Ten-year-old Lilian got to experience a dream for many girls her age: the chance to get a full Disney princess makeover at a Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique — this one on the cruise ship Disney Wish.
There was only one problem: Lilian was not feeling it at all, and you could see it in her face.
Luckily, her mom gave her the space and freedom to voice what she really wanted her makeover to be like, and the joyful results have gone viral on TikTok.
“My daughter told me something I never expected during her princess makeover,” she captioned the video. “She realized who she really wanted to be.”
In the video, we see Lilian first getting a Princess Jasmine makeover, but she looks pretty bummed about the entire experience. Then she realizes exactly what she wants, and the video jumps to her in full Prince Charming gear — and looking elated, confident, and exactly herself.
Mom Jessica Skube, who records life with her seven kids on her popular Jess Fam channel, talked about the experience to People.
“We were sailing on the Disney Cruise Line’s new ship, the Disney Wish, and booked the Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique experience on a whim. Lilia had done this makeover before at Disneyland when she was younger, and since the experience only goes up to age 12, she was excited to do it one last time,” Skube explained.
“However, this time, before we even walked in, she pointed out the Prince Charming costume and asked if it would be an option for girls to wear. Considering she’s only ever picked princess outfits in the past, this caught me off guard a little bit. But hey, it’s just an outfit! I told her it was completely her choice,” she continued.
Lilian initially decided on Princess Jasmine — who wears pants — because she still wanted her hair and makeup done. But when it came down to it, she really wanted to rock a suit.
“She changed from Princess Jasmine to Prince Charming. And seeing how her face lit up when she slipped on that Prince outfit, there was no doubt in my mind that it was the right choice for her. She couldn’t contain her excitement and repeatedly said, ‘I LOVE this! I’m in LOVE with this.'”
In the video, you can see just how happy the prince outfit makes her — her body language changes and her confidence blossoms. In the last seconds, a fancy bow seals the deal for viewers: this is the costume for her.
“She went on wearing it proudly the entire night without a care in the world of what anyone else thought about it,” Jessica concluded. “She has always been loud and proud about who she is, so I can’t say I’m completely surprised by her choice. But seeing her fight for who she truly is and in the prince outfit, I’m the proudest mom ever!”
Skube added, “She went on wearing it proudly the entire night without a care in the world of what anyone else thought about it. She has always been loud and proud about who she is, so I can’t say I’m completely surprised by her choice. But seeing her fight for who she truly is and in the prince outfit, I’m the proudest mom ever!”
Everyone in the comments was wowed with the makeover and with the mom’s ability to let her daughter figure out exactly who she wanted to be.
“This makes me so happy to see, as a non-binary person who would LOVE to wear a prince charming costume but my mom wouldn’t let me,” one person wrote. “I’m very glad you’re letting your kids pick what they want to wear.”
“As someone who didn’t have the courage to be myself until my 30s, I’m so glad that Gen Alpha is being given the space to figure themselves out,” another wrote.
“Slaying harder than the real Prince Charming,” said another.
