1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray. 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stop? Mom? Never told you? 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: From housetop works dot Com. Hello and welcome to the podcast. 4 00:00:19,320 --> 00:00:25,080 Speaker 1: This is Princess Molly. Okay, but I'm Kristen, So Molly. 5 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: There's a new Disney princess there is who has debuted. Yes, 6 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:33,479 Speaker 1: Princess and the Frog is the movie. Yeah, The Princess 7 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:37,599 Speaker 1: and the Frog. It takes place in New Orleans. Combines 8 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: a little voodoo, little jazz. But the big thing about 9 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:46,279 Speaker 1: this movie is that it is the first African American 10 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: Disney princess. Right. I feel like it's been talked about 11 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:51,879 Speaker 1: just for months now, people awaiting to see what this 12 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: black princess is it going to be like. As soon 13 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: as they announced it already people started to be critical 14 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: of her, saying, you know, oh, she wasn't black enough, 15 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 1: was too black? It was gonna be in New Orleans, 16 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: is gonna have all these stereotypes? Um. People have been 17 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: dissecting this long before the movie was even finished, and 18 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:11,119 Speaker 1: Disney went to great links while it was making this 19 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:15,839 Speaker 1: movie to try to quell any types of discomfort people 20 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:18,119 Speaker 1: might have had with, like you said, on either side 21 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: of it, making you know, including too many stereotypes or 22 00:01:21,920 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: not making her um realistic enough. And for instance that 23 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: even had Oprah come in and do an advanced screening 24 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 1: of it. I think they had people from the A c. 25 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: P come in and see it, because this is a 26 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: really big deal. And uh, one thing that's been really 27 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: controversial though with it is the questionable racial identity of 28 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: Tiana's love interest. And not mean I mean yeah, basically 29 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: he is a lighter skin there's Disney is saying that 30 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,840 Speaker 1: he's just a lighter skinned African American, but people are saying, no, 31 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: he's totally white, and why couldn't you make him the 32 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 1: same skin to own a Siana like? So there's already 33 00:02:02,560 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: there's already a lot of discussion about this movie. And 34 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: there was this New York Times article that came out 35 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,959 Speaker 1: in May by Brooks Barns about all the controversy about 36 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 1: this movie. And I really liked one quote from it 37 00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: from Floyd Norman, who had worked on a lot of 38 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 1: Disney movies UM, and he wrote, overly sensitive people see 39 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:21,919 Speaker 1: racial or ethnic slites in every image, and in there's 40 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: yield of sanitize and pasteurize everything. They've taken all the 41 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: fun out of cartoon making, and Tiana is under all 42 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: this scrutiny because people have just become convinced that whatever 43 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: you show a child in a Disney film is somehow 44 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: going to impact them forever. Yeah, but I do, I 45 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: do think we should know that. This uh New York 46 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 1: Times article also points out that the Prince hails from 47 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 1: the fictional land of Maldonia and is voiced by a 48 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:48,880 Speaker 1: Brazilian actor, which is also kind of added, I guess 49 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,880 Speaker 1: for their fuel to the fire. But like you said, 50 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:53,959 Speaker 1: I mean, is are we really just being Are we 51 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: being too you know, overly sensitive? Are we, you know, 52 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,079 Speaker 1: putting too much value on the impact of a Disney 53 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 1: movie on the way a child was going to view 54 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: the world in the future, and specifically with this um 55 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: concept of the Disney Princesses, right, and it just you know, 56 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,679 Speaker 1: you can't deny that Disney princess and of itself is 57 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 1: a great marketing technique. What they did, um a few 58 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:21,919 Speaker 1: years ago, was they packaged nine of the female characters 59 00:03:21,960 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 1: who weren't even necessarily royal determined princesses, you know, um, 60 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:30,040 Speaker 1: and just called them the princesses and it accounts for 61 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: billions of sales every year. It's the largest girls franchise 62 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: on the planet. Yeah, and it basically saved Disney's merchandizing. 63 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: At the time, it was just plummeting. And then this 64 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: guy named Andy Mooney start stepped in and I thought, 65 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: you know what, we need to merchandise some princess stuff. 