married couples should be permitted access to contraception, if they so desired.

In a landmark case, the Supreme Court ruled to make abortions legal. The court's decision is still the subject of debate today, forcing most Americans to

choose between pro-life and pro-choice mindsets.

In 1980, Republican Paula Hawkins was elected to the U.S. Senate from Florida. The remarkable thing? She did it on her own, meaning neither her father, nor her

husband, preceded her in politics.

In 1981, Former President Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She served for 25 years. 

In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. Additionally, she's the youngest American to have made the trip, at 32. 

Thirty years following "Sleeping Beauty," Disney released "The Little Mermaid." And while the film giant still managed to slip in some anti-feminist plot lines, Ariel is the first leading lady to

display some truly feminist tendencies. For example, she's adventurous, doesn't back down from her narrow-minded father, and certainly isn't a passive gal, like her idle predecessor Aurora, who just slept

for half of the film. 

It's clear that Ariel wanted to be "Part of [the human] World" long before she rescued Prince Eric and fell in love with him and his shaggy pup. 

So, here's our

big beef with "The Little Mermaid"—Ariel gives up her voice (her talent) just so she can meet a guy who doesn't even know she exists. Who does that?! Not to

mention, the villainous Ursula tells Ariel that it's totally fine she can't talk cause she'll have her "pretty face." Oh, Ursula also mentioned not to underestimate the "importance of body

language." In that very instance, Ursula sounded just like a dude.

Lastly, no surprise here, Ariel and Eric get hitched. Ariel gives up everything she's ever known—her life under the sea, her father, her six sisters, and Flounder—for Eric. The least the

guy could do is buy her a proper hair brush so she's not using a dinglehopper for her royal hairdos. 

Belle is, perhaps, the first clearly defined Feminist Princess. She's adventurous, forward-thinking, and inventive. She straight-up rejects the most eligible bachelor in town, whom we are pretty sure Snow White

and Aurora would have said "yes" to without question. Plus, girl's got beauty and brains—and we've gotta say, the Princesses before her just weren't very smart. That being said, it kinda

annoys us that everyone in her "provincial" French town considers her "odd" for being intelligent. Not cool, Disney. 

In regards to beauty, the film doesn't explicitly focus on outward appearance in

the way it puts special emphasis on inner beauty. Cool, Disney.

HOWEVER, her name literally means "beauty". So, there's still that going on.

In comparison to the princesses before her, Belle proves her feministic qualities by way of her actions. Rather than waiting around to be saved, Belle's the one doing the rescuing

(literally: her father; metaphorically: Beast). Then, she showcases her inner-strength by selflessly agreeing to remain at the castle so long as Beast allows her father to go free.

Not to mention, dealing with the Beast, who's constantly yelling stupid s*it, has gotta be hard. Only a strong-willed woman could send it right back. All the anti-feminist princesses would

be collapsed across their beds crying for the entire film.

However, while Belle remains the closest thing to a feminist female in regards to Disney animated films at the time, she totally slips up at the end. Once again, scriptwriters

pulled the old "happily-ever-after" trope and she makes out with a dude before even knowing his real name.

In 1992, U.S. attorney Anita Hill became a figurehead for women after openly accusing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas (who was, at the time, her boss) of sexual harassment. Afterward,

target="_blank">dozens of women were elected to government offices in Congress and the House of Representatives.

Despite the fact that Jasmine is somewhat secondary to the film's namesake, Aladdin, she's one leading lady to be reckoned with. Not only does she make it clear she's "not

a prize to be won," but she refuses to agree to her father's pleas for an arranged marriage. By the end of the film, she convinces him (the Sultan) to

abolish the law, giving her the freedom to marry whomever she pleases.  

There at the end, though ... why did Jafar have to magically trap Jasmine in an hourglass only for Aladdin to free her? C'mon, Disney peeps.

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was instrumental in the 1993 court case of Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc. The Supreme Court ruled that a woman doesn't have to

show she received physical or emotional harm as a victim of sexual harassment. 

Signed by Former President Bill Clinton in 1994, the Violence Against Women Act offers funding to services and organizations that help victims of rape and domestic abuse.  

As far as we're concerned, Pocahontas is our feminist hero! Disney got everything right with this 1995 animated flick (even if the details weren't exactly historically accurate). Pocahontas is confident,

open-minded, a humanitarian, and Earth-friendly. 

Once again, Pocahontas was faced with the classic Disney Princess problem—marriage. But she followed her heart, and rather than marry Kocoum, decided to sit under Grandmother Willow's shade and snack

on John Smith's biscuits (no pun intended).

And let's not forget that Pocahontas singlehandedly ended a war before it started—not with her good looks, but her smarts. The best thing about her storyline? She isn't saved by

anyone, and instead, is the one who saves the film's male lead, John Smith. 

Lastly, when it came time to choose between John Smith, the man she loved, and staying with her tribe, Pocahontas told John, "Ana" (you know, how she says goodbye) and

watched him sail away. And, for the first time, we're given a Princess that *finally* doesn't get hitched at film's end 🙌

In 1997, Madeleine Albright became the first female Secretary Of State, serving under Former President Bill Clinton.

