Our culture today shows women that their worth is more about beauty and less about their intelligence. Disney is one example that plays a huge role when it comes to stereotyping young girls body images. Many young girls are consumed by the thin, tall and beautiful princesses in which Disney portrays and this is a problem because they have a negative impact on young girls self esteem and they are constantly concerned with how they look.
According to the author, "traditional stories like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella promote the idea that if a girl is pretty enough and has fancy clothes and shoes, she'll find love and popularity." (Wellman, 1). This is known as the princess effect, where young girls are not independent and they try to live up to this image of the "perfect" girl. For example, Cinderella is one of the many princesses who represents the ideal body type. She has a thin waste, and a beautiful face. Also, the gown that Cinderella wears, as for many of the other princesses, is very elegant which shows their wealth. This shows how body image is conveyed to young girls through television. The Disney princess appearance shows that girls are supposed to look a certain way and dress a particular way. This has a negative affect on young girls self-image because they feel pressure to look as the way the princesses do. This is why girls in our generation today are having issues with their bodies.
Due to the negative impact of the princess effect, it is causing eating disorders for many young girls. The pressure to look and act as the princesses is only promoting negative effects on girls today. According to the author "As a result, they will only feel acceptance when men give them attention about their appearance, resulting in young women falling into eating disorders to stay slender and becoming sex objects" (Gissel, 1). Girls are so consumed by what they see on television, that they feel pressure to look like the princesses they see. Another example, is Disney princess Jasmine from Aladdin. She wears a very revealing outfit that is not appropriate for young children to see. Girls may feel that they need to be that small to be able to fit into a small top like the one Jasmine is wearing. These type of images that are being expressed to young girls are teaching them ways to dress that is not a good example for them at such a young age. This is a huge cause of body image disorders for many girls at a young age. These unrealistic views of body image not only affect girls when they are young but also carry throughout their childhood and into their adulthood.
Overall, many girls watch Disney because they enjoy watching the films and they find it intriguing and they don't realize that it can have a negative effect on body image for many individuals. It is important that parents are aware of this effect for their children's sake. They must encourage their children that these Disney films are just fantasy stories and that they should look up to real women figures as role models. This way, children will become independent and have confidence in themselves. The way someone looks on the outside does not make you who you are. All that matters is the person you are on the inside and this is something that Disney does not follow. Disney is concerned with portraying beautiful women figures for young girls to be able to follow in their footsteps. The Disney Princess films are entertaining for young girls but they are still known for making girls insecure and having issues with their self esteem. Girls must learn to be comfortable with their own bodies and not compare themselves to the princesses that do not actually exist or identify what a real woman looks like. Therefore, Disney princesses negative role in young girls' lives outweighs its positive influences.
Works Cited
Gissel, L. "The Disney Princess Impact." 2013. Web. 25. Sept. 2015.
Wellman, V. " Are our girls suffering from 'Princess Syndrome'? Disney heroines teach us to trade on our looks and value material things, claims new book. 23 December 2012. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.
I think this was a really interesting topic to pick. I enjoyed reading what you and other writers had to say about the topic. I like the term “princess effect” that you used in your blog it jumped out at me. I also think that this is not just a problem with princess but a lot of the media influences body image.
ReplyDeleteThis is a topic that has been a problem for years now.... and still continues to be everyday. Most girl struggles to think that they are "beautiful" unless they are stick thin. Take the Patriots Cheerleaders for example, the women who are trying out are tall beautiful, and stick thin almost anorexic . The reason why is because the judges will not take anyone who isn't tall and thin because they want to uphold a certain body image. Aerie now, will not photoshop any of the models' bodies because they want it to be an "all natural" campaign. This is the company trying to show that all body types are beautiful. Love this topic, it is one that is understated and should be talked about more.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading about this topic and completely agree. Not only are young children seeing things that are effecting the way they live, but they are also hearing things that are too mature for their innocent ears. This made me think of shows and films like Spongebob, Shrek and Toy Story that have slipped in adult humor thinking it may not impact kids, but as you strongly stated, it is, and unfortunately, it is affecting them negatively.
ReplyDeleteAlison I liked that you picked this topic to discuss because I agree it is something that needs to be said and talked about. While reading I was trying to think to myself about all the Disney Princesses and the movie Frozen popped into my head. I am an Aunt of 5 nieces and nephews so Frozen is something that they watched on repeat over and over again (they still do!). Anyways my point of bringing that up is for the first time ever Disney changed the view of the storyline being a sister saving her sister and that was the happily ever after. Of course they added the two men into the film because its Disney and how could they not? As far as body image and appearing perfect, I do agree that even this film does that with the figures that they give the characters. I think you did a very good analysis and I look forward to your further blog posts!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog and I agree with everything you said. Today there are many apparent pressures that society puts on girls to be perfect in every way no matter what, and if you do not abide by these set standards you are not seen as being normal. Although the Disney princess movies were created to bring the fairytales we love to life, they also belittle young girls emotions. These movies prove to girls at a young age that aesthetics are everything and women have to rely on a man to save them. Although Disney is trying to change the role of the damsel in distress such as movies like "Brave" they still have a long way to go.
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ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog, as I find it relatable. I watched all of the Disney princess movies as a young girl and it made me realize how unrealistic these images are. How the characters are portrayed can cause pressure on the youth to achieve a certain look or body that is completely unrealistic or even attainable. Disney has definitely improved in the 'damsel in distress' department with movies like Brave and Frozen, but there is a still a ways to go in the body image area.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% that disney princesses play a large role in gender identity for young girls. However, I feel like this piece only explored one side of it. Yes, it shows girls that their looks outweigh their intelligence in many cases but early disney movies also show girls that they cannot be the hero, as they are always saved my a man. Later disney products (such as Mulan and Frozen) directly challenge the stereotype; Mulan quite blatantly and satirically attacks gender differences. Finally, disney movies also defines young boys in terms of gender roles so the effect is not one-sided.
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