Tuesday
Mar092010
All I think about is princesses...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 
My partner is a stay-at-home dad and he sometimes fills me in on the deep conversations he has during the day with our little girl. Ones like this:Emma: Daddy, what are you thinking about?
Daddy: I'm thinking about putting the tiles on the backsplash. What are you thinking about?
Emma: I'm always thinking about princesses.
Such is the life of an almost three year old girl.
As a thirty-something feminist, I don't expect to spend a lot of my time thinking about princesses. But these days, it does seem like I'm spending a lot of time thinking about them. From princess books, to princess movies, to princess birthday parties and princess pretend play, princesses are invading my home, my life and my thoughts. As if that wasn't enough, when I try to escape into the world of adult conversation and news, I find princesses, princesses, and lots more princesses.
I don't really like princesses. At least not the popular image of a princess. I don't like how focused they are on their looks. I don't like that their life's goal is to meet and marry a rich and handsome prince. I don't like their completely impractical clothing. I don't like the fact that every single girl in Julian's preschool class was a princess for Halloween. I don't like the entitlement attitude. I don't like the lavish lifestyle. I don't like the snobbery. I don't like the daintiness.
Since I'm not a huge princess fan, you would think I would welcome news from Disney that it is trying to make its next big animated movie less princess-focused. But I don't. At least not the way they are doing it. According to the Los Angeles Times article "Disney restyles 'Rapunzel' to appeal to boys":
After the less-than-fairy-tale results for its most recent animated release, "The Princess and the Frog," executives at the Burbank studio believe they know why the acclaimed movie came up short at the box office.
Brace yourself: Boys didn't want to see a movie with "princess" in the title.
This time, Disney is taking measures to ensure that doesn't happen again. The studio renamed its next animated film with the girl-centric name "Rapunzel" to the less gender-specific "Tangled."
But that isn't all. In addition to changing the name of the movie, they also introduced a new male character, an infamous bandit Flynn Rider just to appeal to boys. A character that isn't there in the original. The New York Review of Books A Girl in the Tower article on Rapunzel stories explains:
In the Grimms' tale of "Rapunzel" (though not in the Pentamerone), the prince is a fairly ineffective figure. After he climbs Rapunzel's hair into the tower and is confronted by the witch, he jumps from the window in despair and is blinded by thorns. Both he and his beloved then wander about alone in misery for several years, but at last they are reunited and when Rapunzel's tears fall on his eyes his sight is restored.
The NPR's blog on this topic, called "Dear Disney: Boys Aren't Stupid, But Renaming 'Rapunzel' Is" explains that other Disney princess movies like the Little Mermaid did fine at box offices [emphasis mine]:
There are princess characters who do just fine with boys, but I think the word "princess" now carries an implication of passivity and romantic fixation and therefore a lack of interest that Disney has created, not discovered.
The blog post goes on to explain that Alice in Wonderland is expected to do well despite not being called Hatter! and that Up would probably not have failed if Russell had been a girl instead of a boy.
I recognize that Disney's primary goal is profit and not ensuring an appropriate cultural education for my children, but I wish that instead of keeping the princess and adding a "cool guy" on top, that Disney would think about what role it can play in deconstructing gender stereotypes and showing girls that they don't have to be princesses and boys that they don't have to be charming machos. As a feminist, I don't object outright to girls wanting to pretend that they are princesses, but I do object to them being consistently brainwashed with the princess mentality. As a pacifist, I don't object outright to kids playing with swords and guns, but I do object to them being consistently brainwashed into thinking that violence and war is a way to solve problems. We need some balance. Balance that allows all kids to experiment, use their imagination, and have fun without being told "girls don't do this" and "boys don't do that".
My challenge to Disney: Instead of thinking about how to appeal to girls and appeal to boys, think about how you can create strong characters that help to break down the gender stereotypes you've invested so much money into building.
Image credit: Express Monorail on flickr
Reader Comments (60)
YES. That NPR quote is spot on.
Thank you. My daughter has been heavily into the princess thing at times, and it's a hard phase to deal with when you want to encourage more independence. Rapunzel was my oldest daughter's favorite princess, and I loved that she picked her without a Disney movie to interpret the story for her. That they're making one now and messing with it so much I hope doesn't too much disappoint my daughter.
