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peregrine21 · 10 months

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“Royal Gala Escapade” - Alexandra Privet x Fem!Reader

Pairing: Alexandra Privet x Reader (Barbie Princess Charm School)

Includes: fluff/angst

Warnings: homophobia/forced dances w suitor guys

Word Count: 2,266 (wow I hit 2000?! Such a rarity :o)

Brief Description: Alexandra is your Lady Royal and your parents threw a ball with suitors to find a prince to marry you off to before they hand down the throne. Oops turns out you’ve been secretly dating your lady royal for a year and a half and that may or may not come to light in front of everyone t the ball. Initial reactions not so great but Alexandra is there for you through it all :)

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You were finishing up your makeup as Alexandra curled your hair for you in preparation for the royal gala. This was a major gala set up by your parents to finally find you a suitor, and you were already anxious. Little to their knowledge, your continued distaste in the princes wasn’t just due to some of their demeanors or appearances. Even you could admit several of them were quite handsome, well mannered, chivalrous, and respectful. They deserved a princess who could truly love them, but that wasn’t you. Your heart already belonged to Alexandra. Publicly, she was merely seen as your lady royal; behind closed doors, however, there was much more between the two of you. Royals weren’t known to take same-sex courting lightly, as they saw it as a threat to their lineages, so you both decided to keep your relationship secret. You'd have nothing to worry about if only your parents weren’t traditionalists who wanted their daughter married to a prince before handing down the throne.

As you stared into the mirror touching up your eyeliner, Alexandra noticed the nervous look on your face, “it’ll be fine darling, we’ll be together all night.” You close the felt tip pen momentarily and give it an extra shake, “I know love, but I still don’t think our courtship will go over lightly if it gets out tonight. I'm just afraid of what could happen”. Alexandra combed through your curls with her fingers to fluff them out. “Well whatever happens, I’ll be right there with you”. After a few more touch ups in comfortable silence, a knock on the door could be heard, followed by the butler’s voice: “Princess, you are expected to enter in 5 minutes”. “She’s just about ready, we’ll be right down!” Alexandra called back. You gave her a nervous glance and she cupped your cheek in her hand, rubbing it over with her thumb before leaning in for a light kiss. “I’ll be right with you darling, promise.” All you could muster was a small smile before she led you out the door, her hand on your lower back as you walked to the grand staircase for your entrance.

You reach the top of the staircase and take a deep breath, Alexandra’s hand still on your back. After a few minutes, your name and title are announced, followed by Alexandra’s name and position as your Lady Royal. Upon hearing your names, the two of you begin the descent down the staircase. You exhale as you descend the extensive and elaborately embellished staircase, not one person in the room looking away from you. Your appearance wasn’t what worried you; Alexandra had made sure every detail of that was perfect. It was the line of princes at the bottom of the staircase and the hushed voices of guests bidding on which one you’ll pick. Upon reaching the bottom of the steps, each prince was announced one by one followed by the proper formalities: their name was called, they bowed, and you curtsied and thanked them for coming to the event. Of course all of this being purely ceremonial, there was nothing much to look into. But that didn't stop guests from reading into each greeting to see if you favored any of the princes more than the others. One prince, Nicolosi, was definitely bolder than the others as he called claims on the first dance with you in his greeting to which you couldn’t say no without being seen as rude or uncouth. Naturally, after the formal greetings were over the king, your father, announced for the ball to commence. Nicolosi was quick to take your hand and pull you to the center of the ballroom. The music began, and the two of you started a waltz as the rest of the guests danced around you, giving ample distance for the both of you to have space and some sort of private conversation. He tried to get to know you, asking about interests, opinions, and more baseline questions as if this was some sort of school orientation. You entertained his small talk until the dance was over and you were able to thank him and part ways. To your annoyance, however, it didn’t even take 15 seconds for the next prince, Alexander, to come and ask for a dance. Similarly, he made small talk as the two of you danced; it didn't take much effort or thought as royals were taught ballroom dancing from a young age. Alexander, au contraire to Nicolosi, chose the conversation questions of what you were looking for in a relationship to which you attempted to answer vaguely as not to give anything away. The next prince, Bradley, delved into opinions on political and social matters which led to some disagreement and an awkward second half of your dance. Of course following was Gabriel, Theodore, Tristan, and probably a dozen more lined up. After half a dozen dances and forced conversations, you had to excuse yourself to take a breather.

