My Big Fat Rapunzel Wedding

These days Disney has been trying to increase the diversity of their characters. Princesses like Tiana and Moana have become popular new additions while Elsa and Anna show young white girls with no parents that they too, can become a Disney princess. Shocking, I know.

Many people don't realize that there are only twelve official Disney princesses. I thought that for sure with the acquisition of 20th Century Fox they would add Anastasia and make it a baker's dozen - but no. A lot of women from animated Disney films have no royal status. Elsa has X-Men powers like freakin' Storm but has title, while barely sentient bump on a log Snow White is at least a princess but likely a queen by now unless her in-laws have Windsor blood in their veins.

Some princesses have redeeming qualities like Belle's intelligence, Mulan's bravery and Ariel's...I wanna say...curiosity? Like, there's something there. But others like Cinderella lack a personality entirely.

The official princesses are: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty to commoners), Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida and Moana. That list leaves out a lot of important Disney women like Megara, Kida, Jane, Lilo, Alice and Esmeralda.

Now Esmeralda was a Romani girl. As an avid viewer of My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding and the spin-off that was gone too soon, Gypsy Sisters, I think that it is time for a gypsy princess. Esmeralda has yet to gain princess status, but I think that there is a wealth of evidence supporting Rapunzel as the first official Disney gypsy princess. Let's look at the receipts.

Okay so right away we know this girl cleans a lot. Watch any episode of MBFAGW and you will see Romani women and girls cleaning and talking about how they clean all day.

Then when a strange man shows up, Rapunzel takes care of business herself and doesn't call the police, or muskers as the gypsies call them. She gets into an argument with her mother, something you will see a lot of during an episode of MBFAGW.

We also see Rapunzel fall in love with and run away with the first boy she meets. This happens in American Romani communities too because there are strict rules about girls not being allowed to have alone time with males. I can't tell you how many episodes I have seen where a bride-to-be announces that she is about to marry her Prince Charming after a whirlwind courtship of all of 4 weeks.

Have you seen her crown? You can't convince me that crown was not designed by fairy godmother to the gypsies, Sondra Celli. 

Then Rapunzel's mother goes after her, trying to find the boyfriend who abducted her teenage daughter. We've all seen one Nettie Stanley do this a time or two, lookin' at you Dovie and Pookie. And the boyfriend uses an alias. Flynn's real name is Eugene. Gypsy men do this too, look at Pat Baby.

And finally, a lot of gypsy women have long hair. I rest my case.