#not buying it

In class we discussed the various articles about the toy market and media's influence on not only children, but what these children become as adults. We discussed how the "princess culture" is creating monsters out of women. The "princess culture" is supposedly being related to adult women feeling entitled and spending themselves into debt for shoes.

I am offended by this concept. With the idea of "princess culture" we are assuming that the cause for people to be entitled, poor with money, and narcissistic is related to how the media portrayed princesses to women when they were children. This insinuates that at no point were these adult women able to make a conscious decision about their entitled actions because they were helpless to the system. It also insinuates that men are not also victims to the same habits, which would be false.

Disney princesses have taught us a lot of mixed messages growing up. Bell taught us that no matter how bad your domestic abusing boyfriend is, as long as you love him long and hard enough he will grow to be a better person. Ariel taught us that a man you don't even know well is worth giving up your potential for, and he will love you based solely on your looks you don't even need a voice. Mulan taught us that even if you save an entire country from destruction, a woman's worth still relates to whether or not she can get herself a man. At no point did Disney princesses teach women to use men for money, spend beyond our means, or that we are entitled to anything we want.

What I believe truly caused this so called "princess culture" phenomena is a mix of a lot of influences, but the cherry on top of this sundae is our credit card society. It is benevolent sexism to say that women are falling victim to the princess culture, because the truth is all adults should be responsible for themselves, and women don't need your sympathy. There are just as many narcissistic, overspending, entitled jerks that are males as there are females. What has allowed us to become a society that over-indulges is the easy availability of credit.

In high-school I had a seventeen year old friend come up to me and say "Cate, I got all of these jeans at the buckle and I didn't even have to pay for them!" When I asked her what she meant she explained to me that she put it on a "membership" card. What I found out with further investigation is that the Buckle had set up a credit card with a seventeen year old girl (which isn't even legal) and because she had not been taught how to use a credit card she didn't realize what she had done. When I explained to her how credit works, and also how she should not have been allowed to have a credit card, she went back to the store and fixed everything. I do not think that the media is fully to blame for our over-indulgences, I believe that the largest blame (if not on the individual) should be placed on the lack of fiscal education in our society. If people were taught more in high school and college about finances, there would be a greater understanding of how the world works, and also hopefully a smaller feeling of entitlement (but then again I suppose it depends, if you come from a rich enabling family you may have no chance).

There are a lot of things I think that the media influences, and I definitely agree with the fact that toys are gender stereotyped and they creates schemas that last a long time. However, I will not sit here and point a finger at the media for anyone's sense of entitlement, that I believe exists due to a lack of education from either the system or from their own parents. And at some point, adults have to take responsibility for themselves.

Sorry, with this theory i'm just #notbuyingit