DisneyPrincess outfitsfrom over the years have always been rather unique, but some are far more impractical than others. Whether it is a live-action oranimated Disney movie, it isn’t uncommon to see a character wearing a look that realistically makes sense to the situation they are in. Although these stories always put action and drama at the forefront of the narrative, it is still strange to see a heroine in an outfit that just isn’t practical.
Of course, the definition of a Disney Princess often varies, but the outfit typically comes with the official or unofficial label. While there are technically only13 Disney Princesses, times have changed a lot, and plenty of other characters have proved themselves to be worthy of the title, regardless of their royal status. Disney Princesses often show off their bravery, prowess, and dedication to saving the day.Unfortunately, their wardrobes aren’t always made aware of their plans, and a lot of outfit choices aren’t ideal.
10Snow White’s Cleaning Outfit
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Snow White’s blue and yellow dress is an iconic garment, and it’s easily her most notable look. The 1937Snow White and the Seven Dwarfsintroduces the titular character as a helpful person, and despite working as a scullery maid for her evil stepmother, she doesn’t hesitate to start clearing up after the seven dwarves shortly after she meets them.
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This dress is not particularly realistic to clean in,though.The bright yellow skirt likely gets marks all over it, especially if the dwarves' home is always as dusty as this scene depicts. She also never seems to change out of this outfit, and although audiences know that there will not be a washing machine nearby, it’s odd, considering she wears other clothes throughout the film.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Cast
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a classic 1938 animated film based on the Brothers Grimm tale. The story follows Snow White, who hides in a forest with seven dwarfs to escape her jealous stepmother, the wicked Queen. The Queen is determined to be the fairest in the land, threatened by Snow White’s beauty.
The flowing bottom of the dress may be beautiful, butSnow White catches it on a tree branch while running away from the Huntsman, which really is a sign that she needs to switch up her wardrobe, quickly. While it’s unlikely theSnow Whitelive-action adaptationwill rectify this, hopefully, she’ll at least have more clothing variations.
9Jane’s Jungle Outfit
Tarzan (1999)
Disney’s 1999Tarzanfeatures Jane, and although she isn’t technically listed as one of the franchise’s princesses, she proves herself to be a royal ruler of the jungle very quickly. It isn’t her fault she gets stuck in the jungle wearing a gorgeous yellow period dress, butit’s silly of Jane to think it’s an ideal outfit to wearwhile studying gorillasin the wild.
It’s no surprise that she struggles to pull herself through the bamboo reeds, considering the hat that falls in her eyes, the silky white gloves, and her trying to simultaneously carry a book and umbrella. The dress looks unbelievably heavy, too, and without Tarzan’s help, she probably would’ve succumbed to the angered baboon she later faces.
Tarzan
Tarzan is an animated film by Walt Disney Pictures that tells the story of a man raised by gorillas in the African jungle. Starring the voices of Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, and Glenn Close, the film follows Tarzan’s journey of self-discovery as he encounters humans for the first time and grapples with his identity. The film features a soundtrack by Phil Collins and was directed by Kevin Lima and Chris Buck.
Of course, the rain later on weighs it down even more.Thankfully, Jane swaps for more practical clothing later on, but it’s bizarre she chooses to still sport a skirt. Jane’s attire is appropriate for the era, asTarzanis set in the late 1880s, but in the context of studying wild animals, it’s still a very weird choice for her.
8Cinderella’s Glass Slippers
Cinderella (1950)
Even children who are reading the original story for the first time can acknowledge thatCinderella’s glass slippers are ridiculously impractical. Even though Cinderella is a fairytale, and the titular character’s iconic shoes are made from the Fairy Godmother’s magic, the factthey are specifically identified as glassimplies that they are extremely fragile.
Plus, the fact the shoe is made to fit Cinderella perfectly, only for one to fall off, makes no sense whatsoever.
Although the one slipper she loses while running from the palace at midnight lands on a carpeted floor, it’s a miracle that there isn’t even a slight crack in the shoe. Plus, the fact the shoe is made to fit Cinderella perfectly, only for one to fall off, makes no sense whatsoever. Glass is not a very wearable material.
Cinderella
Cinderella is a classic animated Disney film that follows a young woman oppressed by her stepfamily. With the assistance of her fairy godmother and loyal animal companions, she transforms her dreams into reality by attending the royal ball, setting the stage for an iconic fairy-tale conclusion.