I hate Princesses. Except Elizabeth from the Paper Bag Princess. She is the one princess I like.
My girl is not at all interested in princesses. I wonder if I can take credit for that or if it is just her. She hasn't been too exposed to Disney Princesses or princesses in general, and I plan to keep it that way. If a discussion of princesses does come up, I always shift it to a discussion of queens. Queens are cooler.
And I love that the prince gets blinded by thorns! That was one of my favorite parts of the story.
You are singing my tune, Annie. I have a 5-year-old daughter, and it is all princess all the time at my house. She told me once, "I don't want to be smart, I want to be pretty." It makes my heart hurt.
I know that, in spite of the current princess fixation, my daughter will likely grow to be an independent and well-adjusted individual. But that doesn't mean that my daughter, and pretty much every other preschool-aged girl, couldn't benefit from a little balance. The constant and un-ending promotion of princesses, the licensing of every product you can imagine, and the unbelievably vapid nature of most of them is just not necessary. Adding an extra character to make it more appealing is NOT the answer.
This makes my brain hurt.
It's funny how the parents with the least patience for mainstream gender roles almost always seem to end up with the children that flock to it.
I have two friends, both PhD biologists, who couldn't care less about fame, fortune, beauty, etc., and the father is the stay-at-home-parent, and their oldest daughter (and thus the littlest daughter now) is completely and utterly OBSESSED with princesses. Perhaps, in light of their mother's practical, articulate, intelligent way of walking through the world, and their father's accessibility and tenderness, being a princess is the pinnacle of make-believe and magic. It's so unlike their own reality that to enter Princess Land is to truly escape from theirs.
Maybe it's like that for all kids who are drawn to the "princess light": it's a climax of fantasy BECAUSE they understand it to be just that.
Or... maybe they just like sparkles and tulle.
my first two daughters didn't do the princess thing. I was convinced that I was doing such a cool job of raising them....buying them books from the anti-princess reading list, laying down some good feminist ground work, etc. I would laugh at all my friends with princessy daughters and accuse them of feeding into it. When my older two daughters watched Scooby-Doo, they wanted to be Velma, not Daphne. Ohhhh....I was good!
Then I had my third daughter. gulp. She may be asleep in a gown as I type this.
"The constant and un-ending promotion of princesses, the licensing of every product you can imagine, and the unbelievably vapid nature of most of them is just not necessary."
I concur. I just don't get it... everything seems so much more Princessy, pink, gendered and over-the-top marketed ((I'm sick of Cars, Dora, Barbie, HotWheels EVERYTHING) than when I was a preschooler or when my 14 and 11 year olds were preschoolers. Maybe I was just sheltered/sheltering?
If our toddler goes bonkers for Princesses in a few years, I may lose my mind.
I have boys who are 2 and 5, so we probably won't have to deal with the princess thing. On the other hand, we'll have to deal with the stereotypical "male" things, too, like boys always play with toy guns (which our boys won't) or love sports (which our boys might or might not). We get flack for buying them cooking toys or dolls, which we do anyway because we want to encourage them to be nurturing and caring adults. In any case, your last paragraph is spot on and I'd love to see Disney take up your challenge (or anyone who is making movies for kids).
And Paperbag Princess is the most awesome princess story; I bought it for our boys. :)
Great post. We haven't hit the Princess years yet but judging by what I see around us, they're going to happen. I plan to read Princess Smartypants to my daughter as often as possible as a counterpoint! (Lovely feminist children's book, that one.)
I remember playing Princesses when I was little but we didn't have all the stuff that went with it - these days it's all about the merchandise, then it was more about make-believe games. Thanks to Disney, we now have the double whammy of popularising rigid gender roles in stories and entertainment and the pinkification and 'princessing' of everything from clothes to bath towels to pencil cases to party hats to queen sized bedspreads for young adults.
You'd think after the phenomenal success of 'Shrek', studios would at least be looking for more interesting ways to update fairytales than by adding more male violence.
