For this response, I'd like for you to figure out a way to answer this question, using your own analysis of the readings and/or movies we've discussed in class. Be specific and use particular details to prove and sustain your argument (which, of course, need not be a single yes/no answer). You might think about the role of play for kids and what it teaches them, how gender figures into childhood fantasy, what it means for little girls to want to be princesses, how your own experience matches up or veers from what we've read and talked about. Feel free to focus on a particular princess character or movie or on one main idea from any of the articles (including Douglas's chapter that you're reading for Friday). What I'm looking for: some deep, critical thinking about these issues, a focused point or question, and developed ideas that sustain that point or attempt to answer the question. Try to avoid: overly simplistic generalizations. You should aim for around 500 words.
*More specific guidelines about responses are posted in the links list on the class website.*
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16 comments:
I understand what the authors of these books and articles are trying to get across but I don't fully agree with the message. It isn't right for a woman to be voiceless in her destiny, but a little make-believe never hurt anyone. I don't think that a child watching Cinderella is going to say when they are fully grown “I can't save myself from problems, I need a strong handsome prince to help me.” I don't, and I don't know any former princess watchers that do either. I watched all of the Disney princess movies my whole childhood, I've been to Disney world many times and I know now that these images are not real, but they can be fun. I'm not standing around waiting for a prince to take me away and live happily ever after, I am however in college to further my education. I think that it is silly to try and make these fairy tales into some big plot against women. There is real life and make believe, everyone knows these aren't real.
Nikki Alleman
I have very mixed feelings about this topic. As a child I watched many fairy tales, and I dressed as a princess all the time. However, I always knew when I grew up I wanted to be a teacher, not a princess. I am also the youngest child and only girl in our family. I was always treated as a “princess,” especially by my father. However, I didn’t grow up to believe the world revolves around me, nor would my life always be a complete fairy tale. I was always taught to be independent, be a leader, and every goal was reachable.
I do understand and believe many of the reason these fairy tales are true. I also believe children unconsciously take in information the producer of the project indented them to. However, with such simplistic minds I don’t always think the children will analyze the films in the way in which we do. At times I think the intense criticisms on these stories aren’t as relevant to the child as it is to the parent.
With that said, I do think there are things that could be changed about fairy tales in the past which could make them a bit more relatable. For example, instead of having a beautiful blonde princess, there could be a red headed average looking girl who achieves great goals in the end also. Another example would be in the fairy tale Cinderella. Perhaps Cinderella could appear as a stronger character. Instead of taking such a passive role, especially with her step family. Instead of Cinderella just completing every chore without having a voice, Cinderella should speak out.
In conclusion, I understand the role the media plays in a child’s life, however, the parents should be more influential then fairy tales. In that respect, I do think it is okay for children to be able to watch a movie and escape reality for a moment. I think it is more important for the parent to explain to the child how they should respect and stand up for themselves, and not place this role on the media. However, not all parents are as influential in their children’s lives as the media unfortunately. In a perfect world, the media and the parents would both attempt to focus on the child’s interpretation of the media. But, until this happens, I believe it is the parent’s role to monitor what the children take in and explain the reality in the particular type of media they are observing.
As an avid fairy tale reader, I think, like everything in life, there is good and bad to a fairy tale. There are wonderful values taught, like kindness, love and hope. There are also negative lessons taught, like materialism, dependence and rash decision-making. The way to highlight the positive and downplay the negative is to keep in mind that fairy tales are written to reflect a certain society’s values, and originated a very long time ago. A true fairy “tale” is oral tradition that is passed down and recorded, with the audience never knowing an author. The Little Mermaid is not a fairy tale because Hans Christian Anderson made it up and wrote it. It is also important to point out that fairy tales were not always intended for children. Instead, they were used to teach morals. An author cannot be blamed or traced and the “tale” can easily change with each retelling. It is important to keep in mind that different cultures and eras have different versions that make their telling “traditional,” so those can be taught to give variety to a child’s role model. There are other versions of Cinderella, even with a boy, as the main character, filling the role of Cinderella. These versions can be read or told to expand the view of role model and shake up the gender traditions.
