Personally, I don’t like using the word “role model” because
Anyways, I’m not that fond of Merida being this so-called “role model” for people. Sure, she uses weapons and doesn’t get married at the end, but I don’t think that should warrant her as being someone people should automatically look up to.
This is just my opinion, but I always wonder what’s wrong with women getting married. I want to get married one day, does that make me a bad woman? I never understood that. haha But anyway, if anything, I admire Merida for her athleticism(something I lack), courage, and that she doesn’t care how she looks.
Seriously though. I respect a lot of married women. If being married is a flaw, or makes you weak, then I truly give up on society. Modern values disgust me as it is, but whether or not someone, male or female, gets married, does not make them better or worse.
I think some people don’t like it when media portrays women as married because they think that its telling women/girls “this is the only role you have; you can’t be happy if you’re not married.”. Granted, a LOT of our media has women getting married and living happily ever after in the end, but I don’t necessarily think that its putting women down, I think most of the time people are just trying to tell a story.
Anyways, I know people are going to disagree with me, but I’m not a fan of Merida’s character. She comes off as a bit mean spirited in her rebellious nature and when she breaks down in the end, it feels more like she’s just submitting to get everything she wants instead of actually realizing her mistakes and learning from them… but that could just be the way the movie was directed.
I didn’t get that, but I respect your opinion. Merida isn’t necessarily someone I would emulate. But I like her personality.
Yeah, you could say that my biggest problem with Merida isn’t the character herself, but that people want to emulate her. Honestly, I’ve seen better Disney Princesses that taught better morals.
If anything, I think BOTH Elinor and Merida learned to listen. If I remember it was even said a few times. I like that. It’s subtle.
I personally think it would’ve been a little more effective if Merida were to see Elinor’s perspective as to why she wants her to get married as well as Elinor seeing why Merida wants her freedom.
I see Merida more as a role model because of her individuality. Individuality doesn’t necessarily mean not getting married. Yes, she doesn’t get married at the end, but it’s not like she’s made the concrete decision to never let it happen (like me 
)—it just means she wasn’t ready yet and realized finding a bachelor immediately wasn’t the right choice for her.
I don’t think getting married or not has any effect on not being a role model. That’s what I don’t get about people. If a woman in a movie gets married everyone has a cow. Why? Guys in movies usually hook up at the end too. It’s not being a bad role model. The character wants X, they are worthy(or whatever), they get X. I think Merida not loving anyone in that way has nothing to do with her character, or her “goodness” myself. I agree with Leirin; Merida is a role model because she is herself, and will not change to suit the fancy of others.
If you were to ask me, I would say that I firmly believe Merida is a role model. Merida may look on the surface like she’s the poster child for “Girl Power”, but that’s not exactly what I think makes her worth looking up to.
First off, Merida is proud of her passions. I don’t think her archery and horseback riding skills are to stake her claim in a man’s world, it’s simply because she loves to do it, and she doesn’t care what others think. The only time she used her archery to trump a guy’s skills was when she shot for her own hand, but not to prove she was better than they were (though she was definitely a better archer than the Suitors 
), but to use as a potential escape route from her betrothal situation. I mean, some of my favorite parts of the film are the ones where Merida is just being herself and spending time with her horse and her bow, and that says a lot about her personality. I think many of us could learn a thing or two from her loving her passions no matter what, especially when some are considered “geeks” for their passions (and not in a good way).
The second thing is that Merida is extremely relatable. I mean, I estimate her to be about 15 or 16, and she’s not only being glossied up to be the “perfect princess”, but she’s being forced into a marriage in which none of the guys up for grabs are that great (at least from what we’ve seen). Of course she’d be freaked out over that! I know I would! Young girls are often bombarded with the idea that they need to grow up faster than they need to with what they wear or dating or whatever. Merida doesn’t deny she’s not ready to grow up; she wants to be herself. Maybe it’s not the best thing for her to break the rules the way she did, but she’s not perfect. But when you see her truly come to understand her mom and when she comes to admit where she was wrong, you see her virtue shine, perhaps more than the practically flawlessness of Snow White.
So apologies for the rant, but I hope this helps anyone who thinks otherwise to take a closer look at this wonderful, real Princess 
It’s becoming clear to me that you don’t admire the princesses based on what they do, but rather what morals they represent. Snow White is kind, Cinderella is patient and loving, Aurora is a dutiful, classy lady, Ariel would do anything for love, Belle is brave and loving(whether to her dad or the beast), Jasmine wants real love, Pocahontas always does what she believes is right, Mulan loves her father more than she cares for expectations or rules, Tiana will do anything to live her dream, Rapunzel has the courage to brave the real world, and Merida will be herself no matter what!