Princess Culture

After reading Christensen’s, “Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us” I immediately compared these concepts to my own beliefs and upbringing. As a child, I was a fan of all of the Disney princesses. Like many others in our class, I wasn’t aware of the media and stereotyping messages behind these movies. What stuck out to me from Christensen’s article was the following quote about Cinderella; “They win because of their beauty and their fashionable attire. Both of these tales have two myths: happiness means getting a man, and transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved through consumption- in their case getting new clothes and a new hairstyle.” (182)This message of happiness is love along with standard of beauty unfortunately have been embedded in my youth. It may sound cliche, but I like many young girls grew up dreaming of my “prince charming” and a beautiful fairy-tale like wedding/love story. Although, I visioned a “perfect prince,” I know that it’s not practical in life because no one is perfect. Disney doesn’t depict women my size as beautiful, or even the realities of working home/marriage. 

Many aspects of “Princess Culture” were apparent in the movie,“Frozen.” What vividly stuck out to me were the body stereotypes and gender difference in the film. Like the majority of the Disney princesses, both Anna and Elsa are white and dressed beautifully in gowns much brighter than the other females. Their appearances displayed many aspects of feminism. Such as their big beautiful eyes, long eyelashes, red lips, long hair, and slender figures/waist lines. Even while hiking through the snow, Ana managed to get pretty far in her high heeled boots. In contrast, Hans and Kristoff displayed the typical masculine appearances of a prince. They wore suits and pants, appeared strong bodied, and were significantly taller than Anna. Kristoff portrays the role of the hero and “saves” Anna. That is after his initial condescending behaviors, and allow Anna to bribe him.