By Akshaya Pai

Oh princess, Oh princess
Your story was so wrongly told
That made all little girls dream
Of a happily ever after when they’re old.

But to live in our world,
You must be a fighter.
You may be written by a man,
But you can still burn brighter.

I promise to tell
The actual story
Of how Beauty tamed the beast
And of witch hunter Gretel’s glory,

Of how Ariel chose self respect
Before the attention of a man,
And how the prince forgot what she looked like
The night after Cinderella ran.

Merida convinced everyone
You don’t need a man to be a queen.
To prove girls could bring victory,
Mulan had to intervene.

To keep herself safe from men,
Rapunzel chose the tallest tower,
Snow White became a boss
That made 7 dwarfs cower.

Persephone stole a pomegranate
From the God of the dead.
A mad little girl killed the red queen
Who’d say ‘Off with your head’!

Wendy became an author
And turned dream into truth.
Aurora wished an unconsensual kiss
Had never happened in her youth.

you raise your daughters to be perfect princesses
That wait to be rescued by a prince charming
But forget that you’re actually teaching them
That they mean nothing.

Instead tell them they don’t have to 
like pink and play dress up,
Tell them that it’s okay to prefer a sword
And sometimes mess up.

While society did tell them
That being a girl meant being weak,
The truth is people were afraid 
That they were actually fierce and unique.

Akshaya is a 14-year-old girl who wants to make the world a better place. She is a huge feminist and a mental health activist who is passionate about body positivity and women’s rights. She is the founder of her Girl Up Club (@girlupjanaki) and She Shines Magazine (@sheshinesmag). She enjoys STEAM subjects and loves reading and writing.