The American, Disney Cinderella provides a great example of both good and bad values that should be investigated. The first image of Cinderella that children receive in the movie is one of materialism. She is playing with her pony, and her father has given her every luxury, as the narrator describes that even though she is spoiled rotten, she still needs a mother. Her actions may not reflect a spoiled little girl, but the message given is that she is happy with her father and her things. From there, Cinderella’s image is of a poor, abused daughter who must cook and clean for her evil stepmother. She tries to explain that she has already cleaned the house and is yelled at by her stepmother. In spite of this, Cinderella does not act out and continues to try her best. I find this to be admirable, although she should have tried to stand up for herself more. Next we find that Cinderella has befriended the mice and loves them. This teaches that a friend can be found in the most peculiar places and to not judge others by how they look, but instead to show kindness to all. Through all of her trials, Cinderella has hope, even optimism. This, for a young child is a wonderful teaching. We find Cinderella next having her dreams come true, because she is not actually making them come true. She depends on her stepmother and sisters for livelihood. She depends on her fairy godmother for a chance to go to the ball. It is important to note that materialism is depicted again because Cinderella cannot just go to the ball, not the way that she is dressed. She needs a new dress conjured up by her godmother along with a carriage and servants. Lastly, she depends on the prince to save her from her horrible life and take her far, far away. The prince has to go find her; she does not once consider trying to find the wonderful man that she met at the ball. At the end, once the prince finds her, it is all of a sudden a wonderful time for to make a decision for herself and leave with the prince. As a little girl, I thought that it was fate that led Cinderella to her prince so she just “knew” that it was time to leave and be with him, happily ever after. Cinderella did not consider any other options or get to know her; she did not know very much about him at all. There is also absolutely no mention of the fact that relationships take work and it is by no means a happily ever after with no bumps; yes, we can be happy, but it takes work.
Gender plays a critical role in each aspect of “growing up” – from how children play to how they fantasize to what children want to be. These elements are only harmful when children are exposed to them in the wrong way. Princesses and fairy tales can be good for girls if their parents expose them to the positive side of the tales.
Playing for children is a necessary process that helps them explore and discover at a young age. Children play before their gender is even determined. Deborah Plum suggests parents bring a certain “politically incorrect reaction” to raising children. Parents “gender-ize” their children so to speak subconsciously. Plum is concerned she is teaching her son to like dinosaurs, guns, and army men, and that is harmful to him in some way. Even providing a daughter with “girl” toys like dolls, fake make up, and clothes is gender-izing. Is this so bad, though? As long as girls and boys are offered the same toys, allowed to make their own decisions, and given the same opportunities, I do not see the harm in a girl choosing a doll over an army truck. Peggy Orenstein suggests children are completely sure of their gender by 6-7. I was choosing my own toys well before that. So, I had the opportunity to choose between toys geared towards boys and girls. The gender-izing of toys is true for fantasies.
Fantasies provide children a way to use their imagination. Again, girls choosing to fantasize about Cinderella instead of warriors is not such a bad thing. When the princess needs a prince, or the princess is powerless, or she cannot be independent, this is when these fairy tales become detrimental to girls. They should not go through life thinking these are necessary for women, for sure, but there are positive aspects to princesses. I think the stereotypical image of princesses is what we assume every girl pictures when they hear “princess,” but when I was younger, I envisioned a princess as the most independent, free, powerful person in the world – I pictured someone who owned a country (or would when her parents passed away). The tales I heard from my mom were not only about Disney princesses; they were of those princesses who accomplished great things. I think the important aspect to teach children is fantasies are a way to empower women and express their equality to men.
I can honestly say I never wanted to be a princess. As far back as I can remember, I thought of them as having too much to worry about. It’s tricky to say what it means for girls to want to be one. In the article “What’s wrong with Cinderella?” Peggy Orenstein says her daughter dressing up as Ariel makes her “worry about what playing Little Mermaid is teaching [her daughter].” Maybe wanting to be a princess, though, is a way for girls to strive for their goals. Maybe for some girls, being a princess can equate an executive for a big company when they grow up. I think gender-empowering images of princesses can teach girls a sense of motivation and accomplishment. It is important that girls are presented with what a real princess is. Like Henke, Umble and Smith suggest, the powerless, obedient, pushover, no sense of self qualities are what is disturbing about the Disney princesses.
