Beautiful Princess in Disney Movies Create Low Self-Eseem in Our Girls

Disney movies can teach young girls stereotypes of the ideal body image, how they should act, and unrealistic expectations of love. Giroux thinks that Disney movies have a negative impact on children for teaching them stereotypical ideas. One big problem seen in Disney Movies is false body image. Take “Sleeping Beauty” for example, with her stunning beauty, small waist and perfect hair, she is portraying that her look is the ideal and women should look like her. Young girls seeing these Disney Princesses might think that the only way they can look good is if they have a model’s physique, which is wrong because children shouldn’t be concerned about appearance and impressing others.

I personally know parents that don’t recommend reading this version of “Cinderella” or any other classic fairy tales to younger children; the violence is too graphic, it sends the wrong message about stepmothers and the reality of the world is misleading. It’s no brain teaser that classic fairy tales are dark, grim and violent. They are filled with situations that leave your mind blown or saying to yourself “That’s insane!” Children have a hard time distinguishing the line between the real world and make believe. In the fairy tale “Ashputtle”, the stepmother orders her daughter to cut of her own toes so the gold slipper would fit and she would become queen. This is where the line can become very fuzzy for some children.

A pageant mom quoted this “I’d rather she be perfect and have a little frozen face. Some people say her eyebrows look a little pulled already but they look striking” (Child Beauty Pageants are Abuse). This type of behavior from a parent should not be acceptable. Another pageant mom who is a trained beautician said this “I’ll make her frown before injecting, which helps identify a potential wrinkle.” (Child Beauty Pag... ... middle of paper ... ... about a pageant is being unfair because no one wants to be in a pageant they have no chance of winning. Donald Trump didn't want the pageant industries reputation ruined.

Children female beauty pageants such as the televised show “Toddlers and Tiaras,” have a bad influence on young girls. The show more or over is a reality show of young girls in between the ages of as young as 3 months and older. Truly, this is poisoning their brains. Not only are they poisoning the young childs brains, but teaching them that face and body image is everything. It does not help the young girls self-esteem; it is damaging them morally in the real sense that they are real people that are being taught looks are important.

The idea that wanting to be all that is “Princess” can lead to false expectations, equates to what Orenstein says is a “preoccupation with body and beauty” and what Twenge said will lead to narcissism and entitlement (327). Think of girls who suffer from anorexia in an effort to be what they see up on the billboards. However, it is always easier to find blame with outside sources like Disney than to focus within, although, there are extenuating circumstances to every example. If mom finds that her little girl needs the “Cinderella” accessories to fix low self-worth problems, then the problem probably stems from issues within her peer group or her home life. If this is so, how can a person decide which is a cause and which is an effect?

Characters who violate social norms and expectations often create gender roles by illustrating how individuals should not act. In Euripides’ Medea and Disney’s “the Little Mermaid” the characters Medea and Ursula violate numerous social norms through their actions and, in Ursula' case her appearance. By doing this they create an image of what a woman should not be. The two are portrayed as lonely middle-aged women who have failed to nurture children, attempted to interfere with marriage, and ultimately act without male influence. In both works, Medea and Ursula’s actions are seen as wrong because of the reactions from the other characters, which is generally fear and discomfort.

The Princesses in Disney movies are portrayed as young, voluptuous, and beautiful while the female villains are usually older, heavyset or emaciated , and considered “ugly” or undesirable. These perceptions can give young girls an inaccurate view of what beauty should look like and what they should strive to be. This causes negative effects on how young girls view themselves and can lead to eating disorders later in life. Not only do the Disney movies portray body image inaccurately but they also reinforce gender stereotyping. Throughout each movie the princesses are “damsels in distress,” naïve, and cook and clean while wearing very

That being said makes it no surprise that Disney constantly gets an anti-feminist label on all of their creations. The theme of the princesses’ perfect appearance being necessary to get them the prince often reoccurs. This idea is also backed up by Kathi Maio who states, “The movie says if a young woman is pretty and sweet-natured, she can change an abusive man into a kind and gentle man. In other words it is a woman’s fault if her man abuses her” (Disney’s Dolls).... ... middle of paper ... ...n by naming the title of the movie after the main female protagonists. Just look at the Little Mermaid, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and even Beauty and the Beast.

She notes how they cannot grow up wanting to be heroes or anything of that sort. This is similar to “The Yellow Wallpaper” because due to princess stories such as Cinderella, little girls are pushed so often to desire being princesses just like in the short story, wives must succumb to their husband’s authority and ‘superior’

Leichty mentions in her article, “In Defense of Princess Culture”, the love her daughter has with the princess phenomenon and later expresses her opinion on that subject (Leichty 471). The concept of young ladies idolizing a Disney Princess has been met with great reservations from many, but Leichty states, “WHAT’S SO AWFUL ABOUT THAT?” (Leichty 472). Positive attributes for a Disney Princess and their favorite movie line provide families with nights of conversation with a superior family oriented topic on the screen. A Disney Princess will provide families a sense of morality, considering the immoral items that can be viewed on many movie screens and television screens. The pure magic a Disney Princess can provide is an uplifting, enjoyable and exciting moment for all through their popular movie line or even catching a glimpse of the very popular Disney theme park.