66 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:49,560 Speaker 1: And it's huge. And I can attest to that. My 67 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: niece obsessed with Disney princess stuff. I have purchased Disney 68 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: princess gear for her to wear because she looks adorable 69 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: in fake set and gloves. You know, call me about aunt, 70 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: but it's kind of cute. Yeah, I mean, it's a 71 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:06,720 Speaker 1: it's a thing. You see so many nurseries that just 72 00:04:06,800 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: feature all the princesses from and wait, we should problist 73 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: all the princess there are the top of your head. 74 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: The official princesses. Do it because I'm looking at them 75 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: on a piece of paper. Um, there's Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, 76 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:24,559 Speaker 1: snow White, Aerial Bell, Jasmine, Milan, and Pocahonas. Now, Milan 77 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: and Pocahonas don't show up on as much. Um, Disney 78 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: Princess stuff, but those are the official princesses. And now 79 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: Tianna and Tiana has been selling like gang busters. And 80 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:38,920 Speaker 1: you know part you said, Milan and Pocahonas don't show 81 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: up on a lot of um merchandise, and that's largely 82 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: thought to be because of their outfit. It's girls want 83 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:47,200 Speaker 1: sort of a flowy dress, which is part of the reason. 84 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: I think Tiana has a really beautiful dress. And so 85 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: they say they're just appealing to these girls who want 86 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:56,760 Speaker 1: to play dress up and look like a princess. Um. 87 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 1: And you know, if you go to Disney World, there's 88 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 1: like a Bivity Bobby Boo boutique where they do your 89 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: hair and makeup like a Disney princess. I think the 90 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: word was actually shimmer makeup true true. I believe the 91 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:10,720 Speaker 1: website said something like, if if a male is required 92 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 1: by the core, we can put some hair gel in 93 00:05:12,400 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: his hair. Oh hoh um. It's become just this whole lifestyle. 94 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: You could have an enchanted hamper to put your princess 95 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 1: clothing in and if you never grow out of this 96 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 1: um there's a woman who makes engagement rings inspired by 97 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: Disney princesses, and I think that I have even seen 98 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,679 Speaker 1: Disney princess inspired wedding gowns as well. I know it's 99 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 1: it really is a whole, a whole lifestyle. But then 100 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 1: when something becomes a whole lifestyle, you've got parents rushing 101 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,280 Speaker 1: in and saying, is this the right lifestyle for my daughter? 102 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,440 Speaker 1: Should she be dressing like a princess? Are these princesses 103 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,559 Speaker 1: even good role models? Because if you reduce them down 104 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 1: I guess two simple plot points, then you basically have 105 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:54,160 Speaker 1: a lot of girls who just want to get married 106 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:57,919 Speaker 1: and give up their dreams of anything but marriage. And 107 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 1: when you think about the core Disney princess movies such 108 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 1: as Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid, 109 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:10,120 Speaker 1: they all have these common elements of a girl who 110 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: basically falls in love with someone and then she needs 111 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 1: to be rescued by him to therefore validate her like 112 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,839 Speaker 1: royal line exactly. And I think probably the one that 113 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,159 Speaker 1: gets a lot of the most flak would be arial 114 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:27,360 Speaker 1: from The Long Mermaid because she gives up her voice, 115 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:31,600 Speaker 1: Like is there anything that, like a good um feminist 116 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:33,719 Speaker 1: mom would hate more than a woman who gives up 117 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 1: her voice to attract a man? Right? Because Eric all 118 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 1: Eric needs is just her, her beauty to be to 119 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,120 Speaker 1: be charmed by her. He doesn't even need to hear 120 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:44,800 Speaker 1: a word she has to say. And the same thing 121 00:06:44,839 --> 00:06:47,600 Speaker 1: happens to Bell with that Gaston. He walks around, He's like, 122 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:50,320 Speaker 1: she's the most beautiful, so she's the best. Yeah, doesn't 123 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 1: seem to care that she also reads books. Yeah, and 124 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:55,040 Speaker 1: then you know, when you go into Aladdin. I remember, 125 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 1: and I remember noticing this as I can't remember how 126 00:06:57,720 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: old I was when Aladdin came out, but I was 127 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,919 Speaker 1: young enough to watch it and be entertained. Um, but 128 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:07,360 Speaker 1: I do remember when I first saw it thinking how 129 00:07:07,680 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 1: tiny Jasmine's waiste was. Oh, yeah, she is a small girl. Teensy. 