Today we talked about Disney princesses. Is the media machine influencing our little girls, indoctrinating them with the notion of a happily ever after (as long as there's a prince available to provide it, after he rescues you, of course), or are they just a form of harmless entertainment that allows you to be a fancy princess surrounded by fairy dust, talking sealife and bibbity bobbity boo? A bit of both maybe? What do you think?
Even if little girls aren't seeing the big picture of helplessness that many of these princesses project, is it affecting them later on a subliminal level?
Are Disney princesses a gateway drug (haha) to Barbie, and then to Bratz, and then to teen magazines and then to women's magazines filled with airbrushed images of women--perfect women who don't even exist?
What are the good qualities of these princesses? What are the negative ones? Does one overshadow the other? What do you think, Sisters?
17 comments:
I am thirteen and obessed with disney princesses. I have the picture on the side as my avatar. Yet, I think I the only one who has looked at them deep enough. First of all, Snow White was made in 1936, when women's roles in life was different. And Cinderella was an old tale, and The Little Mermaid was also an old fairy tale. So sterotypical princesses are historical.
As a teenager, I look at them differently. A girl said the Snow White is a story about drugs. Like the apple is the drug, and the dwarfs are the effects you have. It's a really great lesson for us, that drugs don't get you your happily ever after. I will do anything I can to get my happily ever after, without my prince. What I have nocited is that the princesses get help from someone. Like fairy godmother's or genies. That shows that you need help from your friends and family, and that they are important. Just make sure your daughter looks at it the right way, Ms.Elliot, and she will be okay.
The fake women in the magazines aren't perfect. They're only "pretty" because that's what the media says, and they're very influential. The media is like bacteria; it's everywhere, and it often does more harm than good.
Who is "the media", anyway?
Give me a BREAK people!!!!
Just becuase their is a back story and lost of stuff to learn from these princesses doesn't mean they AREN'T a gateway drug! Same with Barbie!
You can learn WITHOUT playing with an anorexic doll! Your mom can read you picture books about Martin Luther King--I know their are some aimed at litle kids--or about Rosa Parks, or some great female or non-white figure. And this also helps you read when you get to kindergarten. Sure Snow White was made in 1936, but we don't show black kids unequal treatment when they are three and expect them to understand it was made in the 1930s!.
And onother thing: are they giving our children false impressions on what love really is? I mean, look at it htis way: She's never met the dude! And they are in love....:P
It's good to teach your children that what they feel for you and your husband is love, but do it in a different way: I think that the love a granchild has for grandma or Mommy has for Joey or even an a teacher has for her students or a student for a teacher she feels close to is a lot stronger than a husband and wife: THink of all the divorce these days. And, in other cultures, a lot of marriages had respect, but not love. And sure you lov eyour spouse, but as much as you love your kids? And also--so much pain is created by bullying wihtin families -SIBLINGS, who are supposed to always look out for each other- that it might be a good idea to teach you kids about loving and caring for siblings. No three year old is going to have a husband they need to care for anytime soon, I promise you.
Ms Elliot, no offence to you, I think you are a great person and I love the sisterhood. But you have to remember how old your daughter is: You can't excpect a little girl to understand more than the looks of hte charecters and the storyline! I'm sure htat no little girl thinks they have to look exactly like Ariel or Barbie, but it's inside their somewhere. Subconciously they'll remember it as a huge part of their childhood and those "boyfriend is more important than anything" values it had will be a part of them.
One thing about Belle: when I was little, she used to be my fav Princess. I used to think she was so kind, and that I want to be jsut like that to my Daddy! But now I've realized something: if you see a beast, run. Run fast. Don't try and tame it with your kindness. It'll kill you.
I apologize for the terrible spelling/grammar in this entry.
Yeah, if you look at fashion magazines for like, 10 minutes, your definition of beauty gets narrower and narrower. They all go againest the statement WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL. Then they are lying. Because we really are all beautiful, and I don't need mascara or expensive lip gloss to make me beautiful.
To anon. #3: thank you so much for what you said! The thing with my daughter loving these characters is what made me start questioning whether or not they really were a harmless influence. I think the Disney princesses could have all benefitted from being in our Sisterhood!
Keep thinking, girls! Find your voice and speak from an authentic place! And be responsible for creating your OWN happiness!!!!!!
xoxo Ms. Elliot
Yeah, I don't get why the are teaching kids about relationships. I mean, when you get married, it will be magical and all that. But you don't dream about a Prince, wait a few days, find him, and share true love's kiss. It's so much more complicated. But Bratz, the dolls, are a different story. They look "perfect" and super skinny. Their clothes are way too small, and when I was little, they did affect how I looked at beauty.
I love Ariel so much.
- The Brotherhood of the Sisterhood
Walt Disney is my Idol, and everything he has created, (for example... DISNEY LAND!!!) is a great and wonderful thing! Cinderella is my fav. princess, and she tought a lesson, as did the other princesses in their story. Cinderella proves that dreams don't last forever, and bad things can happen if they're not cared for properly, which teaches a huge lesson to teens and 3 year olds!!! That is to enjoy life while you can and be careful what you wish for, because it could end up in disaster!!!
