I don’t think there’s any denying the presence of Princess Culture in our society, or even its prevalence among young girls today. As a little girl I certainly grew up playing Disney princess dress up, throwing princess themed birthday parties and sleeping in a room decorated with the faces of Ariel, Jasmine, Belle, and Cinderella. However, I never felt that I was under any delusion that I was an actual princess. Except the occasional temper tantrum over still NOT receiving my own pet tiger, I was a well-adjusted child with reasonable expectations about my lifestyle. As I read the reading over princess culture my finger pointing immediately directed me towards the parents. My mother indulged me by allowing me to watch Aladdin 4 times a day but it stopped there. The word “princess” was never used as a form of praise in my house; it wasn’t something to aspire towards. It was for pretend, playtime. I think the prevalence of princess culture as been perpetuated by parents’ inability to draw the line between real life and make believe. Little girls must be made to understand that the women they emulate in those movies are not realistic depictions of who they should aspire to be. I had real world role models in my hard working mother, my loving aunts and my wise grandmother. I think today’s parents tend to blur the lines themselves. They want so badly to be accepted by their children that they push these stereotypes, and even emulate it themselves sometimes, as is the case in shows like “Toddlers and Tiaras.” It’s not healthy for anyone involved for the modern woman to get stuck in the Disney princess rut. There’s no harm in allowing your daughter to watch her favorite Disney movie over and over, as long as she is firmly rooted in reality after the credits roll.
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