I think I went down the wrong path in life.
I had dreamed of a life where my beauty didn’t confine me, and where my perseverance played a part in my worth.
I wished for a life where others did not dictate my power – where I could speak my mind freely, and others considered changing their approach before I had to change myself.
I had hoped for a place to express my strength and individuality, where I didn’t need a mask to feel comfortable to act like my true self.
A place where my foot size didn’t determine my value; a society where my knowledge was not of less worth than my appearance.
A Whole New World, where I could take myself for a magic carpet ride.
But, I think I went down the wrong path in life.
I, instead, exist in a world of Cinderellas, who work twice as hard and earn half as much.
I live in a world that values beauty over brains, with Belles who’d rather chase their Beasts than pursue their book-reading dreams.
This path in life values the persevering, poverty-stricken Aladdins, but not the privileged, circumstantially fortunate Jasmines, or the Sleeping Beauties that never woke up.
This world holds hundreds of Little Mermaids, longing to speak, but repressed under society’s condemnatory voice. A world of poor unfortunate souls, forced and yet willing to change their bodies to appease the bloodthirsty, eager Ursulas and the unknowlingly ignorant Erics.
A path where Mulans must live a lie to express their true selves, where Naveens care less about Tiana’s restaurant than they do her kiss, and where Rapunzels are never asked to See the Light.
So, I think I went down the wrong path in life, an unorthodox princess story never told. I had longed for a different, yet simple, and seemingly unconventional tale. But was there ever another path at all?
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