Disney princesses have played a significant role in every young girl's life. Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Jasmine, Ariel, Snow White have all been part of a young girl's childhood and no birthdays and Christmases will ever be complete without a Disney princess present.
Unfortunately, this Disney princess culture that has existed for many generations is believed to have harmful effects in children, especially in young girls. According to a study published in the journal Child Development, a team of Utah's Brigham Young University researchers found that preschoolers who are more exposed to Disney princess culture showed a higher potential to display female gender-stereotypical behavior as well as to trigger poor body image issues.
"I think parents think the Disney Princess culture is safe," Brigham Young University's family-life professor Sarah M. Coyne said, as per Science Daily. "That's the word I hear time and time again - it's 'safe.' But if we're fully jumping in here and really embracing it, parents should really consider the long-term impact of princess culture."
What Is A Disney Princess Culture?
The decade-old Disney princess culture can be described as the exposure of young girls to Disney princess media or products. For example, watching the Disney princess movies and the obsession on Disney princess products.
The Disney princess culture, however, appeared to have a positive influence on boys, encouraging them to have a better body esteem. But should parents really blame the Disney princesses for gender behavior and body image issues or maybe society also played a part on it?
Why Disney Princesses Are Blamed For Gender Behavior And Body Image Issues On Young Girls
Even before the existence of Barbie and the Disney princesses, women were already viewed as the weaker gender, leading to the prevalence of gender inequality, sexism and discrimination. But these issues were reportedly magnified by the existence of the Disney princesses.
According to Coyne, girls who are highly exposed to the Disney princess culture showed gender stereotypical behavior, in which they feel they aren't capable of doing things. They are also less confident and less likely to explore and experiment with things, Yahoo! Beauty notes.
The Disney princess culture is also linked to poor body esteem and body image issues on girls. In fact, Disney princesses appeal more to young girls because they may be seeking out role models of what they believed as beautiful and sexy, Business Standard learns.
Why Disney Princesses Shaming Should Stop
Christina Vardanis of Today's Parent, however, said that Disney princesses should not be solely blamed for the impact of princess culture on young girls. In her article, Vardanis highlighted several the fact that there are several gendered messages that preschoolers could pick up every day.
People also face the daily pressures and the shallow standards of the society when it comes to beauty and body size, thanks to the depiction of the press and social media. Hence, Vardanis stressed that Disney princesses should be the least of a parent's worries.
"It's time to stop princess shaming. There are thousands of gendered messages my little girl absorbs every day: the way I curse how my pants fit, the way shopkeepers talk to her, the way teachers assume that I am the dominant caregiver," Vardanis wrote. "There are so many battles to be fought, but princesses with sparkly tiaras may be the least of our worries."
Perhaps the best way to lessen the negative effects of the Disney princess culture to young girls is to expose them to all things in moderation, Time reports. Disney also made an effort in redesigning its Disney Princess collection by introducing braver, "more empowered" and "less boy-crazy" princesses such as Merida of "Brave" and Elsa of "Frozen."
Do you think Disney princesses should be blamed for gender-stereotypical behavior and self-critical body image issues on young girls? Sound off below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
