Peggy Orenstein, the
author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter,
argues that the idolization of Disney Princesses can be detrimental to a young
girl’s self-image.
Orenstein focuses on how the Disney Princess franchise emphasizes
the importance for little girls to be beautiful and abide by the typical female
guidelines. The Princesses are all very pretty and present themselves in a
lady-like fashion from the way they dress to how they attract men. Almost all
of the Disney Princess tales feature a gorgeous woman portrayed as a damsel in distress.
Orenstein is disgusted by this fact and does not want her child Daisy growing
up believing that she must live up to these impossible standards in order to be
accepted by a man. When speaking about the negative effects these Princess “role
models” may have on one’s self-esteem, Orenstein states, “The number of girls
who fretted excessively about their looks and weight actually rose between 2000 and 2006 (topping their
concern over school work), as did their reported stress levels and their rates
of depression and suicide” (18). Growing up is stressful enough, never mind
when you add the constant pressure of looking perfect. Although Orenstein is a
Disney fan herself, she brings light to only the negative affects the Princess
franchise has. The movies and products brainwash the minds of innocent children
and eventually cause them to be teenagers with no self-confidence. Each
princess is so perfect and idolized that females end up striving for the unachievable
goal of becoming perfect just like them. Orenstein strongly argues that the
massive success of the Disney Princesses is in fact diminishing the self-worth
of innocent children.
COMMENTS: I am a huge Disney Princess fan (as you can tell by the picture) and I did not like reading this text because of that. Although I respect where Orenstein is coming from, I think there are many other issues that are detrimental to children's spirits. A child may want to be like Cinderella but they do not know that her beauty is her main asset. It's just like when a little girl plays dress up. Just because she has fun putting on makeup doesn't mean she will go into a depression if she doesn't wear it everyday.
You are so right that the movies and products such as toys brainwash the children. They think that if they do not have that toy or look like that character they are not important or not good enough. I also agree with you when you say that children do not know that when they want to be like Cinderella because of her beauty, but what they do not know is that her beauty is her main asset. This is so true. They think that beauty is the only important thing in life, and its not.
ReplyDeleteKerri, it is true that media sets up an ideal for children to follow. Since they are innocent they do not recognize this. Therefore, it is up to the parents/adults to let them imagine and play dress up, but at the same time encourage them to look and act their own way, rather than try to mirror all the actions of the princess. For example, in Snow White, rather than try to find the handsome prince, the child should be guided to playing in a little cottage (such as making it under a table or in a room) where he/she can create his own house with a kitchen and a living room. That way he uses his imagination and at the same time has creative learning. :)
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