the greatest love of all

So today I watched Aladdin (1992) on the Toon Disney channel. Classic.

I notice that the moral of kids movies are usually the same: Be Yourself. It's the lesson at the end of the last 3 children's movies I've seen-- Penelope, Camp Rock (shut up, you want to watch it too), and Aladdin. Love yourself even though you: have a pig's nose/ are the cook's daughter (?!?)/ are a street rat. It seems that after all these years, no matter what the movies say, we still have a big self-acceptance problem.

You know, people always tell you to just be yourself, but what they really mean is to be your best self. See, Penelope's only problem is her nose (and ears). They make her slightly less cute. But despite her life imprisonment, she is surprisingly well-adjusted and cheerful-- she's a cool, talented, rich girl. So liking herself the way she is... well, we all like her too, already. I won't even touch the ridiculousness of Camp Rock. And Aladdin is a diamond in the rough. That kid goes into a cave full of gold and isn't tempted by any of it? That takes character. Aladdin's so awesome, he can win the heart of a princess. So why the hell wouldn't he want to be himself?

The problem these characters have are always exaggerated or too remote to real problems people face when they're labeled as weird or different.

It's not a bad message to put in movies, but the reason why no one listens to it, and consequently, why it keeps popping up in movies, is because once you exit the theater/living room, you're bombarded once again by reminders of how inadequate you really are. Out of the twelve issues 17 magazine puts out a year, 8 of them have a "Make-over tips!" headline on the cover. The other 4 tell you how to look hot, fun, pretty, and fashionable. You have a wonderful personality, as long as you're happy and nice and talented and come in a pretty package.

It's probably part of human nature; we're always striving to be better, faster, stronger, younger, richer.... And really, it's not always such a bad thing. I think you should always strive to be a better person (while of course being okay with yourself when you slip up along the way).

Kids, I'll tell you what I think the moral of a story should be. Be yourself. Love yourself. Because you are a cool and unique person. And just don't let it bother you if the "unique" side of you outweighs your "cool" portion. Get used to it kids, people aren't always nice as adults either.

If it helps, take Whit's words of wisdom (ooo, alliteration!):

The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

That song... so catchy, so true.