Member Since: 9/1/2013
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Queen Elsa: First Lesbian Disney Princess
From the minute I first saw Frozen my gaydar was giving me strong signals!
I argue that Frozen is a new kind of film and that Elsa can be seen as Disney’s first genuine lesbian princess. While it is not explicitly outlined whether she does want a princess or does not want a prince or is interested in marriage at all, Elsa’s own experience throughout the movie can easily be paralleled with the experience of closeted gay teenagers and adults.
Elsa’s powers, her dark and dangerous secret, are – at the beginning of the film – known by her sister, who does not see her sibling as strange or abnormal, but simply as a sister. Her parents, however, recognize Elsa as a danger to her family and country, and keep her – for the most part – locked away in her room, instilling self-hatred in the young princess, even going so far as to tell her “Conceal it, don’t feel it.”
This homophobia within the family and the self and its subsequent suppression leads to Elsa’s acceptance back into society after the family’s death. She is now of age and has learned to control her powers and appears to be a normal member of society. However, when she takes the throne, a fight with her sister Anna over the latter’s engagement sends her into a rage that reveals her secret.
This could be read as Elsa’s frustration that even an illogical marriage between Anna and Hans, who had just met, could be accepted by society, while her own lesbian desires are erased. Additionally, the guests’ reaction to Queen Elsa and her powers – which they denounce as sorcery and deem her a monster – reflects a long history of societal homophobia in the West, which often related homosexuality to the devil and witchcraft.
Elsa’s escape from the palace and her “Let It Go” sequence, which empowered and inspired so many young viewers who watched the movie, is an effective coming out sequence in that she comes to accept who she is despite societal pressure, and appreciates and celebrates her own unique identity. What resonated most powerfully with audiences, however, is Anna’s acceptance of her sister.
When she rejoins her at the palace, she does not consider for a moment that she might be a dangerous threat (whether to the physical wellbeing of summery Arendelle or to its heterosexual family structures). Instead, she offers her companionship and her own aid to help her get through any struggles, reminding any LGBT audience member of their own relative or friend who they were able to come out to and be loved regardless of this – no more, no less.
Finally, the film’s answer to thawing Elsa’s frozen catastrophe, in which her fear leads to the endangerment of her kingdom, is love. The same approach has been used to fight ignorance and homophobia – if love, between lesbian and gay partners, between LGBT and straight allies, between human beings, can bring understanding and acceptance, then the issue will cease to be.
Because of all this, it is possible for LGBT audience members to finally connect to a princess who went through the same experience. Even so, Disney still has a long way to go – the best LGBT representation on-screen, of course, would be one that finally allows a romance between two princesses. However, the LGBT community is no longer simply defined by their sexuality, but – now – by their experience, one that Queen Elsa so strongly encapsulates for this century.
Express your thoughts gorls!
http://www.hercampus.com/school/chat...sbian-princess
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