Guest Post: What Frozen Means to Me by Leila McGuire

After months of me waiting to dish with her about it, she's finally watched Frozen and I had a proud parent moment. I think I need more than one hand to count the number of times that we've watched it since it came out on DVD. And since I got the Bluray combo pack for Easter, I suspect we'll be watching it in hi-def glory soon. I'm so pleased that she has written a post in which I thinks she shares what most of us feel about this amazing Disney feature. Take it away, Leila!

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I’m 27 years old and I am hopelessly addicted to Frozen.

There I said it. But if you don’t mind, I will be avoiding the twelve step program this time. The addiction to Frozen is beautiful, full of hope, and empowering.



To be honest, I was a holdout on this movie. In my stint as a Disney lover, I have really just had enough princesses in my life. Ariel will always be my Princess. Mulan and Kida were the last girls that empowered me to kick ass. And everything else is full of “Prince Charming” and fluffy ballroom gowns. I am kind of over it.

So I was a little skeptical of talking snowmen, handsome viking-esque dudes with reindeer, and beautiful snow princesses.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Elsa has stolen my heart in the most amazing way and I listen to Let It Go on repeat. Disney finally got it right. Let me tell you why this movie means so much to me and what I hope it proves to young girls.

Elsa, Sexuality, and Pride

This song, while catchy and beautiful, had absolutely no meaning until I watched the sequence in the movie. Even the first time it didn’t set in. But then my soul was touched and empowered the second when the whole picture set in. And I remembered what it was like to be just like Elsa.

Even now, I’m crying thinking about how powerful of a moment it is to look at the life you have been living, cast it away and embrace who you are. To not shy away from the side of you others may not like and just be exactly who you want to be. There is nothing that can compare to that moment.

You know what is so special about that moment? It is so scary and can make you feel so alien in your own skin because you’re casting out what you’ve been taught to believe but people will honestly appreciate who you are. I get more attention, more praise, more compliments, and more sincere friends than I ever had pretending to be what I thought was expected. I’m confident where before I wasn’t good enough. I’m beautiful where before I was awkward. I’m strong where before I was weak.

And no one can take that away.

It really just makes me want to scream “I don’t care what they’re going to say” and I embrace that the “fears that once controlled me, can’t get to me at all”.

This movie would have changed my life years ago.

And I sincerely hope that Elsa affirms this notion in young girls. Young girls need to be empowered in a world that will want to beat them down. Everyone needs to know what it is like to be who they want to be.

But Disney got something else right here. It isn’t just empowering people of all ages; it is a grown character coming not only into her womanhood as a Queen but embracing her sexuality. For the record, I don’t mean that in the sexual preference sort of way. I mean she quite literally lets her hair down, dons a dress with a hip slit, and struts knowing she is beautiful.

That is a powerful moment for girls who are growing up in a new generation. A generation away from strong women like Mulan and Pocahontas, this really is important.

As a last thought, I really disagree that Elsa says the perfect girl is gone because in my opinion, anyone that amazingly strong and confident is perfect.

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