top 20 fictional ladies who put ovaries before brovaries (presented in no particular order)
tiana & charlotte, the princess and the frog (2009)
all my life, i read about true love and fairytales, and…tia, you found it! i’ll kiss him! for you, honey! no marriage required.
(emphasis mine, because, you know, d’awww.)
When I first discovered the Bechdel Test, the results for Disney movies were some of the most alarming to me, and, indeed, Tiana and Pocahontas are notable as the only two princesses who have lady friends (many of the other movies pass, but it is because of the female antagonist or the mom figure/s). But I really love Tiana and Charlotte’s friendship in particular, because it could have so easily gone the other direction. The first time I saw the movie, I distinctly remember being terrified about Charlotte’s reaction to Tiana falling onto the table of beignets, because I was convinced that Charlotte was going to explode at her about it, upping Tiana’s bad luck and unhappiness even more. I was surprised and overjoyed that, instead, Charlotte took it in stride and was there for Tiana, going as far as taking a break from the party and her pursuit of Naveen to get Tiana cleaned up. I think their friendship is completely summed up from a slightly earlier moment, when Tiana fondly smiles at Charlotte gleefully pointing at her handsome prince (and, therefore, sharing her joy with Tiana). They are two very different women from two very different backgrounds; Charlotte is spoiled, idealistic, and cutthroat in her ambitions, while Tiana is grounded, determined, and practical in hers. But they love each other: they support each other in their failures and are happy for each other in their successes. And I am very grateful that Disney finally included a portrait of two girls who are friends in that natural, caring way in one of their movies. So grateful.