My Princesses.

Plenty of quizzes will tell you which Disney Princess you are. I can't decide which I am.

Moana: People tell me I'm brave. I don't take a lot of crap, not anymore.  Many of the lyrics from Moana resonate with me.  "They have stolen the heart from inside you/But this does not define you:" I've tried not to let the worst in my life turn me to ash, and if I see a piece of my heart glinting in the distance, I try to move toward it, even if I can only crawl. But I also feel proud of what I've survived and of the small family that I have, in at least one literal way, saved: "I've delivered us to where we are/I have journeyed farther/I am everything I've learned and more."

Merida: Well, I'm not nearly as angsty, rebellious, or reckless as Merida. But if you look at me at seventeen...yeah, all of that. And I even had semi-wild curly hair. I also have a close relationship with my mother that was hard-won.

Rapunzel: I feel more like her right now, having barely left my tower in weeks. I feel terrible for her because she only had a few books--definitely not one of my problems. But she was able to entertain herself, even enrich herself, and I can usually do that too. I have no visually artistic ability. I do have a lot of hair.

Tiana: I love how she went after her dreams and found love along the way. I've usually done the opposite. But Josh and I did meet because we had the same poetry and drama classes. I am no cook. But I do look good in green.

Mulan: I'm not nearly as courageous or self-sacrificing as Mulan. But I definitely remember feeling (and maybe still feel now and then) that I could "never pass for a perfect bride/Or a perfect daughter."

Pocahontas: Oh dear. I don't really feel qualified to comment on this, what with the historical inaccuracies and how long it's been since I saw the movie, but I'll try. I'm not a great peacemaker, activist, or conservationist. I do believe that I tend to make people think differently.

Jasmine: Aladdin was never one of my favorites, but Jasmine's pretty great. She's a firecracker. I have some of her sass. I tend to believe boys I love are capable of great things...and they get there. I can be more forgiving than I expect or even like.

Belle: She is the most obvious choice. She's a brunette, and she loves books! Unlike Belle, I don't really yearn for adventure. Like Jo March, I confine my adventures to the page, reading it or writing it. Belle is also self-sacrificing, and I don't have a ton of that in me. She and I don't have a lot of patience for blustering men. I do not look good in yellow. I have a lot of clothes, and Belle gets the most extensive wardrobe of any Disney princess in my memory. The blue and white outfit, the yellow gown, the green dress, the pink dress, the deep-rose cape... Usually, they just get a "peasant" dress and a princess dress, and maybe a wedding gown.

Ariel: She's pretty selfish (shellfish?), and I am too. I'm definitely a collector like Ariel--books, journals, fairy tales, makeup. I'm determined and single-minded in love, and I pretty much overturned my world to be with Josh. I'm not the best swimmer, and I have no official swimming skills, but I can tread water for a long time.

Aurora: I have been enormously sleepy lately. But people tend to forget who Aurora was before the *prick.* Nature does not adore me, and I don't adore it. I do sing a lot, though again, birds don't envy me. I don't often go barefoot because there's goose poop outside and Oliver's magazine shreds inside.  I fantasize constantly, and then, reality makes me nervous, like that perfect prince in the woods. Aurora grieved the loss of him, but he was her betrothed! I do believe I ended up with the person I was meant to be with all along.

Cinderella: Cinderella has always been my favorite. I'm not even sure why. The soft animation with so much white and blue and pink...the dreamy opening song ("You wear an air of queenly grace...If you give your heart a chance/It will lead you to the kingdom of romance...The sweetest story ever told..."), the illustrated story book ("Peaceful, prosperous, and rich in romance and tradition..."), the glimpse of her father, the willowy ice blue castle, the white coach.... Anyway, Cinderella and I have little in common. She is kind, patient, and hard-working. I'm not nearly so much. I would have despaired or run away in her situation. And I don't care for parties. But she does embrace her feelings (betrayal, heartbreak, enchantment, love), which I hope I would try to do even if it were more optional for me.

Snow White: I dyed my hair black to be a not-so-Disney version of Snow White. We certainly share a fair complexion. I love a good red lip stain. When I was little, I would ask older boys to "pick me up like Snow White!" Again, I'm not deeply connected with nature and don't know how to get animals to help me clean. I would not volunteer for a situation that required me to handle all the cooking and cleaning (back to that never passing for a perfect bride bit). I can barely handle having seven people in my life; I can't imagine seven small men. But I am a dreamer and a wisher.

So, what do you think?

The Princesses We Are.

Growing up, I loved forming connections between favorite characters and some of my favorite people. This blend of life and fiction must have helped me stay grounded in a way. I would often cast people in my mind to play characters in a play I would direct (mostly in my imagination but a few times in reality).

My favorite way to do this was to find matches in Cicely Mary Barker fairies. I always looked for myself in those pages, those child fairy faces. My favorites were the Fuchsia Fairy and the Willow Fairy, but I didn't really look like either of until I had black hair in my early twenties. I found others though. My mother was the queenly Wild Rose. My Keely was the gorgeous Harebell. Just recently, I discovered that Michelle, Dad's wife, is the Iris Fairy. Lately, I feel most like the Rosehip Fairy.

My friends and I also took roles in our play version of the Babysitter's Club. I think I was Mary Anne. I loved being the secretary.

And Little Women! Early on, I saw myself as Beth, quiet, shy, fragile. Keely and her sisters and I took these matters quite seriously. After a lot of growing up, I started to identify more with Jo--she loves literature, writing, and theatre. And I wanted to be as bold and unapologetic as she.

Surprisingly, I don't remember casting friends as Disney princesses or any fairy tale role. My favorite fairy tale in The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and my favorite Disney tale is Cinderella. Aside from being a dreamer, I don't have much in common with Cinderella. I'm no great housekeeper, and I would not long to go to a crowded party. I'm more like Belle in looks and personality--literature-obsessed, a bit fiery, and appreciative of tiny parties.

My mom had always loved Aurora best. Mom is kind and loving, a dancer, and unaware of how royal she is. She was born royal.

Which princess are you Can you find bits of loved ones in other princesses?

The Princess, the Fairy, and the Mermaid.

How can one choose among such wondrous fantasy creatures? When I was little, I was astonished to find that princesses were real. I saw silks and royal blue and purple brocade. I saw Aurora disguised as a peasant, captivating Prince Philip nonetheless. Now, I love stickers of tiaras and castles, keeping my fascination alive in my journals.

Someone, probably my grandmother, gave me a book of gorgeous flower fairy paintings and poems by Cicely Mary Barker. Tiny creatures with wings? I was hooked. I looked for myself in the pages. I dressed up as one of the fairies and recited her poem to my parents and grandparents. Once, in high school, I saw a fairy. She hovered right over my desk in a kind of pink cloud. I just gazed until the vision faded. Her face was so tiny.

I've always liked mermaids, but I've been more attached to them lately, partly because trends have made the idea of mermaids more available. I like that mermaids are regal and fantastic but also have an edge. They thrive in another realm where humans can't survive. Mermaids are wild. Of course, princesses and fairies can be wild and fierce too.

I love all three. Some of my identity is rooted with these creations.