Both your parents - as well as Alexandra - followed suit as you made your way to the banquet for something to drink and dine on. Your father tried to dismiss Alexandra but you insisted she stay with you as you took a breather from all the princes prying and prodding with their questions and conversations. You started to fill a plate as he attempted to gauge your feelings toward the princes, but you ignored his questions and made your way up to your place at the table with Alexandra. The princes were next to fill their plates and the general guests after. As you ate, you did have to answer to some of your parents’ prodding but remained vague and still showed a general disinterest in all the suitors thus far. Even in the slightly passing thought of settling for one, you couldn't bring yourself to consider any of them. The only thing making this slightly bearable was finally having Alexandra with you again as she rubbed your arm as a form of silent support. You observed the princes as they ate, noticing much roughing around, several spills, loud laughs and remarks, and more. You couldn't help but roll your eyes at their lack of etiquette, cleanliness, and maturity. Once your appetite had been sustained, and slightly diminished, you rested your head on Alexandra’s shoulder as you continued to spectate the crowd and observe the behaviors of the suitors. You noticed your mother with a concerned look glancing at you and couldn’t tell if it was because of the boys’ behavior or your outward affection towards Alexandra. You almost stopped caring, unable to imagine a happy future where you settled for one of the princes. There was a massive chance your relationship with Alexandra would finally be exposed tonight given your parents wanted a choice made by the end of the night. Alexandra noticed the worry on your face and the tension your body held and placed a hand on your thigh, rubbing it with her thumb. You took a deep breath and exhaled in exasperation, and she turned her head slightly in your direction, “Whatever your decision, I’ll be right there with you.” You smiled as she raised her voice, clearly wanting your father to hear her next statement, “I understand this is all a lot for you, but I’m absolutely sure your father wants nothing more than your happiness.” He agreed with her statement as you both looked over at him. “Exactly! I know you haven’t been keen on all this romantic stuff, but it would be too overwhelming to rule the kingdom on your own. It’s not that your mother and I want to rush you into marriage, we just don’t want to put the entire weight of the kingdom on you alone. And, of course, we want you to be happy with whoever you decide to start a courtship with. That’s why we made sure you’d have so many options tonight.” You understood his reasoning and told him so, but still were nervous on how he would take your decision. As much as his reaction sounded like he’d be open to you courting your lady royal, it didn’t seem definite.

The dinner concluded, and the ball became more of an informal mingling. Several of the suitors had become intoxicated and started acting more brash and uncouth. You made your way back down to the main floor with Alexandra in tow, choosing a quieter area this time towards a wall. In a few moments, Bradly noticed the both of you and walked over, his gait wobbly, and leaned against the wall with his hand. You started to scoot back, but he adjusted his position to be right over you. Some of the other princes started to gather nearby, either watching what he would do or waiting for their own moment with you. You tried scooting away but then Bradly planted his other hand down boxing you in, “nuh-uh, noohh, you’re not going anywhere, you’re such a pretty little thing. Why waste it on them when you could have me, I –” Alexandra quickly cut him off as she pulled you out from under his arm and into her own, “I’d say that’s quite enough, this is not how a prince is supposed to act.” He stood up, visibly aggravated, “Who are YOU, … to tell ME,.. how to act?!, YOU’RE just an assistant, … I’M a prince, … so I think you–”