I think parents need to offer everything equally between boys and girls. Boys and girls should be offered the same toys, told the same stories, and given the same expectations. The princess fairy tales, if appropriately addressed and discussed with children, can offer something valuable to a young person. There is much room for error when a parent tells these stories, but as a parent, there is a responsibility to explain to their children why the story of Cinderella is good and why it is bad.
I don’t have a problem with young girls watching/reading fairytales. I understand the messages they portray can be unrealistic, but I don’t think children should be denied the experience of playing princess. As a child, I LOVED Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. I had costumes and dolls that represented the characters. However, I don’t ever remember thinking I should be waiting for Prince Charming. I loved the magic of fairytales but I never believed in magic outside of movies. I learned about relationships and life from my parents- and that’s how I think it should be. Parents should teach children right and wrong, facts about relationships, and how to get through real-life situations. I feel like if parents did their job, perhaps young girls wouldn’t rely on fairytale ideals. Just as my parents let me choose to watch princess movies, they also encouraged me to play outside in the dirt with my brothers.
In one of the articles we read, the writer didn’t like that a child’s future is planned for them. As girls grow, there are certain toys for each age. Baby dolls for young girls, then Barbies, etc. They don’t like that their child is following the “norm” so they encourage/force the child to do something different. I feel like that is just as detrimental, if not more, than a girl playing princess for a few years. I know for me, I didn’t even pay attention to the details of the fairytales. I simply got the jist of the story and enjoyed watching the pretty dresses, music, and magic. I never noticed the underlying messages of women’s oppression and gender roles in Disney movies. Through classes like this one and by watching movies with my niece, I do see the implications; but I can’t deny my niece the same luxury of childhood that I enjoyed. I try to be a realistic role model instead of explicitly saying, “you may never meet Prince Charming” and “love doesn’t always include a glamorous ballroom dance.”
I think children should be children. They should play with the toys they want to play with. They should watch the movies they want to watch (as long as it’s appropriate for children). Who cares if they’re watching Cinderella because they want to or because “that’s just what little girls do.” I think too much pressure is put on children at a young age. If girls are still playing Cinderella when they are 15, it may be time to expose real life… but so what if a 4 year old wants to play dress up after watching Disney?
I do believe that princess fairy tales are good for girls, but I also agree with Douglas, Orenstein, and Henke that many of the Disney princess movies leave much to be desired concerning female identity. The Disney princesses mentioned in these articles, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, and Pocahontas are all helpless for the most part and are not shown as self-sufficient, or ever standing up for themselves. However, many young girls enjoy fantasizing about being princesses and I don’t believe that is a bad thing that will ultimately lead to feminine identity problems later in life.
The statements about these princess fairy tales in these articles are valid and make some good points about unrealistic stereotypes of women shown repeatedly. There are two main statements that I really agree capture the problem with these female characters. The first example is in Jill Henke’s article Construction of the Female Self describing Cinderella’s personality. “Cinderella doesn’t act, she only reacts to those around her, a sure sign of both external and internalized oppression. In the face of all this abuse, she somehow remains gentle, kind and beautiful—the perfect girl” (Henke). The second example is from Susan Douglas’s Where the Girls Are concerning the female villains in these movies, “These women had way too much power for their own good, embodying the age-old truism that any power at all completely corrupted women and turned them into monsters. In their hands, power was lethal: it was used only to bolster their own overweening vanity and to destroy what was pure and good in the world” (Douglas, 29). The idea that women should be passive and allow others to make all decisions, along with the idea that a woman who asserts herself or has some authority is therefore evil and a “bitch” are both still present in some parts of our society and I agree that little girls should not be taught that this is the way our society has to work.
However, the reason I still believe princess fantasies are good for girls is because pretending and imagining are important for children, and the princess fascination is one of the popular choices for little girls. I noticed this recently when my 2 ½ year old niece, Evie received a box of princess costumes and was ecstatic. While these costumes were based on Disney characters, my niece has very little knowledge of these movies, having obsessed over movies such as Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas which portrays a female who is just as tough as the boys and is actually a hero. While on one hand Evie loves dressing as a princess and chatting with Barbie on her pink plastic cell phone, she also loves a movie with a strong female heroine, and enjoys running, climbing, and trying to wrestle with her younger sister. Pretending is part of being a child, and analyzing the messages in these fairy tales so extensively is probably more than a child will notice or remember.
