Disney Princesses bad for kiddie health
Caught this funny video on NY Mag website and recalled something something pretty disturbing:
When my five year old niece was planning her birthday, she wanted, no, demanded, Disney Princess EVERYTHING. From her paper plates to her cake, to her friggin’ party favours (yes, they have party favours for kiddie birthdays too), they’re all emblazed with the frighteningly white teeth and fake smiley miens of the five ubiquitous Disney Princess — Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty, Little Mermaid and Aladdin’s Jasmine.
She knows all their names, including Sleeping Beauty’s real name. That’s Aurora, FYI. She pastes their stickers everywhere. She loves them with all her being. And Her mother calls her Princess. No judgement there, but do you hear mums or dads calling their sons Prince? Michael Jackson so does not count.
This five-year-old is not the only one. She’s just one of the millions who’s fallen prey to that whole beautiful, magical image. Fairy tales are lovely to believe in. Some of these Disney princesses are rather independent and capable in their own ways such as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. What I can’t stand is the whole marketing machine behind them.
Why do you need a million lunch boxes and dresses and dolls promoting the whole Disney Princess ideal? Disney Princesses make Malibu Barlie look like Germaine Greer, for goodness sake.
According to a Telegraph article, “there are now more than 25,000 Disney Princess items. ‘Princess’, as Disney executives call it, is not only the fastest-growing brand the company has ever created; they say it is on its way to becoming the largest girls’ franchise on the planet.”
I’m not saying that kiddie girls won’t ever grow out of their love affair with the Disney Princesses. But, surely there are more role modes for little girls to adore and identify with than Disney Princesses. How about Dora The Explorer or Neil Gaiman’s Coraline?
It’s a sad day when little girls grow up believing that pumpkins will turn into carriages.
Leave a Comment
Be the first to comment!
