The Impact of the Princess Phenomenon in a Young Girl’s Self Image

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Children begin their lives by admiring how the people around them function and learn to live in the same ways. The biggest role models for children include their parents or other family members, but the most influential people they admire are the ones on the television. Young girls are typically excited to sit down and watch their favorite Disney princess movie for the hundredth time, but what exactly are they learning from these role models? The way these princesses have been portrayed are not realistic, nor appropriate for young girls to admire.
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From the way the princesses look to the ways they accept to be treated, young girls should not wish to base their future and current lives around these ideas.
Due to unrealistic beauty standards and gender stereotyping apparent in these films, young girls are detrimentally affected by the princess phenomenon. Children must learn from realistic situations that embrace diversity and imperfection, unlike the princesses they have been watching in movies.

The most noticeable unrealistic trait of these movies is how the princesses look: from their facial features and physique to the clothes that they wear. Similar to other forms of media, the princesses are given perfectly proportionate faces, thin, small bodies, and clothing that young girls wish they could wear to look as pretty as the princesses do. For example, Monika Bartyzel explains how when the recent Disney character, Merida became a princess officially, Disney redesigned her to have smooth hair, larger breasts, smaller feet, and put her in a sparkling dress to match her full face of makeup (466).

Before, she was a strong willed, feisty female with big curly hair who defied her mother to avoid becoming a stereotypical princess, but became one anyway outside of the movie. This enhances the idea that the character she was before was undesirable, so they had to change her appearance, allowing her to be more of a “princess”. This figure and pretty appearance that companies are obsessed with displaying are hurting how young girls view themselves. Kirsten Salyer explains in her article, “An obsession with beauty can increase girls’ vulnerability to issues including eating disorder, depression, and risky sexual behavior” (Par. 7). Girls will begin partaking in these dangerous behaviors only so that they can attempt to reach these unobtainable goals set out by the media.
However, girls are not always able to change what they do not like about themselves when compared to a princess; for example, skin color. Ashley Bispo describes how in a majority of Disney princess movies, the characters are all white. Children learn much of what they do about culture through the programs they watch at an early age. With little differentiation in the cultures portrayed in these movies, young girls of color are not feeling represented and can begin hating the skin they were born with (10). Nothing will change the way that they compare themselves to others on television; it is natural. However, there must be more realistic and diversely representative characters for children to watch to keep them from feeling inadequate the way that they are. Not only do these princesses make young girls want to change the way they look, but they also portray an old-fashioned way for girls to act.
Since most of these princess characters were created a long time ago, the storylines of their movies have become outdated and reflect more on how woman acted in the last century. Gender stereotypes are apparent in many of the older princess movies through the typical plot where a princess finds her Prince Charming and is happier now than ever. This lifestyle is more than likely not obtainable for a young girl and it is harmful to pretend that it is. There is a study that found the influence of these princess movies could benefit young boys by providing a powerful, confident male role but could be harmful for young girls for the same reason (Salyer, Par. 5). By putting a female in the subservient position under a male in practically every movie, Disney is sending an underlying message to young girls that will cause them to act that way in the future.
Bispo provides the example of Belle from Beauty and the Beast in her writing. Belle is an intelligent young girl who stumbles upon a beast that lives in a castle. He tells her things such as, “Women are not supposed to read” and asks her if she can picture their future with her rubbing his feet in a clean house (4). How can young girls be allowed to think this is normal? Every girl should embrace her intelligence and believe that she can do more than clean a home for her husband and bear his children. Many young girls begin behaving differently than they normally would after watching these movies. Stephanie Hanes states in her article, “The toddler had stopped running and jumping, and insisted on wearing only dresses. She sat on the front step quietly – waiting, she said, for her prince. She seemed less imaginative, less spunky, less interested in the world” (Par. 1). She was talking about her own three-year-old daughter.
The top priority of any young girl should not be to find her future husband. These films are causing girls to not act like themselves, but rather a version of themselves that could have existed eighty years ago. The gender roles portrayed in princess movies are out dated and are irrelevant to current society; therefore young girls should not be admiring such situations.
While these aspects of older princess films are disadvantageous, there are aspects of the newer Disney princess movies that are more appealing. There are more females of color as well as stronger female characters. For example, Princess Jasmine from Aladdin is a Middle-Eastern girl who is portrayed as strongly willed and daring female. She snaps at her father for demanding she marries a prince because she is her own person and not a prize to be won” (Bispo, 12). These are the types of female role models young girls should admire. They must realize that a man does not define them and to be successful and happy, a man is not required. However, as Crystal Liechty explains in her article, it might not be so bad if young girls hope to find a perfect man to marry (472).
It is not a negative thing to hope for a happy marriage one day or to wear pretty dresses and jewelry. The important aspect is the relationship developed between her and her future husband. She should not be a servant to him as portrayed in the older princess movies. To wish to be beautiful and find a husband one day is not a bad thing, but it cannot consume a young girl’s life to the point where she ruins her chances to be happy with herself. Since a child’s most influential role models typically appear on his or her television screen, these characters must be genuine and realistic. The Disney princesses young girls are admiring to be are not realistic role models. Their perfect appearance and the gender roles they follow are harming young girls and the way they live. Girls develop body image issues after seeing a beautiful princess with a desired body that is impossible to obtain.
While their looks are not very realistic, the way princesses are typically subservient to the men in their lives is achievable but girls should not be admiring such a life. Young girls must learn to be independent and love every aspect of themselves the way they are. Because of these beauty standards and stereotypes, the princess phenomenon is detrimental to the self images of young girls.
Works Cited

Bartyzel, Monika. “Girls on Film: The Real Problem with the Disney Princess Brand.” Week. May. 2013. Rpt. in The Structure of Argument. Annette T. Rottenberg and Donna Haisty Winchell. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015. 467 70. Print.
Bispo, Ashley. “Fairytale Dreams: Disney Princesses’ Effect on Young Girls’ Self Images.” Dialogues@RU 9 (n.d.): 1-12. Rutgers. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.
Hanes, Stephanie. “Little girls or little women? The Disney princess effect.” The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Sept. 2011. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.
Liechty, Crystal. “In Defense of Princess Culture.” Unexceptional Mom. Feb. 2013. Rpt. in The Structure of Argument. Annette T. Rottenberg and Donna Haisty Winchell. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015. 471-72. Print.
Salyer, Kirsten. “New Study on the Potential Problem With Disney Princesses.” Time. Time, 22 June 2016. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

Lee Caldwell

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