Disney’s Little Mermaid will celebrate her 25th birthday in a few days.

Ariel was the first Disney Princess to be touched by feminism. And she is plenty different from her predecessors — good girls who never rocked the boat, and who all needed saving by their Prince Charmings.

In Ariel we find a young woman with a strong sense of self who seeks independence and empowerment.

But she reflects the early tensions of our feminist beginnings.  Read the rest of this entry →