We're first introduced to Mulan as she prepares to meet the Matchmaker, aka that lady who helps girls get husbands. But Mulan is a woman after our own hearts, so

it's no surprise that things don't go as planned. 

Mulan is truly the first feminist storyline created for a Disney Princess. She's brave, dedicated, and breaks every social construct she faces.

Our girl Mulan proves that a woman can do anything (sometimes, even better than a man!).

Mulan has something we like to call gumption. While she badly wants to honor her family, she's more concerned with saving her father's life. So, it's no surprise that this

Disney Princess risks everything, even her own life, in order to protect the people she loves most (none of whom are a romantic interest).

Mulan places the interests of everyone else above her own. In fact, she saves the lives of three of the film's most important male figureheads—her father, Shang, and the Emperor.

And, in the process, she defeats a villain that even an entire army couldn't stop. Just plain and simple, Mulan is a bada**.  

For the entirety of the film, we adore Mulan for her actions, motivated by a need to win honor and respect for her family. Mulan doesn't wait for a man

to do it for her. And, while a man (and love), IS placed in her path, she doesn't just fall into his arms and start planning a wedding date. Instead,

he does the chasing. And, we've gotta say, our favorite feminist Princess snagged the hottest Prince. You've seen Shang's shirtless pics, right?

In order to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit, CBS Broadcasting agrees to pay $8 million to 200 female employees who accused the television giant of "discrimination in regard

to salary, over time, promotions, and training; creating a hostile work environment that included sexual harassment; and retaliating against female employees for complaining about the discrimination."

In 2001, Hillary Clinton began her spotlight political career as New York's choice for U.S. Senator. She served in the role from Jan. 3, 2001 to Jan. 21, 2009.

What we love most about "The Princess and the Frog" is that it's the first Disney animated film to feature an African-American Princess.

But even more, Tiana is

the very definition of an independent woman; she's a role model for hard work and dedication. All Tiana has ever wanted is to open her own restaurant. If a self-starter, boss

babe doesn't scream feminist gal, then we don't know what does!

In some ways, it's as if Disney's "Tangled" takes a few steps back in terms of feminist views, especially when compared to previous Princesses, like Mulan. But a few anti-feminist

undertones does not an Aurora make. While trapped in the tower, Rapunzel educates herself, she doesn't just take an extended beauty sleep, like SOME princesses. She's inventive, hopeful, and wants nothing

more than adventure. 

We'd especially like to point out two feministic themes represented in the film. When Flynn Rider climbs through Rapunzel's window, our girl whacks him with a frying pan. What better way

to take out a dude than with such a historically oppressive symbol. Not to mention, Rapunzel learns to protect herself with her hair, another object that has duel meaning for

women. In this case, it's representative of reworking archaic beauty standards.

A major anti-feminist occurrence in 'Tangled,' though, is the fact that Rapunzel doesn't actually escape the tower until Flynn helps her, suggesting Rapunzel was waiting to be rescued by a

man. Do you think that if Pocahontas or Mulan had been trapped in a tower for 18 years, that they wouldn't have escaped? 

Some might think that just because Rapunzel falls in love with Flynn by film's end, that makes her own story less of a feministic role model. But the thing here

to remember is that Rapunzel wasn't actively seeking love (it just worked out that way).

Merida takes up the role of feminist female right where Mulan left off. Since childhood, Merida has loved archery, a sport that we're certain anti-feminist princesses would deem as a

vile past time. This modern-minded princess is, not only brave, but headstrong, stubborn, and a true fighter for women's rights. 

Merida uses her bow as a weapon, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the bow represents freedom—Merida's way out of an oppressive arranged marriage (to one of three dimwit

male choices, we might add). Not only that, but her skills as an archer pave the way for her to choose her own fate, rather than fall into a pre-approved

path set by archaic tradition.

Merida's modern-mindset creates a rift between she and her mother, the Queen. Their relationship, on display for the film's entirety, also plays into the feminist outlook and plot line, suggesting

that women look out for other women, especially their daughters. And, in some cases, to hell with tradition. 

In 2016, Hillary Clinton ran a landmark campaign for the United States Presidency in opposition of Donald Trump. While she lost the election, Clinton remained an icon for modern

women, re-igniting the Women's Movement in the country.

Largely in opposition to newly-elected President Donald Trump, women marched on Washington in January 2017 to advocate for women's rights, including: healthcare reform, reproductive rights, and within the

workplace, to name a few.

The #MeToo Movement virally spread via social media in October 2017 in order to raise awareness about sexual assault and harassment, especially for those women who

experienced sexual-bias in the workplace. 

Long gone are the days when Disney Princesses and TV moms served as the only role models for young girls in media. Nor are young women in America waiting around

for others to take action on their behalves.

How do you think Disney will change their narrative strategies to acknowledge that the future is not just female, but all

about the feminist female?