Disney Princess Article: Does Belle have a job?

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posted by MadameLee

I was on youtube recently link]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx1MmY1Bb50[/url][/url] (If you go down to the 60 replies). Someone thought Belle didn't have a job (and the triplets did) because she had enough 'free time to read and became delusional about life in 'poor provincial town' (not my words). The exactly wording of what the user said was "I'm wondering that Belle are doing then even those triplets have their own jobs and responsibilities. Maybe idleness made her delusional? That life can be found outside of her town? " I pointed out that in historical speaking in those times women were only suppose to be able to read cookbooks or have recipes committed to memories and not read fairytales or something. that could cause 'women to start getting ideas'.

Then I asked him what kind of a job that the triplets did (and said "lovely laddies" aka Les Miserables) . The guy replied they were getting water to either help take care of the animals or to transport it to their dad (if there is a dad for them) so he could do it. That the movie showed that even the triplets hd 'responsibilities' but Belle didn't.

I then said in my next comment that the only job I saw them 'doing' was fawn over the town's jock (aka Gaston) and they had what I consider to be jasel clothing (Jasmine+Ariel) kind of costumes (not the word I want but think of words that people associated with 'witch' (female dog), someone who sleeps around a lot, etc.)hence they were rich.

It's hard for me to explain the next bit. The guy said because of the way I interpreted the triplets that I view Belle as hardworking and that the triplets would probably be at the most, daughters of a rich merchant and since they're so spoiled that the family would have been hard-pressed to support the spoiled brats. So that means that the triplets probably did have a job.

At this point another guy mentioned that getting water wasn't a job and even if it was that the triplets were taking their own sweet time to do the job. Then asked why we were talking about the triplets.

The OP said that we assumed Belle was working because we saw her 'feed' the animals' and that she wasn't portrayed as a more dedicated worker then the triplets were. So that the conclusion was that we can't say that Belle was helping her father without also agreeing that the triplets would have to have responsibilities of their own and vice versa.

Then he got into the topic of the fact that he believes that Belle rejected a 'good' match (aka 'rich') in the hopes of something better. I pointed out to him that the issue here is that Gaston wouldn't allow any books in his house except cookbooks, and except her to be up from dusk to dawn cleaning,cooking and popping babies out (hopefully 7 sons). I can just imagine a couple of rules that Gaston puts down: "No books except cookbooks in my house", "You must only agree with my politics", "We can only have sons, no daughters" and "If we do have daughters they have to be illerate and only agree with me or their brothers' or husbands' politics."

RoseOfRapunzel, mimansa and 2 others like this

TheFabulousFAN Well...no offense but, you are not really speaking English also no Belle does not have a job...except maybe to feed those chickens and um....yeah

TigerRanma I don't think she had a job. You only see her do house chores. I don't think women had jobs back then. Even the Bimbettes were probably just doing chores in their area. Reading this was a little frustrating.

MadameLee Sorry. It's just I didn't know how to get the conversation across what was happening. Could you help me edit it?

prussiaducky Interesting views :) I can see where you are coming from, but I believe she couldnt have had a true job since she had to take care of her father by running the home for him. Tiger-Ranma- Yes, women did have jobs then. Watch "Les Mis", many had jobs in textiles and maid-work. Some even ran wine shops. FabFAN- do you understand what English is? She is using a language derived from germanic and latin roots, originating a few centuries after the fall of Rome. She is using the modern context of this language. It's the only language on this Earth of the Germanic/Latin combination that is widely used (I believe Flemish is under this combo but I cannot say). I can only understand three languages, beginning to understand a fourth, and she is clearly using one among my knowledge of language. I can't see afro-asatic writings within this article, so it must be English.

prussiaducky Don't be sorry, to be honest, you cannot understand FabFAN's English half the time on this website. She insults everyone openly for no real reason. You layed your points clearly and it was beautifully written, and I can totally see where you are coming from :)

TigerRanma Oh yeah, that's true. Aww, now I'm thinking about my Princess and the Pauper computer game. Well, my answer is still no. Belle didn't look like she had a job.

MadameLee I kind of fixed it so it could be more understandable (but I didn't know where to put puncation so if someone would be so kind?).

MadameLee @prussisaducky thanks I kind of added another comment on youtube pointing out why I thought the trplets were the town lovely laddies and I will see what the guys say tommorrow.