While the likes of Lady Gaga wear many pairs of shoes that appear to be made out of unusual materials, there’s no way the foundations are ever formed of something like glass. Even thoughCinderellais a children’s film,she realistically doesn’t have any grip wearing glass slippers,and she should be falling all over the place, or at least lose her shoes far quicker than she does.
7Merida’s Long Green Dress
Brave (2012)
Although thedesign of Merida inBraveis much better than some of her other Disney Princess counterparts, her staple green dress could be more practical. She’s definitely dressed more sensibly than other Disney characters, butthe beautiful dress still isn’t an ideal outfit when she’s riding horseback, for example.
Despite this, she manages to shoot arrows at each of the targets with ease. However, at times, the skirting puts her in more danger than she already is. When Merida climbs a cliff during the “Touch the Sky” musical number, one ofPixar’s best movie songs, she slips at one point.
Brave
Pixar’s Brave follows Princess Merida of DunBroch (Kelly MacDonald), the daughter of a clan chief in medieval Scotland. When Meridia is told she must marry the suitor of her parents' choosing, she refuses, defying an age-old tradition and causing chaos in the kingdom. This starts a chain of events that causes Merida’s mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), to fall victim to a magical curse, the princess sets off into the wild to rescue her.
The dress is so long that her feet are hidden, and with the wind blowing, it’s a shock that she doesn’t hurt herself. Scotland is also a very cold country, and withBravebeing set in the Highlands,there’s no way that this dress realistically keeps Merida warm enough.Although the outfit doesn’t seem to cause any delays or obstacles for Merida, it doesn’t mean it’s practical.
6Giselle’s Wedding Dress
Enchanted (2007)
Technically,Enchanted’s Giselle also isn’t a Disney Princess. However, she is almost a royal, and very much deserves to be one, setting up a standard thatevery upcoming live-action Disney Princessshould closely follow. Giselle doesn’t expect to suddenly turn up in the real world while wearing a massive and puffy wedding dress, and it’s easy to feel sorry for her when the overwhelming atmosphere of Times Square gets to her.
However,it’s baffling how long she continues to wear the beautiful white gown after her abrupt arrival.Robert rudely doesn’t find something else for Giselle to wearwhen she stays the first night, and it’s no wonder Nancy is so shocked. This is especially true considering how dirty New York is, and that Giselle runs through the city while dragging the poofy skirt along with her.
Enchanted
Starring Amy Adams as Giselle, Enchanted follows its heroine as she is cast out of her animated fantasy world by an evil queen, ending up in the middle of New York City where she meets Robert, a jaded lawyer who reluctantly takes the clueless Giselle in. As Giselle begins to adjust to life in the real world, and her relationship with Robert deepens, she must reconcile what she thought she wanted with where life has taken her. Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Idina Menzel, and Susan Sarandon also star.
Giselle then cleans Robert’s apartment the next day, while still in the dress, and entices various small animals into helping her. While this may be fine in a Disney animated world, New York’s rodents are filthy, and it’s almost certain that Robert’s apartment is also dirty.
5Elsa’s Ice Dress
Frozen (2013)
Elsa is the Queen ofArendelle inFrozen, initially introduced as a child princess alongside her younger sister. Elsa’s ice dress is legendary, highlighting her powers and abilities brilliantly. Although Elsa states that the cold doesn’t bother her, she means the actual temperature, and she never explicitly states thatthe weight of her outfit made of iceisn’t unbelievably heavy.
Additionally, her cape is supposedly also made of ice, yet it flows about while she’s fighting, and strangely never shatters. Elsa has to constantly wave her arms around and pull up the helm to run, but it’s amazing she can move at all in this look, if her powers are connected to her, rather than the outfit.
Frozen
Frozen, released in 2013, follows young princess Anna of Arendelle on a perilous quest to halt an eternal winter cast by her sister, Elsa. Joined by Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and snowman Olaf, Anna navigates themes of friendship, courage, family, and love in her journey.
Elsa trips and falls over her cape while running to avoid falling icewhen she is fighting the guards, and even though the huge icicle smashing on the ground plays a part in this, it’s clear that the outfit doesn’t help matters either. While there are plenty of useful things about Elsa’s dress, the physical design could be better.
4Elizabeth Swann’s First Dress
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)
Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann fromPirates of the Caribbeantypically wears a lot of comfortable and appropriate attire for adventuring on the high seas, but there are a few times in which her outfits are far from ideal. One of these is inPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Elizabeth faints due to the tightness of the corset — which she voices her concern over earlier in the film — and is sent falling into the sea.
