I have to admit that when the show Toddlers in Tiaras first came on TV I went through a phase of disgust, interest, obsession, and then back to disgust. Maybe it was my inner child that was attracted to the idea of dressing up and dancing on stage, but when I realized some of the implications of the show, I was immediately turned off by the idea. Is it completely necessary or appropriate to push "sassy" and "sexy" onto toddlers? Absolutely not. Does it sell interesting TV? Definitely.
Growing up, I had the Barbie dolls with removable pregnant bellies and various shades of pink outfits. However, my parents tried their hardest to get me interested in things outside of the realm of pink and pregnant while also letting me partake in similar Toddlers in Tiaras activities. Outside activities were enjoyable, but still involved castles, moats, and "save the princess" games.
Sure, there were some good values that I learned from Disney movies and princess tropes, but there were also the bad. As a princess you didn't need to be strong or smart unless you were Mulan, and dressed like a boy. Looking back, I wish I hadn't felt that math was for boys and that if you were going to play soccer you had to have the cutest shoes.
All of the blame can't be placed on Disney and the idea of princesses, because parents and other outside factors place a lot of value on how you grow up. I was a happy kid, but was definitely influenced by pretty and pink. TV shows like Toddlers in Tiaras simply portray what a huge influence the idea of princesses has on little girls today, even when princesses now are "diverse" and slightly more independent.
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