Tygers_Eye I actually got involved with that exact same line of responses to that OP in that video. My username is snarkbait1, and I learned to regret arguing with the pig in that scenario. It didn't accomplish anything and just annoyed the pig. First of all, that guy's an idiot that doesn't understand anything about the historical context except what supports his sexist worldview: that women couldn't do anything but serve their fathers and husbands because that's just the way it was. First of all, during that time period, most people didn't have "jobs" as we understand them today. They didn't all go out to work for some shop or corporation to earn a wage/salary and then spend it on junk they didn't need, which in turn gave junk-sellers money to pay their workers. Belle lives during the pre-Industrial Revolution Europe. During the late 18th century France, most people made money off the land. Most "peasants" were serfs, or farmers that rented and worked the land owned by nobles. They paid a large share of the crops and livestock in taxes and scrounged what little they had left. They also had some specialty jobs needed to run a society, like maids, servants, merchants, shopkeepers, butchers, bakers, blacksmiths, tailors, cobblers, etc. but those were not so common compared to the overall population of serfs and landowners, I guess... Anyway, the Youtube guy's an idiot. [b]During the song "Gaston," the triplets are clearly shown serving drinks in the tavern, so they're tavern wenches. They're probably getting water in the pump outside for the tavern cook to boil later. Far from just fetching water for their daddy.[/b] Anyway, the idea that all women just stayed inside and served their daddies before moving on to serve their husbands was the ideal, but not the reality. Many women didn't marry, couldn't marry, and/or actually did work outside the home. As we see, there are no less than five women (two stout older ones and the triplets) serving drinks at the tavern, and in the castle we see many female staff. Mrs. Potts, Babette, the Wardrobe, etc. Women could work as maids, housekeepers, nurses, wet nurses, cooks, serving women (waitresses), etc. They generally couldn't get more high-paying specialty jobs on their own though (butchers, bakers, blacksmiths, etc.) which is where getting married and sharing in their husbands' profession came in handy. If they were lucky, many unmarried women actually were supported by their brothers or male cousins after their fathers died. Older unmarried women could also take up little professions like midwives, "cunning folk" (or healers presumed to be witches), wet nurses if they had a child of their own, spinsters (or women who literally spun wool for a living), nuns if they lived in a Catholic country, etc. These jobs were not very lucrative though, so they were undesirable. Not impossible to live on, and thus unmarried women were not necessarily doomed, but not ideal either. Part of the point of having kids was to have someone to look after you in your old age.

Tygers_Eye But I digress. The point is most "peasants" didn't have "jobs" as we know it as their job was tending the land, growing/raising food from it, and making enough to a) pay their taxes, b) have enough left over to eat, and c) barter sell leftovers so they could get a more balanced diet. Belle and her father are shown having chickens and goats, so it's possible they rely on the eggs, milk and cheese (and occasional meat) those animals provide. They would probably also need to sell some of it to barter/buy other things like bread and vegetables (if they don't grow their own). [b]Farming and tending to livestock is actually very taxing and time-consuming. That's why "farmer" is considered a legitimate profession and not just a hobby.[/b] Which is why I told the guy in the comments' section that it's possible [b]Belle's job IS to look after the farm. We see her feeding the animals after she turns down Gaston. I also said at another point it's possible Belle only looks after the farm so her father can spend more time tinkering with his inventions, and thus realize his dream of being a world-famous inventor.[/b] If he had to look after the farm and house himself, he'd never have time to invent. I said it's possible the only reason Belle doesn't hop on the nearest wagon out of town and follow her dream of "adventure in the great wide somewhere" is to look after her father. That is, take care of the farm and house so he can follow his dream of inventing. The guy accused Belle of just sitting around relying on her father becoming "a world-famous inventor" instead of making the changes herself, but see above. I still that she just plans to run the farm while Maurice is alive and needs her, but she doesn't plan to do so forever. She works the farm despite finding it boring to support her father's dream, probably knowing her dad won't live forever, or at least will eventually make it so big as a famous inventor that he can hire a housekeeper and thus won't need her anymore, and thus is waiting to seek adventure once she no longer has someone to look after. So, by that logic, I think it's downright responsible of her not to tie herself down with a husband she doesn't love and/or doesn't share her ideals, or have children she would also have to stay at home to support for the rest of her life. Same-age spouses and children are more needy and live way longer than elderly fathers, after all.

MadameLee I view the entire town except maybe the bookeeper. As a highschool and the triplets are like the 'cheerleaders' and Gaston is the 'school's Jock'. Don't know about Belle or the bookkeeper.

MadameLee I made a new artilce on another page about if Gaston could be a lesser nobility. Since all the clues point to it.. http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/gaston/articles/258018/title/gaston-lesser-nobility

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