It’s Saturday night,
And I just finished watching the Disney classic: Beauty & the Beast. I was in tears from the opening scene to the final moments—I see so much of myself in Belle.
The story of the Beast begins long before Belle enters his castle. He was once a handsome, but selfish prince—who turns away an enchantress disguised as a beggar. She curses him for his cruelty & lack of compassion. Then, strips away his outer beauty to match his inner emptiness. The only way to break the curse is to love & be loved in return… before the last petal of the enchanted rose falls.
Enter Belle. A quiet bookworm in a small town that doesn’t understand her curiosity, dreams, or her passion for something deeper than the surface.
She isn’t like the other girls who chase men like Gaston—the charming hunter who thinks he can marry her with ego & good looks. Belle wants soul. She wants depth, & love that sees her mind as beautiful as her face.
It resonates deeply with me as I watch her pour herself into romance novels, support her father’s inventions without judgment; while still holding space for her own aspirations. That’s how I’ve always lived. In a world that misunderstands softness & vision—but I hold onto hope.
When Belle trades her freedom to save her father, it isn’t weakness—it is strength. Selfless, brave love. What strikes me the most is how she doesn’t try to change Beast—she accepts him. Through her presence, compassion, & fire—he changes himself. She teaches him how to feel again.
Beast falls for her deeply. So much so that he let her go—knowing it would mean he stays cursed forever—just so she can be with her father. That’s real intimacy that gives. Eventually, she comes back to him & confesses her love to him; which breaks the curse.
That ending? It got me. Not because of the magic or the fairy tale—because it felt like truth. That when you strip away status, appearances, charm; what really matters is the heart. The intentions. The soul.
I see myself in Belle because I care for people the same way. I look past the surface & fall for the essence of my partner. I know that one day, just like her, I’ll be loved back; not for what I look like—but for who I really am.
Because true love? It’s always more than skin deep.
