Opinion: Book nerds need heroes too

Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in the live action Beauty and the Beast movie. Image/Supplied

I'm embarrassingly excited for the new Beauty and the Beast movie to come out.

The animated version was my favourite movie as a child and I watched it almost every day after school.

I think the reason the movie appealed to me so much is because the story's princess Belle is a unashamed book nerd who always has her nose between pages of a good novel, oblivious to the jeers of the townsfolk around her.

I too was a book nerd growing up and still am - I spend almost all my free time reading and my four bookshelves crowd my small one-bedroom flat.

Belle made me feel like reading was something to be proud of.

She is also a fiercely independent character, going against convention by turning down the handsome, charming and loved Gaston and seeking her own life.

And now, more than two decades later, I get to experience my favourite movie again, this time with a few minor, but important, additions to the storyline that bring it into the modern age.

Belle's still a book nerd, but she is also an inventor and teaches youngsters to read. What's more, there is an openly gay character who has a crush on Gaston.

Emma Watson plays my favourite princess and, while it seems a strange thing to say of someone younger than me, I count her as one of my role models.

She's a humanitarian, promotes sustainable fashion, believes in gender equality, and - best of all - loves to read.

Even though one of them is a Disney character, Belle and Emma are both strong, admirable role models for girls and women today, teaching us to be ourselves and stand up for what we believe in.