Disney is a massive industry whose name has been around for decades and will continue to warm the hearts of all ages for decades to come. But why do people like Disney so much? Mickey Mouse? The Princesses? The catchy songs? All of the above? Same. I have been an admirer of Walt Disney and all of his creations for as long as I can remember. Throughout my childhood (and to this day) I am obsessed with all of the princesses and I still jam to all of the famous melodies. As I get older I notice that our generation's parents don't let their kids watch any princess films because of the self-image Disney has placed on the girls. Other parents don't let their kids watch any princess movies due to the silly expectations that are created when it comes to love.
What exactly are the expectations being set for little girls through these films? Why do so many people love them, and why do so many people hate them?
When I think of Disney Princesses the first thing I think about is the way they look. The hair, the bright eyes, the clear skin, the straight teeth, the petite figure, all of it. Granted they're animated characters but they've always expressed the perfect physique. When it comes to diversity, Disney does and does not take that into consideration all at the same time. All of the princesses have their own unique look or characteristic. Ariel and Rapunzel with the hair, Sleeping Beauty and sleep, Cinderella and the slipper, they all have different stories so to speak. They're all also around the same age, 16-early twenties. Disney has expanded on the skin color and ethnicity of its princesses. Princess And The Frog, Frozen and the new upcoming movie Moana. But is this enough? Even though all of the girls have different backgrounds, they all look the same. I mean let's be real, they're all perfect, literally. I believe that there isn't enough body diversity between all of the girls. For the most part, they're white petite and perfect. There's not enough ethnicity, at least not yet, and there isn't a lot of variety when it comes to the size of the girls. Hopefully, Disney expresses that they accept women that come in different shapes and sizes and put them in their films. Is this a good way to have children learn about their self-image? Are these young women good promoters for little girls?
While self-image is a big argument of Disney Princesses, their love stories create the same feeling. Many of the girl's go through hell and back to get the one they love, and most of them get married very early. The Little Mermaid, for example, turns herself into a human just for this prince to notice her again, then she gets married at 16. Kind of crazy right? We never notice these things because Disney creates a happy ending for all of these stories. Some of the messages in the movies I feel are very well silly, the love stories especially. A lot of the girls get married to men (who seem) older than them. Should this bother parents or does it even phase their kids? I don't think little girls should idolize the age and style the young women fall into when it comes to marriage and love in general. With the movies Frozen and Mulan, I believe that the messages of those films are very applicable for children to learn. Family and honor are always very important things to keep at heart.
Most of Disney's movies have a romantic and a gloriously happy ending. No matter what movie they come up with next, it will always be a hit. Walt Disney and his team have created a plethora of films that will always have people hooked. When it comes to the Princess films, it's not only about the extreme journey the girl's go on, or their backgrounds, people now notice how unrealistic the expectations are that they're setting for young girls. The question here is do the kids even notice? Is there a way to see if little girls actually want to grow up living in a tower then to be saved by a criminal? Or if little girls would love to transform their entire body just to be noticed by a boy? I guess we may never know, but growing up loving The Little Mermaid, I know that I never had the intention of changing my tail out for human legs, I deemed that as plain silly.
Will Disney ever vary their princesses? Probably. When? No clue. Hopefully, the more people start to accept others, the princesses will become popular in all shapes, sizes, and even more diverse background. One can only hope.
