50 influential fictional women in nerd history

Belle

Name one bookworm of a girl who didn’t relate to Princess Belle growing up. You really can’t. As someone who has spent their entire life saying that Beauty and the Beast is her favorite movie, I can safely say that Belle helped girls everywhere realize they can like books without worrying about what others think.

Belle is depicted as this odd girl who would much rather be reading than doing anything else. And for many girls, that was their reality. We’re taught to love reading and love books, but then as we age, we’re supposed to forgo it to focus our energy on our looks and boys.

But Belle taught young girls everywhere that they didn’t have to give up the things they love to find love. A lot of people give Disney slack because their movies often teach girls what they need to do to get a man. Really though, if you look at the characters separated from their love stories, the lessons the princesses teach us help girls take notice of their own quirks and let them know they can embrace those things about themselves.

For bookish girls, they can look to Belle and feel as if they can walk around with their nose in a book — and that’s important to embrace.