In her article What’s Wrong With Cinderella, Peggy Orenstein does say there is no research to support that these princess fairy tales have a direct negative effect on young girls, but that “…there is evidence that young women who hold the most conventionally feminine beliefs—who avoid conflict and think they should be perpetually nice and pretty—are more likely to be depressed than others and less likely to use contraception.” Ultimately I disagree with this negative portrayal of women as helpless and “perfect ladies”, but I believe that it is up to the parents to instill in their daughters what it means to be a strong female. If a child is raised by a television and not by their parents then of course this will negatively affect them as they grow up, but if the parents actively participate in raising their child then these movies should not have too much effect and can be enjoyed as just a cartoon.
What is a princess, and what results in young girls watching fairy tales? These are questions that I hope to answer in this week’s post. Let me first start off by defining the word “princess.” The most common definition of a princess, the one that first comes to my mind is royalty. A princess is either the daughter of a king or the husband of a prince. Webster states, however, that a princess is a ruler, a noblewoman of rank, or a woman who holds status and power. When I read this, I thought that a princess would not be a bad position to have. Society and the media have the opportunity to manipulate certain ideas and images in today’s world. One of the most important groups people try to protect is children. We must ask ourselves if we are protecting our youth- specifically our young girls- by allowing them to watch princess fairy tales. It is my opinion that fairy tales do not harm our youth or evoke messages that oppress young female children. I believe that fairy tales allow girls a small break from reality while teaching them to embrace creativity and have an optimistic outlook on life.
American culture today is much different that it was 50 years ago. Today the divorce rate is at its highest point in history where most children have more than two parents, many children come from some sort of broken home caused by alcohol or drug abuse or physical or sexual abuse, and many families are living in poverty. The reality of the situation for some children is that life is not easy. These young people face adversity every day and have known nothing but misfortune in their daily lives. I believe that when a young girl sits down in front of the television and watches a fairy tale, she has the opportunity to escape from the harsh world that she is part of. She is allowed the freedom to dream and to believe and to have hope for her situation and its improvement.
In my experience, I have learned that a fairy tales, like Disney’s “Cinderella,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Snow White” are mere stories provided to me for my entertainment. There was never a point in my life where I dreamed of being a princess; however, there were some times when role playing was fun. Just like watching the fairy tales on TV, our role playing games were mere entertainment. Role playing is beneficial because it allows children to become more comfortable with their cultures and the people they are pretending to be; this is a very important skill to obtain, especially for young children. I believe that role playing allows young people to use their imagination to bring themselves to a different place with people who are unlike the ones they spend the most time with. Princess fairy tales allow girls to identify themselves with “virginal and kind” older women. This identification with another person, real or make believe, helps a young girl define who she is and who she wants to become.
Overall I believe that fairy tales are stories that show young girls that they should never give up and their dreams and aspirations are important and obtainable as long as they believe in themselves. Fairy tales have the opportunity to provide girls with an optimistic point of view that is always necessary for success.
I believe that princess fairy tales can be both good and bad for impressionable, little girls. In a way, seeing the Disney princesses light up the screen is enchanting to them. It creates this beautiful fantasy world of life and love that they hope to experience one day. The notion of the true love and a perfect fairy tale ending becomes apparent when a little girl watches Cinderella for the first time. She does not understand the obstacles that Cinderella and the Prince had to face in order to have the perfect happy ending. To a young girl, a princess is a beautiful girl who has everything she ever wants or needs, wears pretty dresses all the time, and always ends up with the most handsome man in the whole world. It is fun for girls to play dress-up, have princess tea parties, and believe in that one-of-a-kind love that some of us know from first-hand experience, is a little more difficult to find these days.
