“Belle, the princess with balls.” Yes, you read that right. And no, not literal balls. Out of all of the Disney princesses, she’s the only one who ever stood up for herself. While Cinderella went to dances and Snow White cleaned the house, Belle was getting things done.

If you’re not familiar with the Disney film, Belle is the brunette princess in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. When the film starts, she is a normal teenager living in rural France. She spends her days reading and helping her father invent things. A princess with a brain and creativity. Finally!

But Belle isn’t just a cool princess. She is me. We stand up for not only ourselves but for others. We enjoy dressing up, but are completely content with spending a full day alone at home reading.

Truth be told, I am very girly. I never have less than six bracelets on, I constantly fidget with my four favorite rings, I wear about two dresses or skirts a week, and I delight in experimenting with current hair and makeup trends. In the last four years, I have worn nail polish every single day. Similarly, when Belle goes on a date with the Beast, she dresses in a canary yellow ball gown. We both have a feminine, girly side.

However, in contrast to the other Disney princesses, Belle and I each have a tenacious side. Belle sings about being dissatisfied with the expectations for women in society. She declines a proposal from Gaston because of his sexism and pride, just like Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I’d like to think I would do the same. When a classmate took to Twitter to complain about the “stupidity” of the desire for equality of women in terms of equal wages, I spoke up. Using statistics and personal stories, I explained why women deserve equal pay for equal work. Like Belle, I stood up for my beliefs.

Belle and I both possess a sharp mind and immense creativity. The film hints that Belle is in essence her father’s assistant as he creates inventions. My poems, vignettes, and art work have been in Tones, my school’s award-winning magazine for the past few years. This year, I am the literary editor and one of the artists for Tones. I am beyond excited to format and edit the magazine. It is essentially a massive puzzle that needs the exact combination of fiction and nonfiction, poems and short stories, and art and text. Therefore, it is a perfect way to combine my creativity and brainpower.

Lastly, Belle and I are alike in our love of reading. A comical Pinterest post based on the film reads, “Marry the beast, get the library.” Like Belle, my library is my favorite thing about my house. Unfortunately, it is not made of wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor bookshelves like Belle’s library. I’m already halfway there as a result of the small library in my bedroom. Organized alphabetically by author, my mini library ranges from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, to The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, to Which President Killed a Man: Tantalizing Trivia and Fun Facts About Our Chief Executives and First Ladies by James Humes, and everything in between. I have books of poetry, fiction, and history.

Belle was ahead of her time. She proved that feminists can be feminine. She hoped for a world of equality and happiness. Progress still has to be made, but this is the world of which Belle dreamed. It’s Belle’s dream. It’s my dream.