When Princess(es) Will Sing: Girls Rock and Alternative Queer Interpretation

The phenomenal commercial success of 2013 Disney’s animated musical film Frozen has been instrumental in redefining the narrative of the princess character in traditional fairy tales. Elsa, Princess of Arendelle in the film, who sings to the score of ‘Let It Go’, best represents this transformative femininity that is assertive and independent. Nearly a quarter century prior to the release of Frozen, in the land of the bubble economy, Japanese audience witnessed the immense popularity of an all-girl rock band called Princess Princess whose music represents not a singular form but multiple forms of alternative femininity. This chapter examines the ways in which the music and life courses during and after the professional careers of the Princess Princess band members represent equivocal femininity through which audiences are able to explore alternative gender identities. Music by Princess Princess can, therefore, be read as a feminist-queer critique of heteronormative portrayal of princess figures most commonly found in Disney’s popular renditions of classic fairy tales such as Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. Employing critical analyses on the heteronormative discourses of princess as a male other-oriented figure, this chapter sheds new light upon an intersection of popular music, queer theory, and fairy tales studies.