Feminist Disney princesses ditch the princes for better future (PHOTOS)

Ever wonder what Disney princesses would look like without their prince? One artist and activist imagined a world in which Ariel, Cinderella and friends possessed enough self-love to save themselves without the help of a handsome man.

While we imagine some Disney princesses would have been absolutely helpless without the help of a charming prince (and I won’t name any names), others always struck us as fun, independent ladies who would choose to be single for the sake of their booming careers and daily happy hours with the girls. Elsa, obviously. Ariel, Tiana, Jasmine and Belle — totally.

Saint Hoax is a Middle Eastern artist and sociopolitical activist who plays with pop culture images in an effort to poke holes into the many lies about love and beauty that we’ve been taught to accept. Disney princesses seem to be a favorite subject and, given our fascination with them from the time we’re 2, it makes sense that he would mess with their pristine, overly romantic and unrealistic portrayals of womanhood.

In one of his latest works, Saint Hoax takes Aurora, Ariel and other Disney princesses and shows how it would look if they could save themselves instead of waiting for a prince to change their lives.

Here’s Snow White providing herself with a much-needed wake-up call:

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And here’s our favorite mermaid:

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I like the statement this artist is trying to make about the need for women to rely on themselves in order to improve their lives and situations and to live happily ever after. The Disney fantasy continues to make us swoon, long after we’ve faced the realization that a prince isn’t going to come to rescue us.

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While I don’t think it’s wrong to occasionally enjoy a romantic delusion or two, I’m also grateful that my toddler will grow up watching female cartoons who have bigger goals in life than falling in love with royalty. Elsa brought us all one step farther in the right direction — hoping Disney continues down that path and provides characters whose inner strength and problem-solving capabilities prove more compelling to watch than their outer beauty.

More about Disney princesses

Disney producers weigh in on Caucasian princess controversy
The Little Mermaid turns 25: A look at Ariel’s poor choices
If Disney princesses had jobs today, this is what they’d be doing