130 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: Let's go ahead and talk about body image, because that's 131 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: one thing that, um, a lot of people point out 132 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: about the princesses is that they're all very tiny. And 133 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 1: going back to the little Mermaid, who does she have 134 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: against her? But this giant ursula, Yeah, she's in an octopus. 135 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:32,720 Speaker 1: She's basically just overweight, kind of nasty looking woman. So 136 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 1: and simplified Disney terms, people are worried that the message 137 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 1: that is sent is that thin and beautiful equals good 138 00:07:40,600 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: and big and ugly equals bad until they redeemed my 139 00:07:43,920 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: princess like beast for example. Of course. Um, so there 140 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 1: is one stity that just came out I think very 141 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 1: timely for the Tiana movie, um about whether Disney princesses 142 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 1: can make young girls over obsessed with thinness. And this 143 00:07:58,360 --> 00:08:01,480 Speaker 1: was sort of a landmark study bea because uh, there 144 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 1: have been plenty of studies that have confirmed that media 145 00:08:05,040 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: does impact body image dissatisfaction in girls who are seven 146 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 1: and older. But what this study really tried to do 147 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:14,800 Speaker 1: was look at how it impacted girls six and younger. 148 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:18,960 Speaker 1: So these researchers brought in a hut girls aged three 149 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:21,560 Speaker 1: to six and showed them video clips, and half the 150 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 1: girls would watch clips with princesses and the other half 151 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 1: I watched non princess cartoons like Dora Clifford and dragon Tails. 152 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: And so then they after they watched these clips, they 153 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:32,920 Speaker 1: just went into a room and played and they were 154 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 1: trying to see if the girls who watched the princess 155 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:37,680 Speaker 1: clips would um play dress up more, if they would 156 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: look in the vanity mirrors more, if they'd be more 157 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 1: obsessed with dressing up, I guess, And then they would 158 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 1: ask them about um who they thought an ideal princess was. 159 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,440 Speaker 1: And some of the pictures were of you know, very 160 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: thin girls and ballerina costumes, and then some were heavier 161 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: girls in ballerina costumes. And then they also asked them 162 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: about their own body image. So now we'll go through 163 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:02,200 Speaker 1: the results. Yeah, so there results showed that um of 164 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:05,960 Speaker 1: the participants, thirty one percent said that they always worry 165 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 1: about being fat, and another eighteen percent sometimes worried about it. 166 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: And that's unreal because these are girls three to six 167 00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:15,760 Speaker 1: years old to six so is it the Disney movies? Well, 168 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,440 Speaker 1: let's keep going though. Once they're The girls desired a 169 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:21,559 Speaker 1: thinner ideal figure compared to their current size, and when 170 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:25,160 Speaker 1: asked to pick the real princesses, half the girls shows 171 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:29,000 Speaker 1: the thinnest model. But here's the thing you can beat. 172 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: You can feel good about taking a girl to see 173 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 1: young thin Princess Tiana because the measures weren't affected by 174 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 1: the princess videos. The girls who watched the princess clips 175 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 1: did not pick a thin princess anymore than the girls 176 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: who watched the Door Eclipse. Yeah, the researchers suspect that 177 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 1: it might have something to do Um, not so much 178 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:50,920 Speaker 1: with the kind of movies or television that these girls 179 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,200 Speaker 1: were watching, but rather the kind of messages that their 180 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: parents might have been reinforcing. For instance, if their mom, 181 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 1: you know, are bad, had been constantly complaining about their 182 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:01,680 Speaker 1: weight or uh. And I think we should also point 183 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:05,520 Speaker 1: out that a number of these girls also we're overweight, 184 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: and so they might have been also receiving messages from 185 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 1: teachers and parents that they need to to to drop 186 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:14,480 Speaker 1: some pounds as well. So it's not so much in 187 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: this age group what these girls watch. It's not Disney 188 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,080 Speaker 1: that makes them upset. They think that it's still sort 189 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:22,160 Speaker 1: of you know, I don't want to use the word healthy, 190 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:23,680 Speaker 1: I guess, but still a good way to play, and 191 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: that they see a princess, they become that character themselves, 192 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:29,800 Speaker 1: and they don't feel disqualified from playing princess because they 193 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 1: are heavier. Um that it's more of the messages they 194 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:35,719 Speaker 1: get at home. But just because but this study is 195 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:39,439 Speaker 1: pretty new, maybe people are still digesting it, um, because 196 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:41,520 Speaker 1: there are plenty of parents who still want to blame 197 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:46,000 Speaker 1: Disney for all the things that girls take on about themselves. Yeah, 198 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:48,640 Speaker 1: there was one article um in the New York times 199 00:10:48,679 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 1: by Peggy Orenstein, and she cannot stand this princess obsession. 