Disney Princesses Are Bad Role Models For Young Girls

You make a very interesting point that a young girl is not going to say that her favorite Disney Princess is so because of the bad things she does. This may be true, the the fact of the matter is the logic seeps in. When she's older, she may think it's okay to disobey her parents because the princesses did. She may think she needs to be skinny and (for a lack of a better term) ditzy because some of the princesses are. She might not outwardly say those things or make the connection, but as a little girl learning what right and wrong is, that can be deeply imbedded into her morals. Overall, I think that Disney Princesses, while improving, are still bad role models for young girls. They are very focused on physical beauty and how it gets you the guy. They also are centered around women who are very obedient and nearly helpless or on women who are too reckless and put themselves in harms way. As I said before, the princesses all have very similar features. They have big eyes, high cheekbones, small but plump lips and a pointed chin. Recently they have started adding diversity to them, but before 1995 there was no princess that was not Caucasian. This would have given the impression that if you weren't white female with a slender structure, decently sized breasts, and hour glass shape, tamed hair and a clear and perfect complexion (along with the facial features), you were anything but you certainly weren't Princess standards. Which one could derive (especially a vulnerable girl who is in the time of her life when she needs reassurance of her beauty) that because you weren't beautiful enough to be a Princess, you couldn't live ‘happily ever after' or fall in love with ‘prince charming'. I also believe that the earlier films showcase women who are so obedient they aren't free to express themselves or be who they are. They are so bound by the social conformities that they can't even try to change their own fate. Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, and even Belle are great examples of this. You might question Belle. While she yearns for a better life outside of her ‘small, provincial town', she never actually goes out and finds the excitement she wants until her father goes missing. In the later films, the princesses become the extreme opposite. It seems the Disney Company was struggling to find a happy medium. These women are reckless and downright put themselves in danger. While it may be for a good cause most of the time, putting yourself between a war that it about to begin or sending yourself out for a war is not exactly safe. In all of the cases, their guardians were just trying to protect them, but that didn't matter. Ariel was out looking for adventure. Belle and Mulan sacrifice themselves for their fathers even though their fathers are elder and have lived their lives. Pocahontas (who is also thirsty for something different) risks her life for the man she believes she loves, but may just be intrigued with because he is exotic. Overall, I still stand strong in believing that the Disney Princesses are not good role models. They may not be terrible, but they are bad. They certainly show unfathomable characteristics, which can rub off on a naï¿½ve and gullible little girl.