GREAT POST! I tweeted this NPR article today, too. I thought it did a fantastic job of addressing the binary gender stereotypes we are forced to deal with while raising our children. I am so disgusted by the Princess Culture and how it channels into hypersexualized marketing for girls that I created an apparel company (Pigtail Pals) to give girls and parents different options. Our girls should be raised to be smart, daring, and adventurous. Girls should be allowed to dream of things other than princesses and pink.
We all need to work harder at breaking down the gender stereotypes fed to our children from birth, and take the control of childhood out of the hands of the marketers who have twisted it for their own profit. We are selling our girls short by limiting them and we are teaching our boys not to expect much from girls. Or worse, objectify them. Our children deserve better!
Would REALLY REALLY REALLY love to skip the princess stage! I don't remember caring about them when I was little, but I was in daycare so I didn't have other kids teaching me about them. HMMMM
I remember being in this phase myself and it is um, over 35 years ago. I grew out of it. It wasn't particularly encouraged. My mum keeps reminding me of this as I despair over my princess obsessed three year old, but it would be oh so nice if Disney could step up to your challenge. I don't mind the pink, sparkle or tulle so much now, just the messages about roles both class and gender.
My daughter turns 8 exactly one week from today. She went through a 'princess' phase when she was about 4, and we just let her. Now she's over it. Well, mostly. Today she dragged out her old princess clothes and dressed her younger brother up, and told him he was the 'princess' and that she was the Queen and he had to do whatever she said. And he did, mostly (I admit he's feeling a bit of a cold and didn't complain all that much). Now her favorite princess story is The Paperbag Princess and she giggles every time we get to the end of the story and the Princess tells Ronald he's a 'bum'. She doesn't expect to grow up and be a princess ("it's make-believe, Mom... duh"), and is busy planning a career in either art or songwriting - depending on the day. Although decidedly not the most grounded of career choices, she is only 8 and we'll see what happens.
We have been to Disneyland - once, and we own a couple of those 'princessy' films that get watched from time-to-time, and I used to worry about it but the day she stopped wearing only dresses, I stopped worrying about it. She's pretty grounded. And for the moment, I truly believe that Mom actually trumps the Disney Corp. Now, if she just told me she'd like to be a Jedi Knight when she grows up, it would be perfect. ;)
Exactly why I do Disney Princess Watch http://bit.ly/9onflX Thanks, I'll be adding your post.
I hate to throw a spanner in the works, but Rapunzel is NOT A PRINCESS! She is the daughter of a man who was too poor to feed his pregnant wife and so stole some greens from a wealthy "witch"'s garden. The witch demanded the child in exchange for his freedom. Rapunzel is an abducted peasant child! There are many ways to interpret this story, but it is integral to ANY valid interpretation that one be aware of who the characters are.
I am really turned off by the D word princesses...with their tiny little waists...
But my daughter took a whole new slant to the word princess. At 2 and half she started calling every thing she thought was beautiful "princess" - the Christmas lights were princess, the decorated cake, the flowers coming up in our garden..."princess"
She knows not of the D word ladies... but I am sure that we can keep finding beautiful things for her to call "princess"
But she still likes to play in mud puddles!
She marries the prince in many versions.. just like Cinderella and Belle. They aren't princesses in their own right, either.
Absolutely Cassaundra. I know the "real" story, but Disney is making her into one of its "princesses".
We love the Paper Bag Princess too. We have the pocket book. Great for shoving in a bag and taking with us.
Julie: Mine is having a princess birthday party next weekend. Sigh.
What bothers me, aside from everything already stated, is the lack of choice for girls. Its work to not be bombarded with princesses. The dr. viists when the nurse shuffles through to the stickers to find the princess/barbie/pink option because "she knows what girls want" and the many interations of that we encounter everyday. I don't mind playing princesses if it is one of many choices, but it seems to have become the only choice. That is what really gets me.
Disney princess is everywhere, isn't it? My 3.5 year old loves it and loves everything pink but thankfully she is still also happy to play with cars and trucks. It would be wonderful for Disney to come up with some non gender specific stuff, some role models that appeal to both sexes - especially as there are going to be a lot of wars in our house about what DVD they can watch in a few years when they boy gets older.