200 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 1: She thinks that this whole idea, um, it just promotes 201 00:10:58,640 --> 00:11:02,760 Speaker 1: this idea of women as just passive objects in need 202 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 1: of a man to save them. And also um communicating 203 00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 1: this message that in order to be desired you must 204 00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:14,480 Speaker 1: be a thin, attractive, you know, ideal beauty instead of 205 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:18,000 Speaker 1: um promoting you know, the idea of a girl being 206 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:20,600 Speaker 1: strong and smart and able to stand on her own 207 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:23,600 Speaker 1: two feet. And to take the example of Mulan, who 208 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 1: people often point out goes off and is a warrior 209 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,680 Speaker 1: taking on a man's role, that's the one who often 210 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:32,200 Speaker 1: isn't pictured. And if she has pictured, she's pictured in 211 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:34,600 Speaker 1: her female clothes, which she didn't even like in the movie. 212 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:37,960 Speaker 1: So it's saying that it's reinforcing gender roles. To put 213 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,120 Speaker 1: it so simply, is that you see Cinderella doing housework 214 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:44,280 Speaker 1: until Prince rescues her. I mean, really, she's probably gonna 215 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 1: be doing She would have been doing more housework after 216 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:49,200 Speaker 1: she'd got married if she hadn't ride the prince. Well. 217 00:11:49,240 --> 00:11:51,240 Speaker 1: And also this all of this kind of goes back 218 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: to the very first podcast and only that we did 219 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:56,839 Speaker 1: on why two boys were pink and girls wear blue. 220 00:11:56,840 --> 00:11:59,960 Speaker 1: And it's basically UM. I think that one of the 221 00:12:00,040 --> 00:12:02,600 Speaker 1: reasons why Orenstein has such a big problem with this. It's, 222 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:06,200 Speaker 1: like you said, it's just this um kind of socialized 223 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:11,439 Speaker 1: way to reinforce um a child's gender because before I think, 224 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:14,240 Speaker 1: what is it like age like five or six, Like, 225 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:19,079 Speaker 1: studies have shown that kids um don't necessarily assign themselves 226 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: to a gender, and they think that it's really because 227 00:12:22,400 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 1: of um, you know, societal influences such as you know, 228 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:27,800 Speaker 1: buying a truck for a boy and a doll for 229 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: a girl. That starts to build these ideas UM in 230 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: the young kid's minds of like who they are as 231 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 1: boys were girls. So Orenstein also has to devote sometime 232 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:40,640 Speaker 1: in her essay to just stressing that if she doesn't buy, 233 00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 1: you know, a kid a Cinderella balloon, and she's somehow 234 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:44,880 Speaker 1: showing this girl that it's bad to be a girl. 235 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,679 Speaker 1: Because if this is sort of the epitome of young girliness. 236 00:12:49,000 --> 00:12:51,040 Speaker 1: If you deny the kid that, then do you deny 237 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 1: them their gender? It gets very um. It seems like 238 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:58,880 Speaker 1: being a parent, it's just a constant mind scramble. Well, 239 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:03,199 Speaker 1: especially you know, because you want to. I can understand um, 240 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:05,840 Speaker 1: you know, her concern because if you you know, if 241 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:07,680 Speaker 1: you have a little girl, you want to make sure 242 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 1: that that you raised her to be a be a strong, 243 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:12,600 Speaker 1: smart young woman. But I thought that she made an 244 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:15,800 Speaker 1: interesting point UM in this article. She talked to a 245 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:18,960 Speaker 1: historian at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and he 246 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:24,840 Speaker 1: said that historically, these kind of princess craze emerges during 247 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:29,400 Speaker 1: periods of uncertainty and profound um social change, and he 248 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,880 Speaker 1: um uses the example of The Little Princess, the book 249 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 1: that was published UM and was then made into a 250 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:39,720 Speaker 1: film starring Shirley Temple. He said it was publish at 251 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 1: a time of rapid urbanization, immigration, and poverty, and that 252 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:46,199 Speaker 1: the movie, Shirley Temple movie was a huge hit during 253 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 1: the Great Depression, and it was kind of this sort 254 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: of I guess, um escapist sort of folk tale that 255 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:56,439 Speaker 1: UM young girls could really identify with. And it also 256 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,959 Speaker 1: gave them a chance to UM play savior during time 257 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 1: economic crisis and stability. And so then