However, I really do not see any harm in allowing young girls to grow up believing that something like that truly does happen. I do not think that all the female Disney stars are the “typical princess.” Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, was just an average girl growing up with a single father, in a small town. She is my idea of a good role model for girls. The message from that film was that Belle loved her father so much that she was willing to take his place and be the Beast’s prisoner. She ends up falling in love with the Beast because of what she sees deep inside him, not because he is the most handsome man she has ever seen. One of life’s most important lessons is to learn to judge someone by their character and what is inside of them, not their physical appearance. I do believe that Disney should be more careful with the images they are sending about the physical appearances of the Princesses or the main characters of their movies. They are all very beautiful, but who says that an average looking girl can’t have a fairy tale ending as well? I would love to see an a-typical girl be the star of the next big Disney film, animated or not. I also think that it would be more realistic for us as viewers to see more common looking characters, so that maybe it would be a little easier to believe the story.
I am not saying it is wrong for young girls to grow up hoping to meet their very own Prince Charming one day. If I remember correctly, I was one of those little girls. I just think that Disney may want to make a few changes to adjust to the changes happening everyday in society.
When reading the articles on fairytales, I couldn’t help but notice how biased they were against Disney and its seemingly innocent “princess” tales. Prior to reading these articles, the thought had never crossed my mind that these movies were taken by some woman to be derogatory towards the female gender. When analyzing and interpreting the plots and themes of these stories, however, patterns do begin to emerge that may lead certain people—especially feminist extremes—to believe that they are a demoralizing, inaccurate representations of woman and gender roles.
While being respectful and understanding of others’ interpretations of these stories, I disagree with these particular feminist authors on the severity of the affect that these stories have had on our country’s little girls. In doing so, I make no attempt to fit the ignorant, male stereotype; I simply feel that the approaches and assumptions that authors such as Orenstein have taken are a bit over the top.
My personal view is that parents—both male and female—have the obligation to educate their children on the differences between make-believe and reality. I do believe that there was a time in the early to mid-1900s when these fairytales more accurately represented our culture; however, nearly a century has elapsed, and even then, these representations were still overly dramatized. These fairytales—essentially—are fantasy. They were in the early 1900s, and they are now. If a little girl wants to pretend to be a princess, I see absolutely nothing wrong with it. We shouldn’t limit our youths’ ability to dream and use their imaginations. The true definition of a princess should be defined through proper parenting, not fairytales.
The problem I find in the interpretations of authors like Orenstein is that these interpretations rarely note how the same issues may have affected other groups—such as males for instance. More acceptable interpretations could have possibly been made by evaluating how similar issues have affected little boys, rather than isolating the issue to females. For example, I was exposed to several princes or kings as a child—some of which incorporate the same fairytales that have already been mentioned. I can remember pretending and dreaming of what it would be like to a prince—or king. Movies such as Cinderella and Aladdin gave me a fictitious idea of what it was like to be one. However, I was raised better than thinking that being a prince meant that I had to be arrogant, cocky, womanizing, or even abusive—as some of these films suggest.
In summary, I do comprehend how many aspects of Disney’s older fairytales may inaccurately represent woman—and men; however, I don’t agree that the word princess—or prince—should be removed from the lives of our youth. Children are indeed impressionable; this just means that parents and society must fulfill their duty of teaching children fantasy from reality.
When we started the readings on fairy tales I was really surprised at my complete disregard for these views of my favorite movies. After reading these new views of what I thought to be the best cartoons growing up I was really upset. I felt like I had been programmed to like dolls and pink. After all I loved The Little Mermaid and pretty much anything that opened with the Walt Disney signature and castle. Then I realized I really didn’t love pink. I did love Barbie dolls and stuffed animals but for most of my childhood I enjoyed climbing trees, playing outside, and playing Power Rangers or Ninja Turtles. I of course always ended up being the pink power ranger or April. But wouldn’t it have caused more of a stir if I had wanted to be a boy power ranger or Michelangelo? Would it have been more acceptable to be a mutant teenage turtle who loved pizza and martial arts than the human female lab assistant? Do the cartoons kids consume really play that much of a role in the people they become? Why can’t a fairy tale be just that, a fairy tale?
