I just saw an advertisement showing that Beauty and the Beast, is being re-released this weekend. Since I love this movie, I thought it would be fitting to start my series on relationships with a lesson learned from a Disney movie.

When I was growing up, the Disney princes were what us young girls thought of as our "dream" guys.  Huesmann (1988) suggests that when children view television, they learn about many aspects of society. They gain knowledge of the attitudes and behaviours that are acceptable to society. The children learn from television by copying the behaviours that are portrayed on it. Therefore, if a behaviour is shown on television to be acceptable and valued by their society, the children will learn to emulate that behaviour.

If you haven't seen Beauty and the Beast, you should watch it, as the movie is a classic.

I learned the valuable lesson of "Digging Deep" from watching Beauty and the Beast.

The Beast is portrayed to be really aggressive and unsightly, someone that you shouldn't want to fall in love with.  Initially, you think "Why would Belle want him? He's not attractive, and he's really angry." However, throughout the course of the movie, Belle spends more time with him and you realize there is a connection between them. (Or should I say, there is something there that wasn't there before :) )

At the end of the movie, Belle falls for the Beast despite his appearance and kisses him.  Their kiss breaks his spell, and he is transformed back into the super "attractive" prince that he was before the spell.

The movie taught me and everyone else who watched it that when it comes to relationships, the inside is more important than the physical appearance.

See, I still remember the valuable lessons I learned from watching Disney movies!!  Maybe I should think of the other lessons I learned.  Thank you, Disney, for influencing individuals in a positive way.

It's funny, because I haven't seen the movie in years; yet, I remember the story and the lyrics to all the songs.  Funny how that happens.

My question of the day for you is:  If you saw "The Beast" in person or his picture on an online dating site, would you talk to him or ignore him?

Thoughts?

Have you learned any life lessons from watching Disney Movies? If so, what?

Thank you for reading and your presence at this beach retreat. You Rock! I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts in the comment section below.

See you at the beach!

Related articles

• 7 Grown-Up Lessons from your Favorite Disney Movies (BrazenCareerist.com, April 2012)