The Princess Clique: Who's In, Who's Out?

Disclaimer: I'm not really good at this blogging thing. I wrote the following back in March but never got around to editing and posting it. Damn kids and work and life getting in the way... I finally decided to write a new entry, but figured this one was worth posting first.

After my last blog post where I expressed my desire to "break the fourth wall" with a Disney princess, I feel I need to report on whether or not I was successful. I'll be truthful--once I got to Disney World, I didn't even want to dispel "the magic." I totally got sucked in, primarily because of Lauren.

She greeted each princess with awe--even on day seven, by which time we had so many character signatures we had to get a THIRD signature book.

I may have gotten sucked in, but I was still skeptical of those wig-wearing, overly made-up beauty pageant drop-outs. Over the course of the week, I realized the line-up of princesses resembles, in many ways, that "clique" of popular girls you'll find in any high school. So here's my impression of where each princess would fit in the high school hierarchy:

Snow White: the slightly chubby wannabe who just barely made the cheerleading squad and is friends with the popular girls, but not part of their inner circle. At Disney World, you find Snow White greeting guests in seemingly random spots--she does not rank high enough to be in the official "Storybook Princess" greeting area where you find the "big three" (or what USED to be the "big three"--more on that later).

Jasmine: Jasmine is just plain cool. With awesome abs. Everyone likes her because she rocks that skimpy outfit without looking sleazy. She is the closest you can get to a "bad girl" among the Disney princesses.

Ariel: the perpetually bubbly one who is EVERYONE's friend. During lunch, she'll sit with the debate team one day, the cheerleaders the next, and end the week with the thespians. She's definitely one of the "popular" ones, but not in an intimidating way.

Mulan: cool as a cucumber, Mulan doesn't care what anyone else thinks, and that's why people like her. She could care less about being part of the "popular" crowd, and that is exactly why she is part of it. The "popular" girls are in awe of her beauty, intelligence and strength.

Tiana: the new girl in town who falls easily into the popular group with her quick sense of humor, good looks, and sassy attitude. She's the type of girl people want to get to know better.

THE BIG THREE (you'll find them at every princess "character meal" and they greet guests together in a special space at the Magic Kingdom)

Belle: she doesn't have all the material trappings of the other popular girls, but she's cute and smart and loyal to her friends and family. Just plain likable.

Sleeping Beauty: ah, the ice queen. So beautiful that she is part of the popular group by default, when in reality she is not particularly nice. Because of her beauty, she has been handed everything on a silver platter since birth. She now expects that kind of treatment and manages to get it, with a little intimidation directed at those "beneath" her.

Cinderella: "most popular" by a hair, and only because she has held that position for so long. Sure, she's pretty, smart, and has everything else going for her, but she's sort of old news. She doesn't really live up to the hype.

And finally, RAPUNZEL: Quickly overtaking the "most popular" title from Cinderella, thanks to her adorable personality, independent spirit, and the fact that she's pretty in an approachable way. And that hair! Everyone wants to be Rapunzel's friend because she just exudes fun.

So there you have it. My princess line-up. Parents of princess lovers: do you think I got it right?