What Disney Princesses Should Have Really Looked Like

Ariel, Mulan, Pocahontas — all of these characters have been familiar to us since childhood. We are so used to seeing them in a certain way, we don’t even notice the inaccuracies in their image. For example, Belle should’ve worn a giant powdered wig and Jasmine should be walking the streets with her head covered.

Today at Bright Side we would like to take a look at our favorite Disney princesses to see how they should have really looked.

1. Pocahontas

Originally called Matoaka, which means “flower between 2 streams,” Pocahontas was between the ages of 10 and 12 during this story, not in her 20s as she appears in the Disney film. Since she was the daughter of the Powhatan chief, she wore deer skin with beads hung around her neck and she had her hair braided.

2. Princess Jasmine

Princess Jasmine was originally called Badroulbadour. Word on the street is that her name was changed to make her more relatable. She originally wore loose-fitting and modest clothing because of the hot environment she lived in.

3. Snow White

Snow White lived in 16th century Germany during the Protestant reformation period. Women then mostly wore dark-colored outfits with high necklines. They would also frequently wear a headpiece and have their hair tied back.

4. Rapunzel

The setting for Rapunzel’s story was also during the mid-16th in Germany. At that time women wore very ladylike clothing and according to a German painter, during that era the dresses were known as Cranachs gowns.

5. Aurora

The story of Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty took place in 14th century France. Back then, noblewomen wore tailored dresses with tight-fitting sleeves and bodices. These outfits were usually buttoned down the front and were known as Cotehardie.

6. Elsa

Elsa lived in the mid-18th century and women then wore beautiful Victorian dresses with ballgown silhouettes. They had just started using corsets and embroidery was not very common. As a new queen, Elsa would’ve worn a more intricately designed cape, instead of the more simple one that she had on in the film.

7. Ariel

It is hard to come up with an accurate depiction of underwater Ariel, since we have never seen a mermaid in real life, so let’s take her look from when she was turned into a human. During the 17th century, which was the setting of the story, women wore off-the-shoulder dresses and big poofy sleeves, which is most likely what should have been depicted in the film.

8. Princess Mulan

During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the ballad of the legendary Princess Mulan tells the story of a girl who cut her hair short to disguise herself as a man. But in terms of her clothing during this era, women at this time were known to wear loose and layered clothing that was tight at the waist and had extremely wide sleeves. The makeup they used was also bright and fun and they wore flowers in their hair.

9. Cinderella

This story was first thought to have emerged in the 18th Century, but it may have been inspired by a much older story, telling the tale of a woman from China who lived around 206 BCE. You should also know that during this time, there were not many portraits of women with blonde hair since it was not a fashionable hair color in the 1830s.

10. Belle

Belle was one of the princesses that was animated more accurately than most of the other ones, but her depiction was still not “perfect.” Since the story was set in 18th century France, Belle’s dresses should have been more fashionable. Besides the poufs that ladies wore at the time, they also had flowers, ribbons, lace, feathers, and jewelry.

Which Disney Princess was your favorite growing up? Share your thoughts in the comments below.