So I was a teenager when you were born and remember when these Disney princesses came back. There was a pretty big cultural outrage about it at the time, with most parents absolutely hating it. The thing is, there were no movies like this at all for kids in the 70s or 80s...things actually reverted to a much more kind of let kids be kids, gender equal things during that period, there were way more just kind of tomboy characters for girls etc. And then at the start of the 90s it came back with Little Mermaid and by the end of the 90s, the full blown princess thing was back in full effect.
At least on the non-conservative side of the spectrum, this was not welcomed, and people were dismayed at how into the princesses their daughters were. There were about a million think pieces and op eds and news stories about how the Disney princess thing was eating everyone's daughters and wondering how you could keep it away from them when the daughters demanded it. It was a lot like how parents talk today about social media and phones...back then, Disney princesses were the big worrying corrosive cultural influence lol.
And it really was considered sort of this unsolvable problem where parents did not WANT to expose their daughters to this stuff, but apparently Disney princesses are basically like crack cocaine to 6 year old girls. All these girls were demanding princess outfits and tiaras and princess parties and parents didn't know what to do and at least half the country was completely grossed out by it. Then the early 2000s happened Bratz came out and people thought it was basically the end of the world.
Anyway, just giving you some context bc I doubt you were aware of how adults were talking and thinking about it back then. It's interesting for me to read this and see that all the adults who were fretting and arguing about this back then ended up being right about the negative influence. The problem back then, just like now, is that people have a very hard time saying "no" when their kids really wants something. And I do remember how back then most little girls really were enraptured and obsessed with being princesses. That's something to think about...what was so appealing to 7 year olds? Just the idea of being fantastically beautiful and rich? I doubt it was ever really much about the princes, it was more about looking at oneself in the mirror and being adored.
That is so incredibly interesting! I am so glad that adults were seeing through the “magic of Disney” and were able to recognize the underlying messaging. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. You learn something new everyday and I love that.
Yeah, there were a bunch who did, and I remember reading lots of op eds about it and people were upset that all of a sudden this very retro princess culture from the 1950s was back. Unfortunately, their outrage wasn't effective in stopping it. Bc of course you had a bunch of conservative parents on the other side of the spectrum who thought it was adorable or harmless, and the pageant mom types. So despite a lot of parents hating it, nothing seemed to be able to stop it. Much like all the media and cultural things parents worry about today... no one can ever seem to stop these tides of cultural and consumerism when they happen. Anyway, it is good to see someone young write about the actual effect that it DID have on them. Makes me want to find some of the writers who were on an anti-Disney princess crusade back in the day and send them your piece.
this is fantastic
thank you SO MUCH!!
Incredible read! I read that Kira Knightley doesnt let her daughters watch those movies for the same reasons!
wow I didnt know that; we love Kira Knightley! Thank you so much for reading <3
SO GOOD. also the merida mention. she was my princess fr. i wish they all could’ve been more centered towards their fun hobbies like her
Thank you!!! I just need a princess who crafts and kills, is that so much to ask
Merida is my favorite Disney princess for that reason!
you are so good im reading this in class rn
tell your teacher to share it with the class 📢📢 (also tysm 💕)
So I was a teenager when you were born and remember when these Disney princesses came back. There was a pretty big cultural outrage about it at the time, with most parents absolutely hating it. The thing is, there were no movies like this at all for kids in the 70s or 80s...things actually reverted to a much more kind of let kids be kids, gender equal things during that period, there were way more just kind of tomboy characters for girls etc. And then at the start of the 90s it came back with Little Mermaid and by the end of the 90s, the full blown princess thing was back in full effect.
At least on the non-conservative side of the spectrum, this was not welcomed, and people were dismayed at how into the princesses their daughters were. There were about a million think pieces and op eds and news stories about how the Disney princess thing was eating everyone's daughters and wondering how you could keep it away from them when the daughters demanded it. It was a lot like how parents talk today about social media and phones...back then, Disney princesses were the big worrying corrosive cultural influence lol.
And it really was considered sort of this unsolvable problem where parents did not WANT to expose their daughters to this stuff, but apparently Disney princesses are basically like crack cocaine to 6 year old girls. All these girls were demanding princess outfits and tiaras and princess parties and parents didn't know what to do and at least half the country was completely grossed out by it. Then the early 2000s happened Bratz came out and people thought it was basically the end of the world.
Anyway, just giving you some context bc I doubt you were aware of how adults were talking and thinking about it back then. It's interesting for me to read this and see that all the adults who were fretting and arguing about this back then ended up being right about the negative influence. The problem back then, just like now, is that people have a very hard time saying "no" when their kids really wants something. And I do remember how back then most little girls really were enraptured and obsessed with being princesses. That's something to think about...what was so appealing to 7 year olds? Just the idea of being fantastically beautiful and rich? I doubt it was ever really much about the princes, it was more about looking at oneself in the mirror and being adored.
That is so incredibly interesting! I am so glad that adults were seeing through the “magic of Disney” and were able to recognize the underlying messaging. Thank you so much for reading and commenting. You learn something new everyday and I love that.
Yeah, there were a bunch who did, and I remember reading lots of op eds about it and people were upset that all of a sudden this very retro princess culture from the 1950s was back. Unfortunately, their outrage wasn't effective in stopping it. Bc of course you had a bunch of conservative parents on the other side of the spectrum who thought it was adorable or harmless, and the pageant mom types. So despite a lot of parents hating it, nothing seemed to be able to stop it. Much like all the media and cultural things parents worry about today... no one can ever seem to stop these tides of cultural and consumerism when they happen. Anyway, it is good to see someone young write about the actual effect that it DID have on them. Makes me want to find some of the writers who were on an anti-Disney princess crusade back in the day and send them your piece.
Please do send my piece around! I would love to hear more perspectives ☺️