“ENOUGH!” You cut him off. “I’m not picking any of you!” Your father stood from his seat in shock, your mother with a jaw dropped expression just the same. “You know who I pick?, I pick Alexandra! That’s FINAL! She treats me with care and respect! She can tell when something is off and knows how to help! She has more elegance, maturity, manners, and skill than ANY of you have exhibited thus far during and prior to this ball!”. The entire room was silent, and Alexandra held onto you ready to make a run for it as the tension built in the room. Sure enough princes started screaming and throwing their fits, guests were going wild between their own confusion and the bets several of them had placed on which prince would be chosen. You were overwhelmed with all the yelling and chaos that your frustrated outburst had started. Alexandra, however, was ready. She snapped you out of it and pulled you out the nearest door and into the garden. You both ran, some suitors and guests following. She took you through turns and passages, losing the crowd before running up to your room and locking the door. The chaos was too much, and you just threw yourself onto the bed, her plopping beside you. After a few minutes, you were finally able to collect yourself a bit and take in the reality of what had just happened. You started laughing. Tears formed in your eyes, and Alexandra also laughed beside you. Neither of you really knew how to feel but just had to get all of the tension out of your systems.

“Did I really just do that?” you turned your head to look at her. “I believe you did, darling,” she turned her head to look back at you. “Well, I suppose it’s out now, though all those princes might be mad at me for a while. I don’t take it they’ll fancy coming to our wedding”, you laughed at the latter half of your statement. Alexandra just looked at you wide eyed with the most loving look of admiration gracing her face, “You mean…” You smiled, “Yes darling, I mean I would like to marry you. If you’ll have me, that is.” “Yes! Yes, I’ll have you!” tears formed in her eyes. Neither of you had ever thought you’d really get to this point; it had always seemed like a far out fever dream that you two would ever actually marry each other. "What about your parents, will they be alright with you marrying me?” she asked, a concerned look on her face. You turned on your side and cupped her cheek in your hand, “Why don’t we worry about that tomorrow, and for now… can we just cuddle up and sleep? I kinda don’t want to worry about anything else for tonight.” She giggled and replied, “I think that sounds like a plan,” before getting up and taking your hand in hers to pull you up with her. She then helped you out of your gown and the two of you got out of your formal attire, pulled down your hair, and took off your makeup before cuddling up together and turning in for the night.

About an hour later, your father opened your door quietly and once he saw you two were there and fast asleep, closed it with a small smile. He had said after all that your happiness came first and he could see Alexandra brought that to you. Frankly, he was glad to know you would be in a loving relationship with her rather than in a questionable one after observing the princes’ behaviors himself at the ball. Although this was rather new and unconventional, your happiness was most important to him and your mother, and they would figure out how to deal with any discourse amongst other royals if need be. There was no reason to worry you about that when you had finally chosen your queen and had a wedding to plan. This was a time for you to be happy with your soon to be wife.

The End :)

Writer’s speech:

Hope it’s alright, I haven’t really written in a hot second (lol sorry for that, I’ll try my best not to go awol for a massively extensive period of time again). I guess this would be the first x reader with Alexandra that I’m aware of which I have been saying I’d write for a while now. Anyway, expect more to come, I have several plans and probably some Nana Bassler (anime: Plunderer) x Fem!Reader coming up next. Def will have some extra fluffy romance and flirting planned for her as well as a few spicy fics in the works as well :) Hope y’all have been doing well and I look forward to engaging with y’all and providing y’all with more content soon!

Note: I would also be glad to get “x fem reader” ideas and maybe requests for the characters I write for, I will be sure to make a post listing those characters later. May also set up a formal sign up for tag lists.

#barbie #barbie princess charm school #miss privet #miss privet x reader #alexandra privet #alexandra privet x reader #miss alexandra privet #miss alexandra privet x reader #lady royal #princess reader #x-reader #romantic #angst #forbidden romance #courtships #royal ball

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pinkacademic · 1 year

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How Barbie: Princess Charm School engages with Class Inequality

Barbie: Princess Charm School engages with class inequality by presenting a story of someone being given the opportunities to escape their class experience. The twentieth film in the Barbie movies franchise of pink powerful (mostly) princesses is the tale of an unwitting princess raised in poverty and “unlocking her princess potential.”

In the fictional land of Gardania, Blair Willows is a hardworking young woman who is granted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the titular Princess Charm School and train as a lady royal, giving her the skills necessary for a job in a royal household. It would put her up, likely for life, and allow her to fund her sick mother’s medical care and give her sister opportunities that Blair most likely hadn’t had at the same age.

