"Princess" Culture

After reading the articles for class and listening to what everyone had to say about this “princess” culture, I started to think about what has changed between when I grew up with the Disney Princesses and the girls growing up with the same princesses now. After looking at what is different, all I could find was the difference in media. The media exposure that young girls are getting has tainted the idea of “princess” for them. When I was growing up with the Disney princesses, all I knew of was the positives in Disney, how Cinderella fought adversity and ended up getting out of an abusive environment, how Bella from Beauty and the Beast was able to see past the exterior of the beast to see him for who he really was (i.e. what is on the inside is what matters the most), how strong Mulan was and how she was willing to fight for what she wanted. Those are the lessons I learned from Disney movies when I was growing up. I did not have media picking apart the abuse in Cinderella, or the racial undertones in Aladdin. In today’s society, we have “experts” finding the worst in movies that are made for entertainment; we have parents who are making it so their young daughters believe that they are princesses for real and have no boundaries. Today’s society and media is to blame for the “princess” culture. Shows like Toddlers and Tiaras, Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo, and other media outlets that highlight spoiled, self-righteous girls who think that they deserve everything and have no morals. Don’t blame Disney and their princess movies that were written in a time where everyone had a moral compass and watched the movies for what they were, fairy-tales. Blame the media, the parents who give their children whatever they want and do not have a balance between make-believe and real life, and blame those who think it is okay to pay little children and their families to be exploited for their lifestyles that aren’t the norm. A public service announcement to parents, it is okay to spoil your young daughters, even sons, let them watch the princess movies, dress up in make-believe, but be sure there is a balance in their lives and they grow up with some morals and a balanced sense of life.