I absolutely hate that they made Audrey a self-absorbed, bitchy, entitled teen in Descendants. She is the daughter of Princess Aurora/Sleeping Beauty for crying out loud! You'd think she'd be just like her mom: kind, sweet, gentle, understanding, and humble. But noooo, Disney Channel had to make her vain, annoying, bitchy, jealous, entitled, and bitter.
Then in Descendants 3, they just had to make her mad with jealousy when Ben proposes to Mal. And then they turned her into the antagonist of the film.
Which leads me to talk about Audrey's family: I know it's not uncommon for royal families to plan out their children's lives and to try to keep their status, but that doesn't work in the 21st century. The British Royal Family told Princes Charles to marry Diana and look what happened: the marriage ended in divorce. So the Royal Family learned their lesson after that and allowed junior members (William, Harry, Eugenie, and Beatrice) to marry who they wanted.
Plus, if we go back centuries earlier, you could say the Royal Family learned the value of having a backup plan when Prince Author, Henry VIII's older brother and heir to the English throne, died of the sweating sickness. Today, dying of the sweating sickness is less likely, but Audrey's family should have had a backup plan for a situation like what happened to her in Descendants. The only reason Mal stole Ben from Audrey is because one, Ben decided to give the VKs a chance at a normal life and two, Maleficent was forcing Mal to do her bidding.
And then there's her resentment, as featured in Audrey's Royal Return and the beginning of "Queen of Mean."
At the beginning of "Queen of Mean," Audrey expresses her anger at Ben picking Mal over her. I'll respond to the first verse point-by-point.
I'm so tired of pretending.
Girl, no one asked you to pretend in the first place.
Where's my happy ending?
It's coming. It just won't be on the throne beside Ben.
I followed all the rules
I drew inside the lines
I never asked for anything that wasn't mine
Being a "good girl" doesn't mean you're going to have a prosperous life.
To my readers, this is what I meant by Audrey showing resentment at the beginning of "Queen of Mean." Her attitude, as expressed in these three lyrics, reminds me of the older son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
I waited patiently for my time
But when it finally came
He called her name
Yet you sent mixed signals about your feelings for Ben in Audrey's Royal Return.
And now I feel this overwhelming pain
I mean it's in my veins
I mean it's in my brain
My thoughts are running in a circle like a toy train
I'm kinda like a perfect picture with a broken frame
Girl, I can only imagine how you feel. But you're not anywhere near like a perfect picture with a broken frame.
You know what helps me? Gratitude and humor.
I know exactly who to blame
I know exactly who you mean, and you have to stop blaming her. You bottled up your emotions. I know that royals can't show negative feelings in public, but let's be honest: you also care too much about what others think of you.
So there's her resentment in Queen of Mean. But what about in Audrey's Royal Return?
Well, there's one line above all that highlights Audrey's resentment: "By the way, I wouldn't have stolen the wand and threatened everyone with it. Just saying"
This shows not only her resentment, but her lack of patience over other's situations and their learning curves. This line shows Audrey's inability to give others who are different from her the benefit of the doubt. In my mind, a true princess gives others grace, especially when others are unsure and/or in the process of reforming.
Second, it was Jane who stole the wand, not Mal. And I can only imagine that it's more than a little frightening to snatch a powerful magic wand from another girl who is being a klutz with it. I wouldn't say Mal was threatening everyone with the wand and Ben did an amazing job of calming her down. Sometimes, people just need someone to help them calm down and help them see the good in themselves.
And Queen Leah guilt-tripping her granddaughter for losing Ben's love and therefore, the position of the Queen of Auradon to Mal? So not cool. Queen Leah is also supposed to be kind, sweet, gentle, and understanding. But thank goodness Descendants 3 redeemed both Audrey and Queen Leah in the end.
However, I do also feel bad for Audrey. Watching your future crumble like that must be terrifying, upsetting, and very difficult.
In my fanfics, Audrey will not be vain and entitled.
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To those who feel inclined to point me to Audrey's Diary that Disney published, it doesn't even have the sketch of Audrey wearing the Queen's crown that she was shown sketching in D3, so I don't trust it. That sketch proves to me that Audrey's desire to please her family and being Queen was far more important than her feelings for Ben.