While Blair does discover that she is in fact the long-presumed dead Princess Sofia, true heir to the Gardanian throne, she actually spends the majority of the movie’s runtime fighting the uphill battle against class inequality as the only commoner among the future princesses and well-off lady royals.

To preface, herein is an analysis of the plot and how aspects of Blair’s class background affects her character, but also brief interludes for speculation, though, as often as possible, it is inspired by or compared to real-life equivelents, due to Gardania being a fictional place.

A Brief Summary of Barbie: Princess Charm School

For those who do not follow Barbie movies as closely as gospel, like I have no shame in doing, Barbie: Princess Charm School is the story of Blair Willows, a young woman who wins the opportunity to attend a prestigious school, and who during her time there, discovers she is the presumed-dead Princess Sofia. During her time in Princess Charm School, Blair uncovers cruel plots by the devious Dame Devin, who is determined to put her daughter Delancey on the throne. She also meets Headmistress Alexandra Privet who tutors her in the skills she’ll need to pass her year in school, and Princesses Hadley and Isla who become her confidantes- and provide the necessary exposition.

Blair also meets Delancey Devin, who goes against her mother’s wishes and helps Blair, Hadley, and Isla to discover the truth, and places Gardania’s Magical Crown on Blair’s head, which reveals her to truly be the heir to the throne.

You can tell she’s Not Yet a Princess

Blair’s background is established from the opening scene of the film, which is a montage to the song “You can tell she’s a Princess.” While obviously the song is direct and blatant foreshadowing Blair’s identity being revealed later, it also sets up the movie’s key ideal that “there’s a princess in every girl.” How Blair shows this is through her hard work.

We see in the montage that Blair opens the Café Gardania in the morning, performing all of the necessary duties such as setting up the tables and chairs outside as well as the sign, and setting out the baked goods. We see her serving customers throughout the day, picking up tips to take home, and closing up the café in the evening.

Speculation: It is unclear who owns the café, and if it is a chain etc. Blair is the only worker seen, and what I consider to be likely is that the café was originally owned by her mother, with Blair working in it and possibly dropping out of school to help as her mother’s illness progressed, finally taking over.

Speculation: Blair gets access to all of the tips due to the café having belonged to her mother before her illness became too much for her. Blair has taken over in recent years, with it being likely that she never finished school and dropped out to make money to keep her family afloat. This may also be why the family are able to survive for a short period of time when Blair goes to Princess Charm School.

Regardless, it is clear that Blair is working hard in a working class position, establishing the position from which this essay will operate. As a note on the nature of speculations made within the essay, the majority of real-world comparisons will be made with Los Angeles, California due to it being a major city near El Segundo, the home of Mattel, and Malibu, the home of the character of Barbie Roberts and her family within her fictional universe separate to Gardania.

Living in a Blight

This establishment of Blair’s working class status indicates the first aspect of Blair’s class that is addressed in the movie, and that she works against over the course of the story: housing. Of course, not everyone can live in a castle, and while Blair is of course not expected to before Princess Charm School, the castle does serve as a vehicle to convey how Blair is faced with housing inequality.

When Blair gets home from her long day at work, we see that the Willows family lives in what is notably a “poorer area,” as Dame Devin later describes it as. We see the train track, which would cause noise polution, immediately making the area seem less-desirable. Blair also states that she wished they could live in a “better area,” and hoping for a “better place for [Emily] to grow up,” making it clear that it is not the place that Blair would ideally choose for her younger sister.

Speculation: It is implied also that the Willows family had to move from a nicer area, likely due to needing to save money for Blair’s adoptive mother’s medical bills. It is stated that Blair was found on a doorstep, heavily implying that the family used to have a doorstep, and a nicer home attached, likely in the suburbs.

Naturally, moving into a private school attached to a palace could certainly create feelings of inadequacy in Blair, and shows the stark contrast between what she had just come from. According to privateschoolreview.com, typical private school tuition in Los Angeles is over $16,000 USD in 2023, and according to salary.com, average waitress salary in Los Angeles is in the range of $23,000 usd, which means that without the lottery, living in Princess Charm School would be inaffordable for Blair. But it isn’t just the cost that makes the housing inequality obvious- it is the ammenities that Princess Charm School offers; this is not in reference to ammenities that might aid in education such as the ballroom and pool, but rather the vault and the security system.