I don’t really think a fairy tale is going to define the way a little girl sees her future. Sure, for a while she’ll want a prince charming, but ultimately it’s the parent’s job to raise their kid. If a parent is sure to define a line between make believe and reality I really don’t think there would be a problem. That’s speaking for the big matters like dependence on a man, love at first sight, and only achieving happiness by marrying a rich prince. As for the minor issues these writers are pointing out such as little girls liking pink, or dressing in frilly pink dresses and tiaras claiming to be princesses, who cares? Why does it matter if little girls likes pink? After all it is just a color. For every little girl that wants to be a princess there’s one that wants to be a firefighter or a cop. Let them be princesses today. Tomorrow they’ll want to be veterinarians or doctors. I think it’s more about being supportive of whatever your kid wants to be, as long as it’s not out of line, while teaching them how the real world works. Who is anyone to tell a little girl they shouldn't want to be a princess because its showing how they conform to the norm? Let kids be kids, or better yet let princesses be princesses. They'll grow out of it eventually.
Are princess fairy tales good for little girls? This is an on going debate in our society among parents today. According to Wikipedia, “a fairy tale is a fictional story that may feature folkloric characters, such as: fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, witches, giants, princesses, talking animals and enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events.” It is my belief that fairy tales are good for little girls because they allow children to escape reality and pretend that they live in a fantasy world.
In my opinion, majority of fairy tales reveal positive and negative messages. The positive messages can be very helpful to a young girl’s creative development and morale. These messages are usually inspirational and show that good can conquer evil. For example, in Beauty and the Beast, Belle plays a strong, independent woman. She displays her independence by standing up to Gaston when he insists that Belle was going to marry him. Belle also shows her kindness when she begs the Beast to take her instead of her father as prisoner. Another important aspect that this fairy tale illustrates is that a person’s appearance is not a significant trait. Belle demonstrates that beauty comes from within. Belle was terribly frightened of the beast because of his looks at the beginning of the story; however, once she befriended him she realized that he was a kind person. After spending quality time with the beast, Belle ironically falls in love with him. The positive message this fairy tale sends is that appearance is not as important as the kindness and character of an individual.
On the other hand, some fairy tales expose negative messages to young girls. For example, in the fairy tale Cinderella her step-mother and the step-sisters treat Cinderella with no respect. They were cruel, hateful, and did not accept her as a member their family. This image has a negative effect on young girls because it shows them the incorrect way to treat people. Another negative message portrayed at the end of the story is perfection. The princess image of Cinderella marrying the handsome prince and living happily after is extremely far-fetched. It is a very unrealistic expectation for little girls to achieve. While this fairy tale has a happy ending, some young girls could put too much emphasis on being perfect which can be harmful to their health.
Yes, I believe fairy tales are good for little girls. However, I feel that the media has a tremendous amount of influence on young children through movies, television, and video games. Therefore, I believe it is the parent’s responsibilities to monitor the content of the fairy tales for their children so that they will interpret the messages appropriately.
As subversive as this may seem, I hated most Disney movies as a child. My reasoning can be summed up into one statement: I thought it was ridiculous that the plot resulted in the good guy (or in fairy tail cases, girl) always winning. I know what you must be thinking, I was a twisted child growing up; on the contrary, most people who knew me as a child would probably describe me as always having a smile on my face. I think that my distaste of Disney classics stemmed from a thirst for a more complex plot that would adequately represent the characters and drama of real life. As we have been discussing and reading, the Disney princess stories and characters seem unbelievable, flat, and unprogressive. They don’t provide enough substance for those children who “dream” of a more complex and diverse movie.
As a child, I kept quiet about my anti-Disney stance. Unlike Susan Douglas’s generation who saw these new movies for the first time in theaters, we grew up with the Disney Princess Classics as a corner stone to childhood development. We were expected to watch them all (multiple times even) and know the character’s names, the songs, and the storylines by heart. Why were we forced, by either peer or adult pressure, to watch these specific movies? How do these movies benefit our development more than others? I don’t think that either of these two questions could be answered by a response sufficient enough to convince me to change my mind about these movies. As we have read, Cinderella and Snow White clearly inform girls that in order to achieve the dream of a prince and perfect life, you have to be effortlessly beautiful, persistently kind, passive, and in need of redemption. What if the girl viewers do not have these characteristics or don’t even desire that dream for themselves? They are going against the standard of female perfection and dreams according to Disney and society.
