A True Princess

(Written by Miss Illinois US Beauties Jordan, published in the "Celebrating the Success of the Modern Woman Online Magazine" on 12/14/09)

Anyone who has a daughter or a young female relative knows how popular Princesses are among little girls these days.  The explosion of what I call Disney Princess “paraphernalia” has mostly brought this about.  Even teenage girls love the idea of being a Princess.  One of my signature quotes is “Every girl between the ages of 3 and 90 wants to wear a crown on her head.”  But amidst all of the little girls and young women walking around with toy crowns on their heads and inserting the word “Princess” in front of their names, I wonder to myself if anyone knows what being a Princess really means?  From my own observations, I think that many girls have an idea of what they believe a Princess is…a beautiful woman in a crown who has a perfect life and gets whatever she wants and can do whatever she wants…but that perception is far from the true definition of what it means to be a Princess.  That is why I would like to illustrate the true meaning of being a Princess.

A Princess does not always get her way, but instead knows and accepts that rules must be followed and that disappointments & losses happen in life.  Being a Princess does not mean always being the center of attention; a Princess knows when to step aside and share the limelight.  A Princess does not tear down her fellow ladies in order to feel better about herself, but instead supports them in their endeavors and praises their accomplishments & attributes…even if they outshine her own.  Being a Princess does not mean living a life of leisure; but rather it is a lifetime commitment of service to others.  A Princess does not ignore or promote the suffering or injustice of others, but works tirelessly to fight suffering and injustice wherever she sees it.  Being a Princess does not mean having all of the best material possessions in the world for herself; a Princess is willing to share what she has with someone in need.  A Princess does not need revealing clothing, tanning, or tons of make-up to make her feel beautiful, because she already knows that her true beauty shows itself from within.  A Princess does not brag about what she possesses or has accomplished, because she knows that her accomplishments speak for themselves.  A Princess does not have to work hard to get attention from people; she can command attention by simply walking into a room with her head held high.  And most importantly, a Princess does not take for granted her high rank or title and use it to look down upon others, belittle others, or cause suffering to others.  A Princess knows that her title is a privilege and uses it for good purposes wherever she can as a token of gratitude towards God and those who bestowed it upon her.