This post and NPR's take are spot on. It's maddenning that Disney thinks their last movie did poorly because boys didn't want to watch it. And why don't boys want to watch princesses? Could it be because they have been trained by Disney to think that princesses are silly, girl things, and ewww, no boy would ever want to be like a girl?
You often hear the reason adult movies that center around female characters don't get made or don't do well in the box office because "men don't want to see those movies". The implication is that men are the core audience for movies, and if a movie doesn't interest them it isn't worth making. Women are assumed to be willing to go to movies "for men", but the opposite is not true. Disney is taking this idea down to kindergarten, and it's a step backward for gender equality.
Once again you write clearly, articulately AND thought-provokingly.
You ROCK my friend and your daughter is LUCKY to have you as a role model in her life.
so is your son, BTW. They are both VERY lucky children!
My 5 year old boy brought Princess Smartypants home from the school library. Loved it!
I don't know. I mean, I get that the Disney marketting is over the top. But is it really so awful if little girls are "into" princess things? Doesn't trying to discourage it send the message that "girly things" ARE bad/less valuable? Could Disney show more balance? Sure, but they are in the business of making money, and apparently, princesses sell. I'm more disturbed by the fact that there seems to be no "kids" movie out there without something really scary or violent in it.
All I know is that as a child, before all the movies and videos and the Disney Store, I wanted to wear a dress every single day of grade one. Even if I had to stuff the skirt into snow pants. The twirlier, the better. I spent hours drawing princesses in beautiful ball gowns (for me, the best part of being a princess!) I would have loved all the dress up stuff out there today :P
But I got over it, I now consider myself a strong, feminist, mother and career woman in a healthy, equal relationship with my DH. I am raising two boys to be feminist as well. Don't get me wrong, I still like "pretty" things, but I'd describe myself as low-maintenance, nary a bow or tulle in my closet (not that there's anything wrong with that...)
I definitely think it's important to be critical and to monitor what our kids are exposed to, but at the same time, what they like at 3 doesn't necessarily reflect who they are going to grow up to be. I'd like to think that overall, parenting is going to have more impact than that. Otherwise, my sons might grow up to be sword-toting knights...
Interestingly, my boys (particularly the older one) have seen a number of "princess" movies (my old VHS tapes) -- they like them for the comedy: the mice in Cinderella, the seven dwarfs, Sebastien the crab...And to be honest, probably the coolest thing about Rapunzel to my 5 year old IS the thorn thing :P
Maria -
As a mom and a business owner, I'm always analyzing the media & products marketed to our children. A LOT needs to change. I had my children at the doctor last week, and below was our sticker options. Ultimately, both kids picked dino stickers.
http://www.twitpic.com/16ln39
You are so right. Across all kids' pop culture the message to boys is the same - girlie stuff is stupid and trivial and of no interest to boys. Of course, that message is reinforced by the tendency to portray girls as screechy, giddy, fashion-obsessed airheads. That is why I love the conclusion to this article - we need producers to create great characters who appeal to everyone, regardless of the gender of the viewer or the character. And that means balanced portrayals of boys and girls.
We also need parents to get on board by encouraging boys to value stories about girls (minus the princess stories that do no one any favours). There are some good females in kids' books and that is a great place to start breaking down stereotypes. Reading boys stories with strong female characters will teach them that just because a girl is a protagonist does not mean the story will be boring or silly. And when movies catch up to books and start including more balanced characters, boys will be more willing to see a movie that stars a girl.
My 3.5 yr old daughter is in her "princess" phase right now too, but since she hasn't got the patience to sit through a full length movie (and we haven't got the inclination to show them to her) she hasn't seen a disney princess outside colouring books and toys brought into the house by other people. The princess play seems to be mostly about the fun of dressing up with her friends. At home her imaginative play is often about being a hedgehog (!?), or a hedgehog bunny, or a princess hedgehog bunny. She's having fun with it in her own way and I'm not too worried about it.
