Why Tiana from ‘The Princess and the Frog’ is our #WCW

It’s true: We love our Disney Princesses here at HelloGiggles. Every time someone reimagines them in a different way or finds another reason why they’re so awesome, we are all over it.

I personally have two favorite Disney Princesses: Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, and Tiana, from The Princess and the Frog. And just as The Princess and the Frog is, in my opinion, a vastly underrated film for reasons from its animation to its music, its protagonist Tiana also doesn’t get enough attention. As a hard-working woman who chases what she wants and ensures she is her own person, she is a breath of fresh air and an absolutely fantastic role model for little girls (and women!) everywhere.

Here’s exactly why Princess Tiana is the star of this week’s #WCW!

She dreamed really big

Tiana spends a lot of time saving money to one day open her very own restaurant, a dream her father instilled in her when she was a child. To this end, she endures the teasing of many people around her telling her she should focus her efforts elsewhere. But these words only fuel Tiana’s entrepreneurial spirit and she keeps fighting for what she wants. Her dreams are big and she’s determined to chase them down.

. . . But she didn’t think dreams alone would get her there. 

From the very beginning of The Princess and the Frog, we see what Tiana’s day-to-day life looks like. Unlike her well-meaning-yet-very-spoiled-by-her-father best friend Charlotte, Tiana has to work two jobs to save toward her dream – and though it’s never said outright, she also very likely has to help her mother pay the bills.

But Tiana does it with a smile on her face, turning down invitations from her friends to go out dancing not because she feels obligated, but because her goals are important to her. Her strength, willpower, and determination at such a young age are so admirable.

She appreciated (and made) good food.

Tiana is a whiz in the kitchen, taking everything her dad taught her to make THE best gumbo, beignets, and more. She even teaches Prince Naveen how to chop vegetables. If I could sign up for Tiana’s Vegetable-Chopping Class, I would. That’s one area in cooking I haven’t quite mastered.

She found a way to let love in that worked for her

While Tiana didn’t let her relationships define her or keep her from her personal goals and aspirations, by the end of the movie she does find love with Naveen – because he appreciates and loves her for who she is, and wants to be her partner in crime.

Tiana opens her restaurant to huge success with Naveen by her side, totally rebelling against any damsel-in-distress notions that a princesses’ priorities are secondary to their husbands’. A princess who is a killer cook, runs her own restaurant in the French Quarter, and finds the ability to live in the moment and appreciate love and friendship while also working her butt off is definitely my kinda princess.

THAT VOICE

Enough said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irEBOfv4Ug4

Related reading:

Here’s what every Disney princess would look like as the Little Mermaid

Here’s what Disney Princesses would look like with iconic haircuts

(Image via Disney)