Best Way to Act Like a Princess

You’ve read the book. You’ve seen the movie. Here’s the scoop on how you, too, can be a Princess, by The Princess Diaries author her­self, Meg Cabot:

Let’s face it: Wouldn’t we all love to find out that we are se­cretly princesses, as Mia Thermopolis does in my book, The Princess Diaries? Sadly, there aren’t enough countries on the planet for each one of us to get a chance to reign supreme. Still, it’s possible at least to act like a princess, even if you can’t really be one. Follow the guidelines listed below, and you just might get mistaken for royalty someday:

Be kind. There is an old saying that says it is easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar. Princesses understand this, and that’s why they are sweet to everyone—even those who deserve less than regal treatment. Remember, nothing confuses an enemy more than kindness … or puts her more off her guard. Princesses are never purposefully rude or mean … at least to anyone’s face. And random acts of kindness—Instant Messaging someone who seems down; offering to go to the movies with the class loser; letting your best friend borrow your new denim mini—will earn you big-time points in Princess Heaven. And you never know when someday you might be in a po­sition where you need someone to return the favor!

Be assertive. Just because you’re kind does not mean you have to be a pushover. Don’t let other people tell you what to do, particularly when you feel what they are pro­posing is morally or legally wrong. That doesn’t mean you have free license to be rude to them, how­ever. Always state your mind sweetly, but firmly. If that fails to sway people to your way of thinking, simply do whatever you have to do in order to extract yourself from the situation. Then do exactly what you intended to do in the first place-just do it politely. And remem­ber, it is princess-like to be assertive; it is unprincess-like to pur­posefully hurt yourself or others—except in self-defense, of course.

Be happy. Sure, you feel down in the dumps sometimes. Who doesn’t? But a princess always puts her best face forward. So you’ve got a huge zit, a D in geometry, and your boyfriend was spotted at a party last night with some other girl. Never let them see that any of it is bothering you. They will marvel at your self-confidence and joie de vivre. People are naturally drawn to those with a ready smile and quick laugh. But don’t be fake. Just concentrate on what’s good in your life, not the bad stuff. Thankfully, for some reason acting like you’re happy tends to make you feel happy, so it shouldn’t be too tough, after a little practice. And it’s a win-win situation: Even your parents will be astounded by your newfound lack of surliness, and that can lead to increases in allowance and extensions of curfew-more things to be happy about!

Be gracious. You can’t win them all. When they lose, princesses don’t let anyone know it bothers them. Sweetly congratu­late the winner, then go home and pour out all those feelings of ha­tred and jealousy in your diary. If they never know how much it meant to you, they won’t feel sorry for you when you don’t get it. No princess wants anyone’s pity.

And most importantly:

Be yourself. Princesses set their own trends; they do not fol­low the dictates of others. Can a girl with green hair wear sneakers and really be a princess? Absolutely, if she selected those acces­sories because she wanted them, and not just because everyone else in her class was wearing them. Can a princess play hockey? If she’s doing it because she loves the sport, not because getting on the team will impress a boy, she can.

Remember, being a princess is about how you act, not who your parents are, what kind of SAT scores you got, what car you drive, or how you look—though cleanliness is next to godliness for princesses as well as the rest of the populace. Try, at least, to keep yourself— and your room—in a tidy and orderly state. Can princesses have blackheads? Of course. But they make an effort to rid themselves of such blemishes. Can princesses wear all black? Yes, but nothing ill-fitting, please. Can princesses have messy rooms? Yes, but for God’s sake, there is a difference between messy and unhygienic. There is nothing princess-like about vermin.

Being yourself means being the best self you can be—exercise, eat right, and follow the dictums above. Soon your friends, not to mention the rest of the world, will be wondering just how it is that you manage to project so regal—and yet welcoming—an image.