About the drug thing... princesses don't lead to barbies then to bratz it is the media's falt for making them SO popular, if the media wouldn't have said anything they would be old news.
I asked my eight year old cousin if playing if dolls changed her opinon of beauty. She said that playing with Barbies and Polly Pockets didn't. She didn't like Bratz because they were too unrealistic and unhumanlike. I think they are so unrealistic that people don't even compare themselves to them. When I was little, there wasn't Fashion Fever dolls. There were Barbies who were doctors and soccer players, and airplane attendents, and other good jobs. That gives kids a goal to go for in life.
I think that Disney princesses have their pros and cons. I mean in Ariel, the good guy (or mermaid I should say) is thin and pretty and the evil witch is fat and ugly- This is an unrealistic assumption and could potentially give young girls the wrong idea about their self image, yet I didn't give it a second thought until I heard about it in a health class and thought about it. Then about the prince, I think that everyone wants to find their prince and the fact that the prince saves them in all the movies, is unrealistic but then again if you are in love then maybe you feel like your "prince" saves you from the drama in life itself. I firmly believe that everyone can have a happily ever after but not everyone needs a prince to accomplish that. But the Disney princesses in my opinion are actually great role models. My favorite Belle, she’s smart and loves to learn and read and learns to judge people by the quality of their character instead of their appearance. And Cinderella, she worked hard and cared for everyone around her. Snow White, she loved these little men and could also demonstrate the dangers of talking to strangers. I think that Disney princesses are influential, and are great role models for little kids.
Anon 3 to Anon 8:
Actually, a lot of the time it isn't the media that gets people hooked on Barbie, but the parents. Three year olds don't listen to the media; they listen to Mommy and Daddy becuase they want to be Just Like Mommy and Daddy when they grow up!
And, yes, I agree that Cinderella proves that, but so do so many other stories that don't have all of Cinderella's negative aspects. I think I mentioned that?
Yes, my obsolute favorite is Belle. Her story is all about inner beauty. I am not very pretty, so my friends like me because they got to know me. That was my goal for this year, getting to know people before I judge them for what they look like. That is why I absolutly love The Beauty and the Beast.
I think most stories give you something to learn from. Some might be good, but there can also be the bad. People need to realize when to draw the line. Disney can 'cushoned' these stories (Snow White, The Little Mermaid, etc.) and changed them so much their meaning is lost. Because we are human, we sometimes accept things like a 5 year-old with candy! Just like we accept these Disney movies, without thinking of the consequences. But the stories still have a meaning, and in Sleeping Beauty, it could be that even if there is a lot of bad, somehow there will be good, eventually. The makers of these stories, wanted them to have a meaning. And those meanings are still there, you just need to dig a little deeper.
And since WHEN can two year olds dig a little deeper?
This was the last sisterhood I went to. I felt this way because I felt I was in an akward position because I absoloutely love Barbies! And no it does not make me change my opinion about beauty. I believe that beauty comes natrually, and you can not manufacture your beauty. And no offense, but littler girls who like princesses and Barbies don't know about the different beauty "concepts" we mentioned... I did not know them until late last year. I don't think anyone is in danger of setting a poor influence on their daughter. Hear it from a person who's distant relitave is Walt Disney himself... I know he would never want his princesses to be a poor influence on younger girls because look at what else he has put on this earth... perhaps the greatest amusement park of all time. Princesses are princesses and to sum it all up they are make believe!!!
Mrs. Elliot~ I would love to know your opinion about this!!! You do a great job with the sisterhood... maybe choose better topics from now on ok???~
Ms. Elliot here again...I just wanted to comment to the comment above this. Good point. I don't think Disney and Barbie are truly evil. Heck, I played with Barbies (I even had the Barbie Town House with an ELEVATOR and it was so awesome that I carried over my backyard fence to take it to my neighbor's to play, but anyway...I digress). I just think that these things can subconsciously get into girls' heads about how things should be, how we should look, etc. I became AWARE of it when I was reading the stories to my 3 year old daughter. That's right, it took Ms. Sisterhood 36 years to become AWARE of it, and I started to question the message. I feel lucky that I grew up with lots of good self-esteem and positive messages from people in my life, but I still think the princess/barbie message can be harmful. So now when I read the stories to my daughter (I have to...she LOVES princesses--sigh), I just elaborate a bit on the ending and throw in a more appropriate message. I'm not sayin' Cinderella doesn't get to marry her prince, I'm just saying that she does so after lots of time spent getting to know him and deciding for HERSELF that he is the one she wants to be with. There is more to a girl's happiness than being 'chosen.'
I hope you come back to the Sisterhood soon, previous commenter, because you have a lot to add to our dialogue. :-)
Adding to my first post~Anon#14~
Thanks Mrs. Elliot for your response. That makes me feel better about the situation I am in. People who have known me since kindergarten knew I loved Barbies then but now when the come over to my house, I have to close the door to the room where all my barbies and my huge barbie house are because certain friends do not understand that Barbies are a great way to use your imagination, you can create what ever you want! My grandma is 78 and still has barbies; over 300 of them!!!! She is a very good influence on me to keep playing with what I love.
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