Though it would be shocking and probably sinful, could one Disney movie end with the bad guy on top or have neither good nor bad win. I could not stand that every Disney movie ended so “mushy-gushy” and “happily ever after”. I believe that my thoughts stemmed from an insight to reality. In real life, does the good guy always win and get everything they desire? Real human life and people are more complex than the Disney movie characters and plots. Reality is not always so black and white, but gray. Also, what may be black and white to one person, may be opposite for another. These stories don’t prime young minds for the reality and complexities that they face or may face in their personal lives. How can a female in today’s world change her destiny simply by being beautiful, polite, and passive? Battling against odds and a competitive world, women of today have achieved success through action, assertiveness, and planned goals.
I am fine with children watching Disney Princess stories, but I don’t agree that they are the end all be all of children’s movies. Children should not be expected to watch them as a passage into American childhood. Childhood classics should better embody the realities and characteristics of our society.
Are princess fairy tales good for girls? I do not think they are bad for girls, instead I see fairy tales as a chance for them to develop a sense of self. Little girls who want to be fairy princesses for their twenty minutes of playtime should be able to without being told it is unrealistic or a hindrance. If anything, denying them the right to pretend will hinder their imagination.
When I was young, I never did the whole dress-up and pretend I was a princess thing. I did ballet, but that was the extent of my “girly” actions. Even when I watched Disney movies, I never wanted to be the princess or even felt connected to that character. However, I am not like a majority of the female population either. I believe that the message given through most fairy tales is one of having a dream, pursuing the dream, and hopefully attaining that dream. I am pretty positive that the dreams a child has or develops at 5 years old from reading a fairy tale is not what they are going to want when they are 25. I also do not believe that little girls read into the stories like we do in class. They do see that an evil stepmother locks Cinderella away and that she does buckle under pressure from authority figures, but I do not think that image translates to a young child the way it does to our class. Even then, not all of the Disney princesses promote the idea of dreaming and not doing, some actually do pursue their dreams. Henke, Umble, and Smith pointed out in “Constructions of the Female Self: Feminist Readings of the Disney Heroine” that Pocahontas was the only princess thus far to actually decide against a “prince” and remain an independent female. She went against the grain of a typical Disney movie, but that does not mean that she should only be allowed to see or read the “strong” princess stories. If a parent were to tell her little girl that she should not be like a Disney princess because they are too naïve and needy, that little girl could grow up with the idea that relying on people is bad and probably never form healthy relationships with other people. I do not think that Orenstein was right in her article “What’s wrong with Cinderella?” by getting mad because her daughter was being “sparkled” by the dentist. As we all know now after reading the article, the daughter said she wanted to be a fireman. This proves that just because a girl enjoys putting on dresses with more tulle than she weighs and a crown with painted stones she will eventually grow up and develop a mind of her own, hopefully along with the knowledge that fairy tales don’t always come true.
I believe that this is a question that is going to be debated for some time, but obviously not many seem to think that this is a huge problem for children, especially girls. If they did you wouldn't see the Disney princesses as such huge figures in the world of children at all. While Disney has only been capitalizing on the idea of a what a princess fairy tale is for a time, these such stories have been around way before Disney.
I grew up watching Disney princess movies and reading fairy tales and I don't have a problem with fairy tales at all. I think that fairy tales are good for girls and even boys to watch. I think that is good for children to be able to escape into a world of imagination where anything and everything is possible. Also, while Disney fairy tales are targeted to a younger audience, we have fairy tales that target an older audience. I was actually watching Ever After the other day, and its a story of Cinderella that targets an older audience. Then thinking more into it, most romantic movies could be thought of as fairy tales. They are fictional stories that usually end up with happily ever after endings. How could we then say that princess fairy tales are bad for girls, when in fact as adults we watch movies, and read stories that are very similar to fairy tales.
