So...I don't normally write about things like this, but this topic is really starting to bother me. And for those of you internet familiar, you probably already know what it is.

Before I talk about the predicted topic though, I want to say something real quick. We all have our different opinions on Disney Princesses. I hold them in respect. Whatever time period they came from, they were still sweet, I like happy endings, and the romance is adorable! Plus their outfits are cute and I wish I had them. I don't have to like every single one, for example I do not like Snow White, but I understand why other people do.

With that said, I get that people like to poke fun at the princesses' stories. It is funny in some ways. But for some reason, when it comes to Belle, I get REALLY irritated when people say things like, "She has Stockholm Syndrome." "She's such a dog person." and so on so forth. Now her talking to inanimate objects gets as old as people making fun of Ariel and forks, but I can still laugh at it a little. It's parody stuff. It's fine. But those two specific things annoy me for some odd reason. Now the latter I can still laugh at, but I don't understand why people never use Adam (the beast) in his human form. He was turned into a human and Belle loves him because of how kind he was to her and the sacrifices he made. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was part lion, wolf, goat...whatever he's supposed to be part of that makes him look beastly. I'm guessing it's probably because he turns human towards the last half of the film, but people do this with Tiana and Naveen and Naveen was human for even longer than Adam was on screen! I don't know. They're funny parodies if done right, but it is something that's a bit weird.

The Stockholm Syndrome though....

This is something that drives me crazy no matter how much people poke fun at it or do parodies of it. And I think the reason it irritates me is because people actually will say that Belle should actually have wound up with Gaston. 

I have heard the argument that, though Gaston has done terrible things, he would have made a better husband for Belle. He can provide for her, has good skills, is well-liked, and hasn't attempted to physically harm her in any way. In the meantime, the Beast locked her up, threatened her and her father, and has a terrible temper, with his only redeemable quality being that he saved her from the wolves. 

Well, I hate to poo-poo the theory, but THIS IS NOT STOCKHOLM SYNDROME! I'm not trying to sound like a big baby over here, really I'm not. But Beauty and the Beast is one of my family's favorite movies! Stockholm Syndrome is when someone is being abused and becomes so used to it that they make excuses for the abuser and begin to sympathize with them, feeling that all their punishments were well-deserved. This could either be physical or verbal, but it's still abuse. 

Now it is true that the Beast (or Adam as he's called...so I hear...) is violent and aggressive towards Belle. However, he does realize that she is his only means of salvation from the TEN YEARS HE SPENT ALONE WITH ONLY HIS SERVANTS! Regardless of how old he was when he was cursed, that's a lot of time spent without anyone new to speak to. That would be the equivalent of being locked up in the house with your family for ten years. I think anyone would be a little on edge. My family gets cabin fever in the summer because there's so many of us in one space! So I can only imagine the boredom and frustration that gets built up, on top of him being a bit of a brat. 

With that said, Prince Adam did attempt to be kind to Belle. He listened to the advice of his servants when they suggested giving her a better room, he attempts to be gentile when they insist he learn to control his terrible temper and act like a gentleman, and he does show some pity for her when she cries about not getting to say goodbye to her dad. 

It is also true that he does loose his temper quite a few times, but Belle doesn't put up with it. In fact, she deliberately FLEES THE CASTLE when her life is threatened after going to the west wing. She only returns because this beast who imprisoned her saved her life and got badly hurt in the process. It was her way of thanking him. And then she SCOLDED him for his temper on top of it. Then they actually form a genuine bond and he starts to calm down and be nicer! He doesn't keep abusing her for the rest of the film! He gives her a humongous library (which will win my heart by the way. Especially if half of those shelves are filled with empty notebooks with absolutely beautiful covers...just saying...), he tries to be more playful and gentle, even with the wild life, and he unselfishly lets her leave when her father falls sick, knowing it's possible he'll never see her again! None of these moments demonstrate any aspect of Stockholm Syndrome!

Now again, this is all a misunderstanding, and I could let well enough alone...except for this whole Gaston thing! Why would people want to pair Gaston up with Belle?! These two men may seem similar at a first glance, but let me tell you what Gaston does not do...CHANGE!!!

He's presumptuous, insults Belles' father on a regular basis, though not directly to her face until the very end, has no interest in Belle's imagination or sense of adventure, and is down-right manipulative! He sympathizes with Belle in seeing her father locked up, but only promises to speak in Maurice's behalf if Belle complies to marry him. How rude is that?! And then he gets jealous of Belle liking THE BEAST!!!! OH THE BEAST!!!!! and then decides to destroy him to secure her! And then when Prince Adam lets him go during the fight on the rooftop, Gaston literally and figuratively stabs him in the back. Though at least he gets some comeuppance in the end. 

I'm sorry if this seemed a bit long-winded. However, this Stockholm thing needs to stop. Even the original version of this tale had none of this! It literally was just the beast asking Belle to marry him every day until she said yes. And even then, he didn't pester her. He just asked and then when she said no, he went, "Okay. Until tomorrow." And left.

With that said, I absolutely love this movie. I'm okay with a few parodies here and there. We all do it, we can all learn to make fun of even the little things...that's okay. I can laugh at the common use of dogs in Beauty and the Beast parodies. It is kind of funny to watch! I just can't stand the Stockholm stuff. Something of it just bugs me. A LOT.....