they're saying that 258 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:07,400 Speaker 1: now that we are also again in uncertain times, that 259 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:10,360 Speaker 1: might be why the Disney princesses are so popular. But 260 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,480 Speaker 1: then Orenstein gets worried that if in this time of uncertainty, 261 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: playing princess and having this escapism eventually damnages a girl 262 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:19,400 Speaker 1: because they think they have to be everything. They have 263 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:22,960 Speaker 1: to be so attractive and in a beautiful dress and 264 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,480 Speaker 1: also make good grades and uh save the prince when 265 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 1: he falls off the ship. Um. So it's she worries 266 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:33,720 Speaker 1: about stress she might be putting on her children later on. Um. 267 00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:36,160 Speaker 1: And also, I guess what Disney is trying to do 268 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 1: now is to you would, um, segue from princesses when 269 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:43,720 Speaker 1: you're very young to fairies, which have more sass and attitude. 270 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:46,760 Speaker 1: Because originally tinker Bell from Peter Pan was going to 271 00:14:46,800 --> 00:14:49,160 Speaker 1: be a Disney princess and they're like, oh, she's not 272 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 1: really a princess. We're gonna make her into a fairy. 273 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 1: And so now the Disney fairies are like the next 274 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:57,000 Speaker 1: big thing. But the thing, Molly, that I keep coming 275 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:00,120 Speaker 1: back to, and I'm reading all of this critique of um, 276 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:04,560 Speaker 1: you know, these princess stories and princess gear and our 277 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 1: girls too obsessed with the color pink and all of 278 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 1: this is I can't get over the fact that at 279 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: the end of the day it's twenty five thousand merchandise 280 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 1: items for sale. You know, I mean the whole fairy 281 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:19,440 Speaker 1: thing isn't necessarily you know, they aren't trying to make 282 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: girls like fairies. They just want you to buy the stuff. 283 00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: That's all that matters. They just want me to go 284 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:26,200 Speaker 1: in and see the snow white dress that I know 285 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,040 Speaker 1: will look adorable on my knees so I can take 286 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 1: a picture of her and say how cute she is? Um. 287 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:35,200 Speaker 1: You know, so I'm wondering if we're really just over analyzing, 288 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:40,480 Speaker 1: really over overly scrutinizing, just junk, merchandizing and junk. And 289 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:42,320 Speaker 1: I guess that you know, if you are a parent 290 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 1: and you're spending that much money on these outfits and 291 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:47,720 Speaker 1: all the accessories that go with them, that maybe that's 292 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: when you start to criticize, like what the girls might 293 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:54,560 Speaker 1: stand for, UM, someone like Ariel who does give up 294 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:58,000 Speaker 1: you know, a large part of identity. But you know, 295 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:01,560 Speaker 1: you can find so many of these UM articles now 296 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 1: that will go back and forth on whether these girls 297 00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:06,840 Speaker 1: are good role models or not. UM. We found one 298 00:16:06,920 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: article that was by Rebecca and C. Doe Rosario, and 299 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 1: the article was published in women's studies in communication, and 300 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 1: what I really took away from this article was more 301 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:21,200 Speaker 1: about how women can just put each other down. A 302 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 1: lot of the damage that's done to these young princesses 303 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:29,120 Speaker 1: are by um, other women. Yeah. She kind of points 304 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:33,840 Speaker 1: out that UM specifically in UH like Snow White and 305 00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:38,400 Speaker 1: Sleeping Beauty, you have like distinct ages of women that 306 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:41,480 Speaker 1: it focuses on. You have like the young beauty, and 307 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:44,560 Speaker 1: then you have kind of the evil stepmother who is 308 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:47,760 Speaker 1: in you know, kind of crested over her prime and 309 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 1: as you know, as jealous of her you know, youth. 310 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 1: And then you have the older fairies who help out, 311 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 1: like the fairy godmothers who will help out, and that 312 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 1: it is these socially constructed relationships with ry's that are 313 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:04,919 Speaker 1: beneficial to women, Like these princesses never have mothers and 314 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:06,719 Speaker 1: so they have to find their own families that can 315 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:08,679 Speaker 1: help them. And in some ways that's kind of a 316 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:11,560 Speaker 1: positive thing to put out there for girls. UM. And 317 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:13,760 Speaker 1: she goes on to say that it's not like these 318 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:18,560 Speaker 1: princesses are really enslaved by a patriarchy necessarily, because it's 319 00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:21,720 Speaker 1: not like their fathers. The kings wander around going man, 320 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:23,960 