Why Amber is the unsung hero of sofia the first

​Amber. Without doubt the most formidable character in all of Enchancia. Sure, you may argue that Sofia, her utopian-like, perfect stepsister, serves as a better example for young girls and boys. But at the end of the day, under close examination, it soon becomes apparent that Sofia is just a spoiled and entitled princess whose unrealistic body shape sends out the wrong message to young girls.

She starts out as your typical girl next door who has been given the opportunity of a lifetime when her mother marries King Roland, the king of Enchancia. She rolls with the punches and doesn’t seem too upset about leaving her entire life behind: her village, her home, her neighbours and even her childhood friends and upon meeting her new family for the first time, she is extremely polite to her new step siblings and stepfather, the perfect role model for children ages 2 to 7, the age group the show is directed to. 

Whereas, Amber has a...let’s just say different reaction than Sofia. She is understandably upset about her father marrying a woman she has never seen before, although both James and her accept Miranda quite graciously. Everyone in the castle is so occupied with welcoming the new princess that no one seems to bother to check on Amber, including her twin brother James. Instead of empathising with his sister he compares her to Sofia by saying, “Uh oh, looks like someone (Amber) is not going to be the fairest in the land anymore!”. Amber it seems is not the perfect model of resilience and tolerance.

I don't know why anyone is surprised by this though. Yes, she isn’t perfect - but who is? Amber reacts in the way any normal 8 year old would - she is bitter, resentful, jealous. Human. 

Let’s go back to James. He and Amber have a classic case of sibling rivalry. They are put off by each other’s bad qualities like James’ immaturity and Amber’s flair for dramatics. But their textbook relationship prevents the audience from seeing James’ major character flaws, like how he is ridiculously welcoming to Sofia, who he has never met before whilst remaining completely oblivious of his sister’s complications. In fact, he is enraged when his sister tricks Sofia and confronts her by saying that she’s jealous because everyone prefers Sofia to her and goes as far as to say that he favours Sofia over his own twin sister. 

Amber is misunderstood - demonised for being normal. Whilst Sofia, an unrealistic symbol of perfection, is championed and celebrated. This seems wrong to me. In a world of imperfections shouldn’t we be celebrating those that accept those that reflect these imperfections back at us rather than aspiring unsuccessfully to an unrealistic model well beyond our reach. This sounds like a recipe for insecurity and low self-esteem to me.

Hopefully, this article has helped you see through the misconceptions that the show has orchestrated and realize who is really the fairest in the land. Amber.