15 Reasons 'Beauty And The Beast' Is Actually Super Messed Up

Sure, the Beast kidnaps Belle and keeps her prisoner in his mansion (is kidnapping supposed to be romantic here?), but equally creepy is Gaston’s inability to take no for an answer. Maybe it’s because his mouth is so disproportionate to his face, but Gaston is one creepy looking fella. He’s the kind of guy that walks behind you for a little too long as you’re walking home from the party. The hair on the back of your neck stands up, and you position your car key in your hand ready so gouge his eyes out.

Gaston practically demands that Belle marry him, considering himself a worthy prize. He even tries to physically stop her from leaving a room, and she smiles politely at him as she escapes - forced to sweetly, kindly turn down her wholly-unwelcome assailant.

Like any good Disney princess, Belle is motherless, and she has but one father whom she loves dearly despite his... unusual lifestyle. So, it's pretty f*cked up when the man who wishes to marry her threatens to commit her one remaining parent to an institution.

It’s probably not the best way to court your love interest, but Gaston seems to think threatening to send Belle’s lovable, quirky father away will convince her to return his love. Now if Belle had been reading worthwhile literature as she sings herself through the town - rather than some anti-feminist propaganda about finding a Prince Charming in Chapter 3 - she might've learned that Gaston is a blowhard who has no real power to send her father anywhere.

Who's the real monster in this tale? What kind of creep throws a woman’s possessions - let alone a book she loves - in the mud? If this so-called perfect French town is full of book-hating narcissists like Gaston, maybe Belle is better off with her jailer. Perhaps, Belle could even find a book on feminist theory, or a copy of Lean In, in that quaint little bookstore to educate herself on women’s rights.

Although considering the difficulty of acquiring new material from the bookshop, Belle probably shouldn't be holding her breath.

Sure, some ancient enchantress put a spell on the much-deserving-of-a-curse Beast and his staff, but for the love of all things Disney, why would she see fit to turn a small child into a tea cup?

Chip, you may or may not have noticed, is a child casualty of the strange situation. What could that little boy ever have done to hurt anyone? Just picture it: Chip's just in his room, playing with his trucks when all of the sudden his limbs are gone, and there is a handle where his nose should be. The horror.

Does it strike no one as a little odd that Belle decides the Beast - a creature who had formerly imprisoned both her and her father after verbally assaulting them both - wasn't so bad after all? To recap: he merely had to show her an ounce of kindness, and she decided he might be worth throwing away any hope of a normal life for.

Hold up. Is this a healthy message for young girls? When a man shows you a small amount of decency, even after kidnapping you and holding you hostage, you must return the favor with your everlasting love? The well-read beauty had it made as a bibliophile-songstress with no other real obligations but decided her captor might be key to her happiness after all. Rather than, you know, a life filled with learning and adventure far away from her provincial, presumably close-minded upbringing.

While it's clear that Belle is the most beautiful girl in town, she's certainly not the nicest. Her opening song throws some serious shade at all of the 'little people' in her town. She practically calls them basic right to their faces, as she narrates her morning walk. F*ck that boring baker, right? And the lady who's trying to feed her hungry brood? Clean up your act.

Rather than cheer on this self-important prima donna, maybe the town folk should educate her on some manners.