Rapunzel in Real Life: I Didn’t Need a Prince to Rescue Me

When I saw this tower, something in me paused. Not because it was just a beautiful column in a beautiful place…but because it reminded me of a story we’ve all heard in some version: Rapunzel. The girl in the tower. The girl waiting. The girl trapped. The girl who needs saving.

And standing there, I realized something that hit me in my bones: I’ve been her. Not in a fairy tale way, in a real life way.

The Tower Wasn’t Brick. It Was Conditioning.

In the story, the tower is physical. In real life, the tower can be:

• emotional control

• manipulation disguised as love

• walking on eggshells

• being punished for having needs

• being told you’re “too much”

• being gaslit until you don’t trust your own memory

• shrinking to keep the peace

• staying because leaving feels terrifying

The cage isn’t always a place. Sometimes the cage is a pattern. Sometimes it’s fear. Sometimes it’s the belief that love is supposed to hurt. Sometimes it’s the quiet voice that says, “Maybe I’m the problem.”

I Thought I Needed a Prince Charming

A lot of women were raised on a script: One day, someone will come and love you so well that everything will make sense. One day, you’ll be chosen. Saved. Secured. Protected.

But what they don’t tell us is this: Waiting to be rescued can keep you trapped. Because if you believe someone else holds the key to your freedom, you’ll tolerate almost anything just to keep them close. And I did that for too long. Not because I was weak because I was hopeful. Because I believed in love. Because I wanted the story to end differently.

The Plot Twist: I Rescued Myself

There was no dramatic rescue scene. No man showing up to “save” me from the life I was living. There was just a moment quiet but final when I realized: I can’t stay here anymore.

And then I did what the old version of me couldn’t imagine: I chose myself.

I walked away. I stopped negotiating my worth. I stopped shrinking. I stopped explaining. I stopped hoping the person who hurt me would suddenly become the person who could hold me. I didn’t need a prince. I needed courage. And I had it.

“Out of the Cage” Isn’t a Destination, It’s a Decision

Leaving isn’t just physical. It’s also emotional. It’s the decision to stop returning to the tower in your mind. It’s the decision to stop re-reading old texts looking for clarity. It’s the decision to stop romanticizing potential. It’s the decision to stop telling yourself: “Maybe if I love harder…”, “Maybe if I’m easier…”, “Maybe if I stay quiet…” No. Out of the cage means:

• I trust myself

• I honor my gut

• I protect my peace

• I choose safe people

• I don’t beg for bare minimum love

• I don’t stay where I have to self-abandon

That is freedom.

The Real Fairytale Is Self-Respect

If you’ve ever felt trapped emotionally, mentally, spiritually hear me: You don’t need someone else to validate what you survived. You don’t need permission to leave. You don’t need closure from someone who refuses accountability. You don’t need a rescuer. You need you.

Because the moment you decide, “I’m done,” the tower loses its power.

Final Reminder

That tower reminded me of Rapunzel. But my story doesn’t end with waiting. It ends with reclaiming. It ends with me choosing myself, again and again, until freedom becomes my normal. I didn’t need Prince Charming. I just needed myself.

If you’re ready to get out of the “tower”... the confusion, the control, the emotional cage my work is here for you. Book a free 30 minute Reframe Call or join URNA Heal. Grow. Thrive. for support, tools, and a community of women reclaiming their power.

With love,

Jessica 💜