I think it's hard for Disney to change their portrayal of princesses/heros because young children really love clearly defined gender roles...as adults we are capable (hopefully) of understanding and appreciating the variations in men's and women's roles. Children still think in black & white terms a lot of the time and aren't usually drawn to the shades of grey. That's not to say we shouldn't present them with a wide range of gender roles - we should, and the best way to do that is by demonstrating that at home. Disney just wants to sell movies and truckloads of paraphenalia, and they do that by giving kids the extreme gender stereotypes they like. It's like the naughty aunt who comes and loads your kids up on sugar and artifical flavourings and then leaves you to try and convince them to eat their broccoli at dinner! Kids love it - parents don't.
I have to admit, I wasn't going to read this whole piece. At the outset, I found myself thinking "okay, another feminist discussion about why the Disney princess thing is a bad thing for girls" and was ready to skim it and move on. Not that I think those standard arguments don't still need to be made or that Disney does anything close to a decent job in terms of equity and feminist ideas, it's just the opposite, I agree with those standard arguments and don't need to be enlightened as to the myriad of negative messages the dominant princess narrative sends to our children, male and female.
I have to say, though, that I was pleasantly surprised when I did read your post all the way through to find that you weren't just talking about body image, damsel in distress-itis etc.. and what they do that's hurtful, you talked about how they could be a positive force in children's development and I LOVED the idea of the evil Disney power being harnessed for good :)
I also liked that you looked at what these movies tell boys and how they reinforce traditional gender roles on both sides in an unhealthy manner. I feel like the impact of patriarchal structures on boys and men is often left out of the discussion when talking about feminism but firmly believe that if we are to create real change, we need to understand the entire story of its power and influence.
P.S. I haven't read them since I was a kid so can't guarantee everything in them but as I recall, the "Alana books" by Tamora Pierce (http://www.amazon.com/Alanna-First-Adventure-Tamora-Pierce/dp/0689853238) are a wonderful anti-princess fantasy series for older kids with a strong female protagonist that include several different feminist elements. My favourite part as a kid was that while she had to disguise herself as a boy in order to train to be a knight she also realizes that she is still a girl and seeks out women to help her find balance between the gendered worlds (and eventually, when her identity is revealed, she is still able to be a knight, as far as I can recall). For a girl who liked lots of "boys' stuff" but still wanted to be a girl, this was a much needed encouragement that I could play with those boundaries without having to be pigeon-holed into one or the other. Also, she gets period for the first time in one of the books and the topic is dealt with it in a very practical, realistic way and fact that a "normal book" (i.e. not one specifically about growing up a la "Are you there God...") talked about periods was supercool in my ten-year-old estimation of the world.
I guess that's the real problem isn't it then? There is some pretty sick classist appropriation going on in ADDITION to the sexist limitations. In the initial story, we have a working class, empowered woman, who bears the power of healing, transmuted into a purely decorative "princess" utterly dependant on a male character so foreign to the story that he had to be imported! Rapunzel has always been one of my favourite stories, specifically because it is all about female agency. All the male characters are at best, incapable. The father, unable to provide for his wife, is forced to steal, from a woman. The woman maintains agency and refuses to allow him to succeed. the Prince, though in love, is unable to effect a rescue of his beloved and is disabled by his own ineffectiveness. It is Rapunzel who saves HIM! In this story, it is the men who are the background characters! There are a lot of layers of possibility here, is this a fable about the male attempt to take possession of the herbal wisdom of the native European female spirituality? (the herbs of the witch's garden?) Is this a story about the healing power of female love? (Rapunzel's tears?) Is this a re-telling of the Persephone myth? Or perhaps Atalanta? Lots of complexity! Carving it up like a Christmas goose and attaching bits that don't belong is certainly a crime on the part of the Disney corp. Far from their first, far from their last as well I'm sure!
Oh, and by the way, my girls love to dress up, but so far, there has been no mention of princesses. Fairies? YES. Angels? YES. Mommies, Animals, Trees, but I haven't heard mention of a princess yet. (phew) My now 17 yr old liked to dress up, but never mentioned the word princess, same for my now 4 yr old. Why? I cannot say, except that they have been as sheltered from Disney and Barbie as I can keep them. (despite the concerted efforts of my in-laws w my eldest) The only dolls they have are cloth or babydolls and they don't watch the movies and shows that feature princesses. I won't even let them walk down the "girls" aisles of the major toystores. I find if I frequent the smaller independent stores, those products just aren't available. The books they read are not Disney or Barbie, but simply stories. I don't object to femininity, but I really DO object to that "brand" of femininity. So my girls wear dresses and pink and have tea parties, but they know that they have agency. They don't have agency "despite" their femininity, they have it BECAUSE of their femininity! Womyn don't have power when they ape men, they have power when they are centred IN their Womynhood.