The palace has an extensive vault full of trinkets beyond just the famous Magical Crown. It features references to Barbie movies such as a nutcracker toy, but what it represents is security beyond literal security for one’s possesions: it represents the financial security for possesions worth keeping secure.

When Blair enters her home, we see no visible lock, and while it presumably exists, it doesn’t quite compare to the impressive bank-type vault storage room in the palace. Vaults of this nature are comparable to the likes of Fort Knox, which, while it is significantly less-penetrable than Dame Devin’s date-based passcode, holds a significant amount of the USA’s resources.

On the same note, Hadley is familiar with the laser security system that is seen outside the main body of the vault. While laser systems as shown in the movie only exist to add drama in cinema, the kind of system can be implemented, and one to the scope of the vault would be expensive to set-up. While according to homeimprovementcents.com the upfront costs can be inexpensive, “if you want a more advanced system, you will need to pay more (…) you can spend more than you anticipated or within the budget range you had initially hoped for.”

It doesn’t appear that the Willows family have the kind of budget for even a lower-level security system. And of course, they don’t seem to have much worth stealing, with value of the sentimental variety being the key worth anything seems to hold.

One of the most major plot points of Barbie: Princess Charm School, and the one that largely prompts Delancey towards her own redemption, is Dame Devin’s plot to displace the less-fortunate people of Gardania, including Blair’s building specifically, in order to build a park. This is an aspect of housing inequality related to class as it is a distinct parallel to the history of Central Park- or rather, Seneca Village.

Note: While Los Angeles and wider California have similar issues, Central Park’s history as Seneca Village is an on-the-money comparison, as well as being arguably the best known.

The official Central Park website explains the history of the park:

“Before Central Park was created, the landscape along what is now the Park’s perimeter from West 82nd to West 89th Street was the site of Seneca Village, a community of predominantly African-Americans, many of whom owned property.”

The website also relays the destruction of the Village, noting that, “[t]here were roughly 1,600 inhabitants displaced throughout the area,” and that “[a]lthough landowners were compensated, many argued that their land was undervalued.”

This history strongly parralels not only similar events in the areas surrounding Barbie’s home of California, such as Bruce’s Beach, but also of Blair’s home in Gardania. Dame Devin refers to Gardania’s “poorer areas” as a “blight to the otherwise beautiful community,” announcing her plan, in Delancey’s name, to “bulldoze the buildings” in order to make room for “beautiful, rolling parks.” Upon Blair’s protests, Dame Devin states that the poor families will simply move elsewhere, to which Blair points out that those people can’t afford to “just pick up and move,” as Dame Devin implies.

“Comfortable? She should be all better!”

Taking a trip back to the earlier scenes, as Blair settles down in front of the old tv that has to be hit to function, we meet the representation of the next aspect of Blair’s class inequality. The reason for Blair being the sole-earner is her adoptive mother’s ill-health. While it is unclear what her mother ails from, it seems to be an on-going medical condition.

According to the Guardian, “[m]illions of Americans – as many as 25% of the population – are delaying getting medical help because of skyrocketing costs.” We can gather from dialogue that Blair’s adoptive mother has seen a doctor recently, but the jar of loose coins emphasises the scarcity of money to pay for these visits.

Meanwhile, to compare to one of the only living monarchs in real life, an article by StyleCaster states that “King Charles’s net worth is $600 million.”

It can be assumed that the princesses and non-commoner lady royals would be able to pay for Blair’s mother’s medical bills, but Blair does not have that kind of money. Even if we were to assume that princesses are more like senators than real-world royals, given the sheer number of princess graduates in Blair’s class, we can compare to Senator Alex Padilla of California who, according to incomepedia.com ”earns anywhere from $174,000-$200,000 annually.”

While that’s not exactly comparable to King Charles, it is not exactly comparable to Blair’s hypothesised $23,000 either.