Although Elizabeth doesn’t pick out the dress herself, as it’s a gift from her father for Norrington’s promotion ceremony, it’s still not a desirable choice. The corset is the main issue. While it’s a historically correct garment, whoever makes the piece is clearly incompetent.Elizabeth faints due to the tightness of the corset— which she voices her concern over earlier in the film —and is sent falling into the sea.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The Curse of the Black Pearl is the film that kickstarted the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, a series of supernatural swashbuckling adventures. In 1720, blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate “Captain” Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor’s daughter Elizabeth Swann, from Jack’s former pirate allies, who are now undead.
But there’s more about theoutfit that puts her at riskother than the corset. The ridiculous amount of layers of the dress, the thick socks, and the clunky shoes all weigh her down. The moment Elizabeth is underwater, her outfit becomes heavier, and she sinks right to the bottom of the seabed. Without Jack Sparrow jumping in to save her, it’s likely Elizabeth would have drowned.
3Mia’s Beach Outfit
The Princess Diaries (2001)
Mia Thermopolis isn’t officially listed as a Disney Princess but actually isthe Princess of Genovia inThe Princess Diaries.Mia’s looks are very accurate for the early 2000s, especially her outfit at the beach party. While it’s not impractical, per se, the fact she pairs a purple sweater with a barely there tie-round green skirt is a baffling fashion choice.
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It’s astonishing that the skirt doesn’t completely fly off when the paparazzi arrive via helicopter. She also wears a pair of thick, foam-like, flip-flops that she has to dramatically pull off in order to run up the sandbank, away from the eyes of the journalists.
The Princess Diaries
The Princess Diaries follows Mia Thermopolis, a teenager who discovers she is the heir to the throne of a European kingdom. The film explores her journey from an ordinary student to embracing her royal heritage, confronting the challenges and transformations this revelation brings to her life.
The only redeeming thing about this moment is thatat least Mia realizes the impracticality of her outfit, but sadly, it’s only when her privacy is invaded. Thankfully, Mia’s taste in clothing improves in the sequel, and it’s exciting to think about what looks she’ll pull as Queen of Genovia in theupcomingmovieThe Princess Diaries 3.
2Jasmine’s Escape Outfit
Aladdin (1992)
Princess Jasmine’s outfit to escape the palace and dwell among the commoners inAladdinmay be practical for the temperature, butit is relatively useless as a disguise. The long, brown robes blend into her surroundings, and if she bothered to swap out anything underneath, she would likely have remained undercover. It’s irritating, seeing as her intentions are to try to stay off the royal guard’s radar.
Aladdin
Aladdin, directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, is an animated film featuring a street urchin who discovers a magical lamp. The story follows Aladdin’s adventures, including his encounters with Princess Jasmine and the villainous Jafar, who seeks to wield the lamp’s extraordinary powers to seize control.
Jasmine is one of the best Disney Princessesand her character design is iconic. She is immediately recognizable because of her statement jeweled headband and large gold earrings. However, that’s the issue, andwhen Jasmine pulls the scarf off her head, the guards know who she isstraight away.While she only reveals herself to save Aladdin, it doesn’t work, and it’s bizarre it doesn’t occur to her that her underlying jewelry may break the illusion before this.
1Ariel’s Makeshift Dress
The Little Mermaid (1989)
How Ariel’s makeshift dress inThe Little Mermaidcomes about is rather comical. When Ariel arrives at the surface, she has nothing to wear, having not realized that Ursula’s deal would cause her to transform into a human completely naked.Scuttle recommends Ariel should dress like a human, and so he takes a ship sail and rope to form a dress for her. It’s hilarious that both Ariel and Scuttle believe this is how humans dress themselves, let alone the fact that it’s not practical whatsoever.
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid is an animated fantasy film that follows the tale of Ariel, a mermaid princess who dreams of life on land. She falls in love with Prince Eric and makes a daring pact with the sea witch Ursula to become human, risking everything for love.
Realistically, Eric should be deeply confused by Ariel’s attire, but he doesn’t really notice.It’s difficult for Ariel to move aroundin the material wrapped around her, and she even struggles to climb onto the rock when an eager Max starts jumping and barking at her. However, it’s easy to ignore the impracticality of theDisneyPrincess outfitbecause of how happy Ariel is when she first tries it on, and her wholesome excitement is simply adorable.