I guess we won't be seeing THIS film either!
I so hear you. I wrote a post earlier this week about Stripper Barbie (she's now gone to The Landfill). I struggle with princess-ification, too. And movies. Also lately on my radar are greeting cards - trying buying a "You're 5!" card that doesn't catapult you square into gender stereotypes.
Great post. I like the "Paper Bag Princess" too, but Ava isn't as impressed w/ it (cuz c'mon - she wears a bag, not a princess dress!). ;) Have you read "Princess Bubble?" It's pretty good too, though there still seems to be an emphasis on looks, but there's lots of other good stuff in there too.
[...] the RSS feed for updates from my blog.Powered by WP Greet Box WordPress PluginAfter posting about Disney princesses yesterday, I was chatting with Rebecca from A Little Bit of Momsense and she pointed out that she [...]
I picked up two Princess Smartypants books today!
Although I agree completely with the fact that Disney is perpetuating stereotypes inappropriately and providing bad role models, I have to point out that one reason their stuff is SO POPULAR is that children in the preschool-kindergarten age set goes through a built-in stage where they attempt to understand what gender is.
Stereotypes and generalizations (such as "girls have long hair, boys have short hair") simplify that process, and thus are embraced by most kids of that age - just like kids about 3-4 years old start saying "I runned with the mouses" - applying the rule even in the cases where it should be an exception. Who hasn't known a little girl who OMG OMG OMG REFUSED TO WEAR ANYTHING BUT A DRESS for, like, a month? If she is easily confused on who is a boy and who is a girl, seeing someone with short hair in jeans and finding out that's actually a chick, but she wants to identify herself as a female, what easier way to clarify that than to wear clothing that, in our society, is reserved for females? She clarifies it for herself, she clarifies it for other people (who probably didn't need the help, but she doesn't know that), and she doesn't have to fear that someone will mistake her for the gender she doesn't want to be. Ditto on the little boy who cries and begs his mom to cut his shaggy hair, or refuses to wear a blue shirt with a purple(!) stripe on it, or whatever.
I know this probably sounds like I'm saying "the kid could get confused, let's give him some societally-approved stereotypes to work with to simplify things", but really I'm saying that kids are aching for simplicity in classification. It's working uphill to circumvent that innate craving for generalization, so a company that satisfies their craving (Disney) is really attractive at that age - and then, if they don't have those stereotypes taught out of them [that is, if they never have the exceptions validated], it's reinforced by habit and familiarity, which is what makes it popular with the bigger ones (7-8 years old)... "it's always been that way" and nobody has challenged it, and EVERYBODY knows about it, so it must be right.
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I do agree about the sticker choices. And other choices, from bandaids to toothbrushes, feature gender-directed characters. Plus, as a mother of a child of color, I am so sad that the choices for the "girl" things are always people with lily-white skin. Technically, Nexcare makes a bandaid that has a fairy of color on it, but she does not get her "own" bandaid like the two white characters. She is only featured on a group picture with the other two (white) fairies.
I was actually sort of happy that Disney was coming out with a movie that had a princess with brown skin, but then I found out that they changed the story so she spends most of the movie as a frog. Plus there are issues related to stereotyping that are disappointing.
My SIL bought the kids “Paper Bag Princess” and a few others (Cinder Edna) in that vein and my honest opinion is they just try too hard. They are clever and funny for adults but where is the fantasy for little ones? Girls will get into female role models that are smart and powerful (Wonder Woman and She-ra were two of my favorites, too...and also the Jungle Princess from Hana Barbera -- was it Sheena of the Jungle, I think?) but there has to be some fantasy and escapism! Just like fairies, mermaids, dragons, knights, etc. They are three year olds, after all. I mean, no one is saying that Peter Parker should be out cleaning up the environment and cataloging arachnids instead of being bitten by a radioactive spider.