Ultimately, any of the princesses could likely pay for Blair’s mother’s medical bills, and Blair just would not have that money without the Princess Charm School scholarship.

Royal Skills put to the Test

The mention of the scholarship thus brings us to the point that dominates the majority of the plot of the movie: education inequality as a result of class. Blair is awarded the amazing opportunity to attend Princess Charm School on a scholarship as rewarded by the annual lottery, which Headmistress Privet refers to as a chance to “change her life forever.”

However, while sprites such as Grace exist in Princess Charm School with the role of personal princess assistants, the lottery win is not the magic-wand solution Blair’s sister Emily seems to have hoped.

Headmistress Privet informs Blair that “only twenty-seven percent” of the lottery girls even make it to graduation, meaning Blair has just over a one-in-four chance of getting the “better life” for Emily and her mother.

This chart by slate.com highlights the very same point that Headmistress Privet warns Blair about: how likely it is that she will not be able to complete her year in Princess Charm School. She asks Blair if she “has what it takes,” but as this chart displays, it might not even matter how hard she works: If we compare becoming a princess or lady royal to a bachelor’s degree, Blair as a low-income student has to give it her all just to have a comparable chance to a middle-of-the-road princess.

Speculation: It is unclear as to whether Princess Charm School is more comparable to a university or high school setting, as it seems to be a one year course. That said, most of the students seem to have an established knowledge of how the school operates, indicating that it is more like a high school and they have all been there for three years prior to the film’s beginning, especially as we see classes going on as Blair enters.

The last point of the speculation is the most crucial, however- classes ongoing implies that Blair is either joining mid-year or before the start of the final year of multiple. It puts her at a distinct disadvantage compared to her peers.

The system of Princess Charm School, regardless of unclear details of the nature of the institution, works against Blair as she tries to advance, with her family as her constant motivation. Just like how the same article on slate.com references that:

“sociologists Elizabeth Armstrong and Laura Hamilton documented the ways that one large state flagship university sacrificed the needs of poorer undergrads in order to cater to the desires of mediocre but wealthy students looking to spend four years tailgating and doing keg stands,”

Dame Devin shows favouritism to Portia, a princess who is visibly failing a class exercise, over Blair, who Dame Devin actively wants to saboutage. In her poise lesson, Dame Devin instructs the princesses and lady royals in how to maintain correct posture and walk elegantly while balancing books on their heads. Dame Devin gives harsh criticism to the majority of the class such as comparing one girl to a “migrating duck,” and suggesting another seems “crazy,” but Portia, who is shown to seemingly be one of few friends her daughter Delancey has is “doing fine” even though she is carrying the book over her head.

In fact, Dame Devin sighs and put her head in her hand upon witnessing Portia’s inability to perform the task, in a way that implies this might be a common occurance. Teachers in Princess Charm School are well-used to Portia’s incompetance, and yet, it is Blair who is “utterly unfit for the royal life.”

Speculation: Portia’s kingdom is considered one of the most important to maintain a relationship with for Gardania, hence her getting away with this when no one else does, and hence her being Delancey’s friend.

Dame Devin’s petition to Headmistress Privet for Blair’s expulsion is also an indication of another aspect of education inequality as a result of class, as, instead of expelling Blair, Headmistress Privet offers to tutor her personally. This in and of itself has aspects, the first being another addressing of income, as Tutors.com states that “[o]n average, a private tutor costs between $25 and $80 an hour.” And, again, Blair’s potential income is not likely to account for such things.

But also, noting Headmistress Privet’s earlier note of only 27% of lottery girls making it to graduation, would more of them have succeeded if they’d also been given the same chance as Blair? Is the vast majority of these girls failing a result of lottery girls being as “unfit” for the world of princesses and lady royals, or is it a result of a failure in the system that Blair was luckily handed the opportunity to avoid?

An article in the Guardian outlines a tutoring scheme that involved university students volunteering as tutors, and highlights that one student says “the one-to-one support has “really made a difference” to her understanding of the key concepts in biology.” So, if that same logic could have been supplied to many of the lottery girls that had come before Blair, who knows how many could have become lady royals with their “pick of any lady royal position,” just as Headmistress Privet said Blair could.

