#RespectThePrincesses

[marie95disneygirl]

The Joke That Wasn't Meant to Be Taken Seriously

Let’s just take a second to talk about the Tangled series and why it ruined Rapunzel’s character, the romance, and—frankly—the entire message Disney was trying to send.

First of all, that line about marriage at the end of Tangled? Yeah, it was meant to be a joke, not some deep statement about how marriage is a trap. It was a joke. If you honestly think that line means “they waited years to get married,” then you clearly missed the tone and context of the movie. Let’s look at Tangled Ever After, made by the same creators, and the flower girls haven’t aged at all. How convenient, right? If it had truly been “years later,” they would’ve been different ages. Disney’s own Royal Theater at Disneyland even says the marriage happened pretty quickly after the events of the movie. So why are people still pretending this wasn’t meant to be a funny line?

But what really gets under my skin is how this series twists everything about Rapunzel and Flynn. In the movie, Rapunzel was literally willing to die for Flynn. She risked everything for him, gave up her entire life, and it was clear from the start how deeply she loved him. She made her choice immediately. Now, suddenly, in the series, Rapunzel’s completely unrecognizable. She’s toxic. She lets people insult Flynn, keeps secrets from him, draws his face on a punching bag, and even travels back in time to rewrite his personality. Why does she reject his proposal? Seriously, what happened to the girl who was ready to give up everything for him?

This is a huge problem because, in the 18th century (when the story is set), people had to marry young to be together—especially women and even more so if you were a princess. Princesses were typically married off at 16! So, the idea that Rapunzel should’ve “waited” is just completely unrealistic. Not to mention, nobody should stay with someone after their proposal is rejected. I get that modern relationships might be more flexible, but in the context of the time this story takes place, marriage was the only way to be socially and physically together. Marriage was not a prison, it was the only option, and that’s exactly why Cinderella, Ariel, and even Aurora got married young. It made sense for their time.

But Tangled re-wrote this whole idea. The series isn’t even canon, and anyone who thinks it is clearly doesn’t understand how much the original film was supposed to stand on its own. The series was written by someone completely different, and it disrespects the core of the story. Disney never intended for Rapunzel to reject Flynn's proposal—that line in the movie was clearly meant as a joke, a playful moment. The idea that she needed to "see the world" before marrying him is just a modern, revisionist take that ignores the historical reality. Women at that time didn’t have the luxury of time—marriage was a necessity for survival, for freedom, for everything.

And here’s the thing: the original Rapunzel accepted her prince’s proposal the first time, and that was completely appropriate for her time. She wasn’t some naive, easily manipulated girl. She was a woman living under strict societal rules where an unmarried couple dating was a scandal, especially with the fear of out-of-wedlock pregnancies. Why are we pretending that wasn’t part of the original story? Why act like a woman’s personal, historical decision was “wrong” just because it doesn’t fit with modern ideals?

We need to stop disrespecting the original Rapunzel and sending such a terrible message that marriage is a prison. The whole idea that the modern feminist narrative has to erase historical context is frustrating. The Tangled series doesn’t just discredit Rapunzel’s original story—it disrespects history. And for what? So we can all pretend marriage was some form of oppression? It wasn’t. It was a necessity, and pretending that it was anything else is historical revisionism at its worst.

Let’s just be real here: the series isn’t canon, it doesn't align with the movie's intent, and it insults the legacy of the Brothers Grimm’s original work. So stop rewriting history, stop disrespecting the original characters, and start understanding the context of the time in which these fairy tales were set. Marriage wasn’t oppression—it was survival. And the next time someone tells you that Rapunzel rejected Flynn’s proposal because she needed to “find herself,” remind them that the royal theater says they didn’t wait long to marry. Get real, people.