By night one way by day another This shall be the norm until you find true love s first kiss and then take love s true form Princess Fiona from the Shrek franchise is a strong independent and complex character who defies traditional fairy tale tropes Initially introduced as the archetypal damsel in distress Fiona is revealed to have a secret by night she transforms into an ogre a curse placed upon her since birth Over the course of the series Fiona embraces her true self and finds love with Shrek an ogre showing that beauty and happiness aren t confined to conventional standards Her character arc challenges the idea of happily ever after highlighting themes of self-acceptance inner beauty and the importance of looking beyond appearances