In this day and age i think the alternative is worse. I feel that if i were a parent I would be much happier having my children watching movies such as Cinderella, the Little Mermaid, or the Beauty and the Beast as opposed to the shows that are on TV now. I would rather my girls being obsessed with Cinderella, rather than them being obsessed with Mylie Cyrus or Britney Spears. I think that providing a world of imagination of girls is important, girls of all ages should be able to leave the reality of our world and enter a unrealistic fantasy world.
Through out my childhood I watched many Disney fairy tale movie and as I have grown up and matured I have become not very found of these Disney movies. Although the only thing I really love in these movies is the music. I think that young children should not be subjected to some of these movies. For example Cinderella, her dad dies and she lives a horrible life with her family being very mean to her. Children should not feel sad about this. Another example is Beauty and the Beast. The beast is very scary and some children get very scared and even cry. Just the other day I was babysitting and the children wanted to watch Shrek. Don’t get my wrong I love Shrek but I honestly believe children under the age of 6 or 7 should not see this movie. In this movie some of the characters say and even do inappropriate things that kids shouldn’t see because they’d definitely imitate it. When I was younger I always wanted to imitate my favorite princesses and I know that’s the case for many young girls still today. During Christmas my mom got the grandchildren a big princess tent. Every time my nieces come over they always ask me, “Please Aunt Danielle can you get the princess tent out”, and of course I always do. My niece Vittoria always wants to play princesses so we pick out one of the five characters on the tent to be. The five characters are Jasmine, Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, and Bell. It’s really funny how she always picks to be Arroura. No one wants to be Snow White so she insists that Poppy, my dad, be Snow White. It is quite funny! Vittoria will be 4 in February and I can tell that fantasy does play a huge role for her. My sister Desiree’, Vittoria’s mom, doesn’t even let her kinds watch the Disney movies anymore because she believes it effects her. For instants Cinderella, her two stepsisters are horrible to her and treat he very badly. After Vittoria watched this she started being very mean to her little baby sister. I believe that we really don’t realize that movies really do impact little children. By watching all these movies about princesses and fair tale land it tends to play a role in how gender figures into childhood fantasy. When young girls watch these princess movies they start to not like boys and they tend to only want to hang out with girls at the age of 3 and 4. This subject is a very interesting one because these movies really impact young girls and in some cases it impacts them in negative ways.
Rekesha
After watching fairy tale films and researching the topic through class readings, I strongly believe that fairy tales are bad for girls. Particularly detrimental for those who do not have an honest source to look to for support and advice. These “fairy tale” stories seem to always end up with the good people being happy and the bad people losing the battle. In reality this is never the case. Sometimes those who are consistently kind, gentle, and obedient to authority still end up in last place. I believe there should be some films created for those women who want to lead and not follow others. Beauty is only skin deep and it cannot win over every victory in life. Often times for no apparent reason the greatest person suffers a whole lifetime. There is no guaranteed ending of happily ever after. By watching these films, young men and young women both get an unconscious gender role placement. Females think their ties are to their family until a man comes to rescue them from all their trials and tribulations. They may wait so long and then it may never come. To depend on someone else your whole life to make you happy is a complete tragedy for anyone especially women. In our society girls are already put down and considered the weaker more fragile sex. These fairy tales them do nothing but confirm what the media tells us from the time we are born until the moment we die. Do we ever wonder why there are never any weak, nice, and gentle male characters in these fairy tales? Why can’t the women rescue her man from a poverty stricken life from time to time? Because the media shapes television and our daily lives we are forced to believe that whatever we see and hear must be true. Through symbolic annihilation we are slowly but surely going backwards in the women’s movement for rights and equality. If men are constantly told that they are and will always be the more powerful and most intelligent sex, they will start to believe it and give women less credit. After watching Cinderella I recognized the slavery system that Disney produces for our young girls in the world. The only job they assign to them is looking pretty while they cook and clean for an undeserving source of authority. The problem with the media content is that it has no rational content behind it. There is nothing wrong with dreaming and getting away from all the calamity in day to day life, but at what expense are we providing it? Young women are getting trapped in this false comfort zone that a man is always going to be there to pick them up. This could not be further away from the truth. Often times men are the very source of the stress and turmoil that are young women face every day. Every guy is not Prince Charming like the movies say. I believe fairy tale producers should provide more realistic things and equal out the roles between the sexes.
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