I was not much into Disney Princesses as a kid but I suspect my daughter may be more into that since she really likes the more stereotypical feminine stuff. And I'm okay with that as long as she sees that there is so much more out there. In the meantime, she doesn't really know about the Disney Princesses yet since she hasn't seen the movies. She does love her fairies, though!
I really enjoyed this post Annie. My two girls (5 and almost 3) both enjoy dressing like princesses as often as possible. We have lots of dress-up clothes and I try to stay away from the specific character clothing (we do have a mermaid outfit tho!) because I think it allows them to be a little more creative with their play and instead of pretending to be "Princess Aurora" they pretend to be Princesses themselves.
Mine are a bit over-the-top at times, insisting on wearing princess dresses to the grocery store, the park, the bookstore. They (and their dresses) get dirty often during princess play. So I hope that by letting them enjoy being a princess in all they do, they will see that it's not about being rescued or taken care of by someone else.
My hope is that they'll see that being a princess is about treating others with kindness, having a sense of adventure, and using good manners. I've got my fingers crossed.
I understand that stage, but I'm vehemently opposed to the propagation of the idea that every single flipping thing kid-related has to be for one gender or the other. There are boy sleeping bags and girl sleeping bags instead of just sleeping bags. There are girl toy computers. There are girl pens and boy pens. In the adult world there are just (generally) computers, and pens and sleeping bags. I think it's ok to tell kids that the vast majority of stuff in the world doesn't have to be aimed at one gender or another. So there could be some more films that are just "kid films" and that don't involve princesses, or hell, don't involve merchandise.
Personally I favour the Sesame Street Rapunzel. She gets her hair caught in trees and so on and asks Prairie Dawn to cut it for her, Dawn tells her she needs to keep it so the Prince can come and climb it, but Rapunzel insists Dawn cut her hair anyway. So that she can move, and rollerskate and run.
I take huge issue with this post. Let me preface this with a few things. 1) I am NOT a feminist, however, I would not say I take the role of a traditional woman either. Currently I work full time so my husband can focus on school. We split the chores, with him often doing dishes and laundry while I work in the yard. 2) I have see EVERY DISNEY PRINCESS MOVIE many times. 3. I am not a mom, so perhaps I will change my mind when I have kids and reserve the right to do so. 3) I strongly believe in gender roles. Being a woman is part of who I am, and in the "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" it talks about how beautiful and special our gender roles are. That being said, I don't think that women should be seen as prizes or men loved for thier money, I'm just saying that we need to recognize that as men an women we are different and not try to ignore that fact.
I feel like some of the people fighting Disney so hard about thier horrible stereotypes have not done their research. To prove my point I plan on walking you through the "Major" Disney Princesses.
1. Snow White - Alright, I will give you the fact that she is a princess through and through. Dainty, soft spoken, and kind. I dont' know about you, but those aren't necessarily bad traits...and everyone has a personality, that just happens to be hers. She is also a hard worker. When she is forced to flee from her evil stepmother (who by the way is also a woman!!!) she doesn't just mope about it, she finds a place to live and does her best to earn her keep. Yes, she is cooking and cleaning, but more importantly she is recognizing a need and fillign it. I hope my girls have that skill. Her only major fault is trusting a stranger, and it turns out terrible, but that is another lesson I want my girls to learn, so in this case I think it carries a strong message. The happily ever after is the end of the story, not the journey itself.
2. Ariel - Okay, I'll give you this one, she is terrible. As far as princesses go she is the worst. Disobedient, disrespectful, and defiant. She makes a deal with the devil and it works out in the end for her anyway. She is NOT a good role model for little girls, and I hope my daughter does not fall in love with her. That's one for the bad examples, however, she is STILL not portraying the lazy girl who doesn't want to do anything. She doesn't let life happen to her or want to marry a prince. Instead she falls in love with a guy, without knowing who he was. She makes things happen, rather than waiting for them to happen for her. Even though I do not like her, she is still not the "stereotypical" pretty face-empty headed princess.
