I find it sad that we, the lucky ones who grew up in veritably the golden age of Disney films, have become jaded about the classic stories.

A recent letter about this issue brings up several comments about the heroine of "The Little Mermaid," and goes on to say that we must "examine why our patriarchal society is still creating these images today."

It is important to note that, while Disney made this particular film, the story itself was written by Hans Christian Andersen in the 1830s. Ariel may be a little misguided, but Disney didn't create her that way.

I may be biased in the next point because Belle is definitely my favorite princess, but undertones of domestic abuse in "Beauty and the Beast" seem to me to be far more prevalent in the would-be suitor Gaston.

He is domineering, egotistical and verbally abusive to everyone around him, but Belle rebukes him and stands up when few others have that conviction.

It also seems worth noting that she sticks with the Beast because she became his prisoner in order to save her father, not because she is attracted to him. Being nice to him is simply a part of her strong personality, and she makes the best of the situation by improving it however she can.

It also seems unfair to draw comparisons between young girls' reactions to the film and their likelihood of being in an abusive relationship later in life; surely few of the children would even be capable of answering a question about domestic violence at that stage in their lives.

All that being said, the critics have had their say too - and it seems Disney listened, given the heroine of "The Princess and the Frog." Tiana is a hard-working young lady who doesn't even have time for boys because she's motivated to accomplish her own goals in life.

Those goals have nothing to do with romance, even if she finds it along the way. As a college student probably outside the intended demographic, even I was inspired by her dedication to a dream and attitude toward life.

Time should keep speaking up about issues of sexism and stereotypes, but perhaps redirect their attention to a more worthwhile topic: in terms of gender issues, Disney princess are positively irrelevant with the pop cultural juggernaut "Twilight" wreaking havoc on females everywhere.