By Name and By Nature

Damask Silk Dress in Red and Ivory

c. 1735-1740

vainakh tower architecture is a historic style of architecture characteristic to chechnya and ingushetia. they've been noted as far back as the 1st century, but most we see today were built between the 15th-17th. the towers are built with stone blocks, range from 10-25 meters high, and feature walls which taper the higher the tower reaches. they were multi-purpose, used as silos, residence, and fortresses. wealthier families usually had at least one built for their community.

Une statue de Minerve sur le Monument Magenta, Bologne (1863).

I've always thought that Mary Ann Patten was one of the most hardcore seafaring women. I mean:

It was 1856

She was 19 and pregnant

Her husband had fallen ill so she took command of his ship

Stopped a mutiny and made everyone accept her commands

Navigated the treacherous waters of Cape Horn and safely reached her destination

However, I just finished reading Joan Druett's Hen Frigates and found some serious contenders.

(Hen Frigate: c.1785 traditionally any ship with the captain's wife on board (neutral). Yes, there was a term for that)

Emma Armstrong

1879, the ship Templar arrived in San Francisco. Everyone thought the ship had been lost

However, the captain’s fifteen-year-old daughter, Emma Armstrong, had taken command

The ship had been caught through a gale and sickness spread on board

The captain’s wife died and the captain himself was terribly ill

The ship was without a navigator. Luckily, Emma had the requisite navigation skills because her father had taught her

Emma herself was ill. She had to be brought on deck in a litter to give directions and instructions

She brought the ship safely into port along with the valuable cargo

Miss Arnold 

1850, the ship Rainbow, having departed from England, reached Aden, North Africa

The ship was commanded by…Ms Arnold, the captain's sixteen-year-old daughter whose father had died

The untrustworthy second mate tried to deceive her and to run away with the ship. So she appealed to the crew and placed herself under their protection, a task they took very seriously

She then made them throw all the alcohol overboard

This part. This is the part I’m talking about

This is not a woman falling to pieces because her father won’t let her marry a man she just met.

This is a woman born to a life she has very little say in. She has never had a genuine friend (besides a tiger). She is facing a marriage to a man she doesn’t know and doesn’t like but duty (and the law) demands it. So she took a risk, ran away, ran to a world she doesn’t know or understand and when she landed in trouble (serious, serious trouble) a stranger came to her aid. She finally (finally!) made a real connection with someone but they didn’t get much time together before the guards showed up and she had to reveal who she was.

This moment when she’s crying her heart out? It comes after she’s been told that the first person she ever connected with, the first person to be genuinely interested in her for who she is and not what she is, the first real friend she has ever made, was executed… because of her.

Crying is normal. Even if it's over something trivial. We all face a lot of struggles in their lives, whether we acknowledge it or not. Something minor might end up breaking the camel's back.

Anyway, here's one of my favorite scenes in Beauty and the Beast:

Really, none of the classic princesses deserve the misinterpretation.

Cinderella?

Again, this is not after someone told her “yOu CaN’t MaRrY a MaN yOu JuSt MeT”—this is after she went to great lengths to get ready for the ball, adhering to the intentionally difficult (meant to be impossible) stipulations set by her abusive step-mother for her to be allowed to attend (when really she was invited and had as much right as the others to attend). She made that dress (I can’t recall off the top of my head if the classic animated version was also her mother’s old dress she restyled or not but still, she put in a ton of work on top of all the extra house work) and what did her step-family do? They tore to shreds while she was wearing it. Of course she’s lost hope: it’s the final straw after years and years of doggedly remaining optimistic despite constant harsh treatment.

Let’s go to another favourite: Mulan.

Mulan’s just had the worst day.

She tried her hardest to live up to her family’s and her society’s expectations and vision of a perfect bride but she failed. Not only did it go wrong, but she was publicly humiliated by the Matchmaker—by extension, humiliating her family.

Granted, her family has been kind and sympathetic about the whole thing. Her father even goes to encourage her, assuring her of his unconditional love for her and his confidence that she’ll get it right next time.

She’s just beginning to smile when the drums pound and news of war reaches their village. Her father—her beloved father who’s already a veteran and lives with a disability—is expected as the only male in their family to suit up and head out in the morning.

Mulan can’t help. Nothing she says will be listened to and she can’t take his place (until, of course, she thinks of a way to do so which this moment of crying it out in the rain leads to—score one for having a good cry and clearing your head).

There’s of course more. Take any princess’ dramatic crying momentTM and review the context and I’ll bet you’ll see it’s never as trivial as some have framed it. And, yes, like prev pointed out, it’s this awful thing of people believing boys can’t cry and girls can but then they can never be taken seriously.