Kids

Are These The Most Badass Disney Princesses?

by Jana Blanco
March 4, 2021

Who needs Prince Charming when you’ve got a cool animal sidekick and crazy fighting skills?

While the Disney princesses of yore were all pretty damsels in distress, today’s versions are femme fatales with kick ass martial arts skills. Yep, they’re pretty much capable of saving the day on their own, sans Prince Charming and his buddies. Today’s Disney princess is strong, woke and super empowered — exactly how we want our own daughters to grow up. So without further ado, here are our fave badass Disney princesses…

The Disney princesses we love

1. Anna and Elsa

Princess Anna teaches little girls that persistence will get you places — even if it means you’ve got to battle a few crazy creatures on the way. She’s also loyal as hell, which is a pretty impressive trait to have, even when she’s Frozen. Queen Elsa, on the other hand, is a force to be reckoned with. With her crazy super powers, she’s not someone to mess with.

2. Moana

Nobody knows how far Moana will go, not even the Polynesian Disney princess herself. She’s brave, she’s fierce and will do anything to save her island home.

3. Belle

There might be a lot of things wrong with a grown woman having a thing for a hairy beast, but we love the fact that she stood up to said beast to save her father. And yes, we’re a fan of anyone who’s a fan of books.

4. Raya

We’ve got high hopes for Raya because not only is she Southeast Asian like us, she’s reportedly one of the toughest princesses out there. While we won’t officially get to meet her ’til March 5, we hear her fighting skills (she can use an arnis like a pro!) are pretty impressive.

5. Rapunzel

Short hair, don’t care — Disney princess Rapunzel chops off those amazingly long tresses all in the name of heroism. And yes, we totally wish we could have our own pet chameleon.

6. Princess Leia

OK, fine. Just because Princess Leia only became a Disney Princess recently, doesn’t mean she’s not as kick ass as the others on our list. She’s an awesome leader, sister AND a true friend, hair buns and all.

7. Pocahontas

Not only does Pocahontas have a knack for negotiating, she’s also a pro at painting with ALL the colors of the wind. We love this how this kween is super in touch with nature and how she rocks an asymmetrical sheath (made of leather, no doubt) all while having fab hair and killer bone structure.

8. Mulan

The live-action movie may not have done well, but we still stan warrior Disney princess Mulan. We didn’t like how she had to pretend to be a boy at first, but we get it. And she proves that she can hold her own, no matter what anyone — even her dad — says.

9. Tiana

Tiana from The Princess and the Frog proves that women can do anything. They can work, have their own business and make their own dreams come true. The prince was just a nice to have.

10. Merida

We love that Merida isn’t your typical Disney princess. She has crazy hair and impressive archery skills to boot. What we don’t love? The fact that she turned her mother into a bear. Not cool.

We’re glad that our girls have these badass Disney Princesses to look up to. It’s high time they get inspired by brave, strong women who aren’t afraid to demand respect.

Business as Usual: Mompreneurs share their stories of resilience
5 Parenting Lessons from K-dramas

Shop for Modern Parenting's print issues through these platforms.