Blair’s friendship with Hadley and Isla, while both of them lift her up as best as they can, serves to emphasise the gaps in knowledge Blair has as a result of class-based education inequality, be it due to losing time in school from having been working, or by the lower standard of education she’d have been used to at that point. Going back to the article on slate.com, “the Department of Education found that slightly less than ten percent of high schoolers from poorer families had top math scores, compared to 48 percent of those from wealthier backgrounds.” While the example here is maths, Blair’s history knowledge of her own country compared to her royal counterparts is lacking to a similar degree. It is Hadley and Isla who tell Blair about Gardania’s Magical Crown and the rumours about the car crash that killed Queen Isabella and King Reginald. Without their knowledge, the trio would never have placed the true heir of Gardania on the throne.

Mother and Daughter: Pulling up the Ladder, and Lowering it Back Down

Making a return to the devious Dame Devin, her actions are an example of “pulling the ladder up behind oneself,” which addresses an issue in class-climbing that can be prominant in leadership positions. We learn from Hadley and Isla that Dame Devin was once a lottery girl too, but is now hellbent on Blair’s distruction, appealing to Headmistress Privet for her expulsion from the school. Of course, we learn later that it is due to a far more sinister plot for power, but nevertheless, Dame Devin’s actions represent a huge class-related issue. The Australian newspaper The Sunday Morning Herald wrote an article about women in positions of power who, according to Lucy Brogden, “were refusing to help other women repeat their success.” If Dame Devin had had half the heart that Delancey has of her own volition later on, she could have recognised herself in Blair, recognised her own struggles, and been the one to tutor her. She could have helped every lottery girl between herself and Blair.

Instead, her jealousy and her desire for the throne- and her desire to keep her murderous past hidden, no doubt- kept her from showing kindness, and ultimately led to her downfall.

But Delancey chooses another path:

The other key aspect of why the plan succeeds is Delancey’s reformation. Her leaving a window open for the girls within the palace walls is what allows them to get anywhere near the vault. Going against her mother, Delancey is able to lower the ladder back down. Where in the Sunday Herald article Mrs Brogden states:

“Women argue that far from nurturing the growth of other female talent, they see colleagues pushing aside possible competitors by undermining their self confidence and professional standing,”

Delancey chooses to stand against that, stating she “want[s] what’s right.”

And actually, that’s a rarely-seen example of class interaction: the wealthier choosing to join a lower class status and handing the higher status to another, which is the undoing of Dame Devin. Because Delancey handing Blair the crown, lowering the ladder to her is how Blair is not only able to climb up too, but to offer something back: Delancey’s lady royal tiara.

Crowns on our Heads, Lights in the Air

And thus leads us to the concluding point that the film wants us to reach. While not every working class young woman can be the secret princess, Blair and Delancey’s swapping of roles is proof of Blair’s final words that end the film: “there’s a princess in every girl.” This is a representation of how Barbie: Princess Charm School engages with class inequality- by addressing many aspects of class, the damage that can be done, and how much work it will take to undo that damage- but by working together, Blair, Hadley, Isla, and Delancey and able to create something more powerful than the differences between them.

Barbie: Princess Charm School represents the class struggle of a young woman who did not have access to the same things as her princess peers by showing every aspect of class that Blair has to overcome in order to arrive at the position that she is in at the end. But it also shows that, it is the actions of those with the privileges that truly make it possible for Blair to attain the crown.

It is Hadley and Isla who bridge the gaps in her knowledge, Headmistress Privet who teaches her the skills she’ll need to govern, and Delancey who hands her the crown. Even tiny acts of kindness such as Miranda handing Blair a slice of strawberry swirl are the kinds of details that keep Blair going, and without which, Dame Devin would be using her daughter as a puppet to drive Gardania into the ground.

Blair’s hard work gets her far, but it is her Princess Charm School allies that allow her to overcome class inequality once and for all, which is truly the most important aspect of how Barbie: Princess Charm School addresses class inequality.

#long post #sorry #essay #pink #academia #pink academia #pink academic #barbie #barbie movies #barbie princess charm school #class inequality

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