3. Belle - Possibly the best princess of all time. Belle is smart, driven, and caring. She loves her father and does everything she knows how to protect him. She sees beyond images to the person underneath and finds what really matters. I want my daughters to emulate her. Good things happen to her because she is a good person who works hard and is kind and loving. She even makes the right choices in tough situations. She never sits at home to be rescued, but does the rescuing herself. She is so far from the "princess" stereotype I don't she should even be included.
5. Cinderella - She is the hardest worker I know. And she is EXTREMELY respectful. She is kind to her step-sisters and step mother, even when they torture her. She leaves the prince not wanting marriage, but humming about love. She did not even know he was the prince! She was only looking for happiness, and the message is that her happy ending comes from her being a good person, not wanting to marry a prince.
4. Sleeping Beauty - Yes, she is a princess, and yes she is my favorite, but that is besides the point. She is raised to work and help out around the house, not even knowing she was a princess. In fact, when she learns she is supposed to marry a prince, she is mortified, because it is not what she wanted. She wanted to marry for love, not riches. It is only due to sheer luck that the prince and her love were one in the same, otherwise it would not have happened. Again, a message and example I want my girls to follow: Love and hapiness are one in the same, not love and wealth/royalty.
5. Jasmine - Again, she is a princess to start, but a strong and independent one. She tries to run away from being forced to marry for riches or title. She takes life by her own hands and refuses to be forced into anything. Clearly she is not looking at image, but a person who makes her happy.
6. Tiana - Anyone who actually watched this adorable movie would never even bucket her in the "princess" category. She is one of the hardest working characters ever displayed. Her prince is shown as selfish, and is the one who needs to change before things work. When he is a selfish prince she is not interested. It boils down them falling in love while they work hard to overcome a difficult situation. She was happy with him as a frog....a FROG!!! Clearly they both learned to see past images! Another great example for girls.
Okay, so perhaps this not the best writing, but I think the argument above is solid. So based on these examples, here is my conclusion. This is not mean to be a personal attack, rather a comment in general. If you have a little girl who is obsessed with being a princess based on disney's empire, and she thinks being beautiful and marrying rich are the only things that matter, it is not disney teaching this message. It is lack of parenting. Disney has provided some great learning opportunities here for us to teach children about what is really important. If children walk away from these movies thinking that the gender roles of being "beautiful and finding a rich guy to marry" are what these movies are about, then perhaps it is the parents who are not teaching because that is certainly not the message of these films.....
Diane:
Your message might be better heard/listened to here if you left the parent blaming out of it. The statement "If you have a little girl who is obsessed with being a princess based on disney’s empire, and she thinks being beautiful and marrying rich are the only things that matter, it is not disney teaching this message. It is lack of parenting." does not sit well with me and is not likely to sit well with most of my readers either.
That DEFINITELY does not sit well with me. Or my media literacy geared brain.
Again, excellent post Annie.
Annie....great post, as I said earlier. The previous poster seems to have a knee jerk response to defend Disney, and not really deconstruct the issues actually being discussed. And well, the blaming and aggressive language is just not very mature of inviting of discussion.
@Diane
I read your post on your own blog but did not respond. I'm not sure what your motivation is in coming back and pasting your post here but here are some thoughts...
There is an entire body of academic thought behind what Annie is saying, whether or not I agree with her conclusions, about Disney, about feminist ideology, about female role models.
I don't meant that to say that her perspective has more support, just to say that if you haven't read, or at least skimmed, some of the same texts, I'm not sure you'll be able to "get" the point of view. Just like debating certain ideas with a Christian without reading the Bible and major works of theology won't enable you to have a true discussion.
You are coming at this from an entirely different perspective...and what you might see as filial piety, others may see as passivity.
The problem is not that some parents are concerned that their girls will become look-obsessed and boy-crazed because they watch a Disney movie or two...or that they are abdicating their parental responsibility in communicating values.
The issue is more a saturation of images, through an entire consumerist-machine that bombards girls with messages about what it means to be female. And that this message involves being activated only in relation to men.
I guess I didn't respond before on your blog both because I'm not really interested in being the champion of one particular viewpoint or another (and by the way, I am a Disney fan, for the most part) and also because I have a strong suspicion that this is being approached from such different perspectives that there won't be a genuine dialogue.
Candace,
I just had to respond to say that your post is absolutely wonderfully worded and well stated. thank you
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