Contributed by Info Guru Lindsay Shugerman

We can try to raise our kids as gender-neutral as possible, but at a certain point we have to face facts. Most little girls love princesses. They love dressing up like princesses, watching them in movies and TV shows and playing with princess dolls.

Like it or not, most little girls harbor a secret (or not so secret!) wish to become one their favorite royal heroines. So which are the princesses girls want to be? Here are the top ten Disney royal stars that bring stars to your daughters’ eyes.

10. Cinderella

Long before there was a Disney Cinderella, this hapless victim of a cruel step-family captured the imagination of little girls. But when Disney stepped into the arena with their version, little girls all over dreamed of being the princess to dance at the ball and live happily ever after with their prince.

9. Belle (from Beauty and the Beast)

Belle was a new kind of princess for Disney. Smart, independent and not at all looking for a rescuer, Belle was an unlikely would-be princess. But once she saved the Beast from his curse, she stepped in the role admirably. And little girls donned her famous yellow gown for Halloween and dress up parties, dreaming of finding a hidden prince of their own.

8. Snow White

The fairest of them all, Snow White overcame an evil step-mother, poisoning and a stint in the woods with an odd assortment of dwarves to finally become a princess. And ever since Disney’s film was released in 1937, little girls have pretended they too were awakened by a perfect kiss from a perfect prince.

7. Ariel (from The Little Mermaid)

When Hans Christian Andersen penned “The Little Mermaid” back in 1836, he could never have imagined that his curious undersea heroine would become one of the princesses girls want to be most. But Disney’s 1989 movie transformed that Ariel into a character little girls the world over loved, right down to the fins and forks!

6. Pocahontas

Very loosely based on the real life experiences of Pocahontas and explorer John Smith, the Disney story of this Native American princess had little fans begging for mock deer-skin outfits and feather-trimmed headbands.

5. Mulan

In 1998, Disney transformed an old Chinese folk tale into a princess-heroine story, and instantly another favorite princess role model was born. Like Belle and other modern Disney princesses Mulan is strong, smart and independent, providing a royal role model parents applaud and kids love.

4. Jasmine (from Aladdin)

Kids can identify with a princess who gets tired of playing by the palace rules, so it’s no surprise that Jasmine is one of the most popular of the film princesses. Not only does she find her true prince, she goes on adventures and gets to fly on a carpet. What child wouldn’t want to try that?

3. Giselle (from Enchanted)

If ever there was a princess who embodied the “ideal” princess personality, it’s Giselle. Sweet, able to talk to the animals in a way Doctor Dolittle would envy and always ready to be a friend, Giselle is part parody of classic Disney princesses and part what every little girl wants to be.

2. Esmerelda (from the Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Not technically a princess, Esmeralda none-the-less has earned her place among these royal heroines girls love to imitate. Able to see people for who they are inside, brave and loyal, this is one Disney character most parents would love to have their little ones aspire follow and learn from.

1. Megara (from Hercules)

It takes a special leading lady to upstage a Greek god, but Megara (better known as Meg), manages to do just that. Far from the I-need-a-Prince-to-rescue-me norm for so many fairy tale and Disney princesses, Meg is self-assured, a bit sarcastic and definitely her own woman. That might be why she appeals to so many little girls today who share that spunk and self-confidence.