Disney Princess Complex
My daughter is heavily into the Disney Princesses at the moment. Ariel and Snow White are her favourites and she loves to dress up as a princess.
I flip between worry that this interest is going to give her unrealistic expectations about what it means to be a girl and her role in the world, and then enjoyment in watching the dvds (Little Mermaid, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty mostly) and playing with the dolls. We role play the stories (she is the wicked stepmother and I play Cinderella) and when I ask her what she wants to be when she is older the reply is “a mermaid and marry Prince Eric”. (My friend said it’s good she wants to be a mermaid because they can’t have s-x!)
Lately she has been very choosy about what she wears and if there is an item I put on her that she doesn’t like there will be tears, tantrums and screams of “I don’t look pretty in that”. This attitude worries me. The general advice from friends and the staff at her childcare is that it is a phase. I am not a “girly-girl” or someone who is very fashionable or cares that much what I wear so I am finding it challenging having a child who changes her clothes five times a day and only wants to wear dresses (I rarely wear dresses and when I do she says “mum, you look pretty. I want to look just like you.” That melts my heart and then I realise I should relish the moment because she ain’t going to be saying that in 10 years!)
I have written previously about not worrying about gender-specific toys and I think there is a mini-hysteria from parents who want to be seen to be hip and cool and edgy by eschewing the kinds of toys that we played happily with as kids (dolls, My Little Pony, Barbie, Fisher Price).
What I do like about the Disney Princesses is that there is a sweetness and innocence to them but also gutsiness. Ariel is inquisitive and adventurous, Snow White is kind and Pocahontas has dreams and drive (I realise Disney has taken some liberties with the hitorical accuracy of the story though.) Bratz on the other hand… they are never setting their platform-wedged feet in our house!
February 24, 2010
Posted in: Parenting, Relationships, Society
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