Ironically, both main characters are named 'Belle,' meaning beautiful. Belle from Beauty and the Beast was given that name by her parents. It's almost as if they expected her to be pretty, and not much else. However, it's ironic, because Belle seems to be the smartest girl in her town, perhaps for the simple reason that she reads, and no one else does. In the live-action movie, she even invents a washing machine, which shows her ingenuity (although it should be noted that it's a cheap character trait because it doesn't move the plot forward and as she doesn't invent anything else).
In my novel Belle Dame Sans Merci, Belle named by her case worker before she's brought to Hell. He thought she was too pretty to be intimidating, and wanted to emphasize her more deadly aspects. Belle goes on to use her beauty to her advantage -- to kill bad people to gain karma to go to Heaven. In that way, she shows cunning and intelligence.
However, some characters only saw Belle for her external shell, like Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. "She's the most beautiful girl in the village... That makes her the best." Without knowing anything about Belle, he proposes to her.
Similar to Beauty and the Beast, in Belle Dame Sans Merci, a couple of demons are attracted to Belle. A djinni asks Belle if she wants to watch a dirty movie, and Beelzebub asks her to join the new demon recruits when they start a bar fight. (He had ulterior motives, trust me.) They obviously knew nothing about her, and yet, they wanted to hang out with her.
In my opinion, it's terribly shallow to be attracted to someone for their looks alone. I think back to my teen years, when I was an ugly ducking for a while. I saw through the douchebags who suddenly paid attention to me after I became more prettier, and I see through it now. But some people latch onto physical attractiveness with a death grip.
When my best friend's boyfriend (ahem, ex-boyfriend) was drunk, he always said, "You're so pretty!" to her, over and over.
It was annoying, but I didn't stop him. I let them have their connection, even if I didn't understand it. That is, until one night, when he was particularly soused. He kept slurring his admirations. After the fifth time, I couldn't take it anymore.
"You're so pretty," he slurred to my friend.
I set my wine glass down hard on the tabletop. "You know," I said to him. "She's smart, too. And funny. And kind!"
"Wellll, yeah!" He grinned. "But she's sooooo preeeeetty."
I'm not trying to judge relationships, or how someone views attraction within themselves and others. It's just douchy to love someone's outer appearance and not care about their inner beauty as well.
Beauty is an unspoken theme in both books, and one present in many women's lives, too. Women want to be more than just admired for their beauty -- they want to be admired for their character, their bravery, their intelligence, wit, charm, and skill, and more (though it should be noted that they don't need any admiration whatsoever, and may not desire it at all).
So, both Belles are more than their names. They're also smart and well-read. But what about their other positive character traits?
In Belle Dame Sans Merci, Belle learns new skills to fight her enemy. She researches a weapon to kill him, and discovers something no one else had ever found before. She grows as a character, and shows intense bravery and sacrifice for her friends, proving she is more than just her good looks and intelligence.
Sadly, I don't think Belle from Beauty and the Beast has many of these additional traits. Her sacrifices are continuously made to help the Beast with his sullen-natured problems only, and not to help herself or her cause. She does show kindness, just like the other Belle, only it's to her own detriment, and makes her seem less intelligent. She demonstrates very little growth of character, unless a decline in independence could be seen as growth (and it can't). Contrary to her intelligent nature, none of the books she reads can help her escape (unless you count the mental escape). She does show bravery from time to time, but none of it seems to stick.
I suppose what I'm saying is that Disney's Beauty and the Beast could have had a stronger female protagonist, especially in this day and age.
It's funny -- shallow beauty-chasers still try to cozy up to me, even at my age. It's disheartening to put up with such people and wonder about ulterior motives, but ultimately, I don't care. I'd rather read a book. One with a strong female protagonist.