Speaker 1: I wish I had a son. It's more that they 321 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:27,680 Speaker 1: do have the power to lead their kingdom. Of course 322 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:32,080 Speaker 1: it is by getting married. But um, you know most 323 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 1: parents want their kids to get married. I mean, that's 324 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:38,600 Speaker 1: what Petty, even Peggy Orenstein says. You know, even though 325 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:40,560 Speaker 1: I don't want her to feel like she's a princess 326 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:42,120 Speaker 1: all her life, I still want her to get married 327 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:46,119 Speaker 1: and have children. Sure. Um. And then I thought there 328 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 1: was another interesting analysis of UM, whether or not these 329 00:17:51,920 --> 00:17:55,960 Speaker 1: um females like comparing the decision making process of males 330 00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: and females in these Disney princess movies. And this was 331 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,399 Speaker 1: a paper UM put by a pair of researchers at 332 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:05,760 Speaker 1: Pacific Lutheran University. And UM they said, and this is 333 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:08,320 Speaker 1: a quote from the studies, said, when the female characters 334 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:13,280 Speaker 1: are portrayed initially is desirable, powerful, autonomous and control and independent. 335 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:16,160 Speaker 1: It make decisions that are often evaluated in the film 336 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,639 Speaker 1: as a failure, with the characters blaming themselves for the 337 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:22,760 Speaker 1: negative consequence. For instance, we keep going back to Little Mermaid. 338 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: But it's an easy example. You know, she makes this 339 00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:28,479 Speaker 1: decision to she makes this pact with Ursula, loses her 340 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 1: voice and then Ursula almost kills Um, you know, her 341 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:36,240 Speaker 1: father and the prince and the whole underworld kingdom almost 342 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:38,680 Speaker 1: goes goes down. Yeah, I mean, you can't keep going 343 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:40,720 Speaker 1: back and forth on whether they're good will mons are 344 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:43,200 Speaker 1: bad romas that one says their decision is frowned upon, 345 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:46,199 Speaker 1: whereas in the previous study we just cited, you know, 346 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:48,320 Speaker 1: she says that's kind of a revolutionary thing to do 347 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: to get out of your father's grip and to see 348 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:52,480 Speaker 1: what else is out there, you know, to to get 349 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:54,479 Speaker 1: away from this kingdom that you don't want to part in. 350 00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:57,120 Speaker 1: So basically, I don't think there's any way to win 351 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: where these Disney princesses are concerned, and person I were 352 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:03,880 Speaker 1: left feeling kind of, you know, ambivalent about the whole 353 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:07,520 Speaker 1: buuhaha around them. Yeah, I mean I will say that, Um, 354 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 1: And I don't know if this is an exact memory, 355 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:11,800 Speaker 1: because you know, sometimes you have like those childhood memories 356 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:15,679 Speaker 1: that might not have really been right on. But from 357 00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:19,000 Speaker 1: what I remember in kindergarten when I I would have 358 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:22,400 Speaker 1: like safer after school and every single day I can 359 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,960 Speaker 1: remember we would watch Cinderella, you know, so I grew up, 360 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:29,320 Speaker 1: you know, was very young child having seen Cinderella, you know, 361 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:33,359 Speaker 1: like thirty forty times. You know, I watched. I can 362 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 1: sing many of the songs by heart to the Little Mermaid, 363 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:40,520 Speaker 1: and We've been singing songs all morning. I've been singing 364 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 1: songs all morning. And uh, and of course, you know 365 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:45,560 Speaker 1: we all saw Snow White and Sleeping Beauty kind of 366 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:47,159 Speaker 1: freaked me out, so I didn't watch. I love that one. 367 00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:50,399 Speaker 1: That was my favorite. I just love doing the fairies 368 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:52,119 Speaker 1: made of the cake and the dress. That was a 369 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:54,760 Speaker 1: good part. But anyway, but my point is, you know, 370 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:57,280 Speaker 1: like you and I are now sitting here talking about 371 00:19:57,320 --> 00:19:59,919 Speaker 1: it from this perspective, and we seem to have turned 372 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 1: out okay, you know, and too pretty smart, independent thinking 373 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 1: women not to toot our own hordes. But I mean, 374 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:09,960 Speaker 1: it kind of makes me wonder again, like, are we 375 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:12,639 Speaker 1: are we really like putting too much stock into the 376 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:14,800 Speaker 1: impact of these movies on young girls. Yeah, but we 377 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:17,840 Speaker 1: weren't subject to the Disney princess marketing. That's very true, 378 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:19,720 Speaker 1: So I don't know. Again, I think it just goes 379 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,399 Speaker 1: back to the marketing, not necessarily the content of the 380 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:24,960 Speaker 1: actual films, because then if you look at actual films, 381 00:20:24,960 --> 00:20:27,159 Speaker 1: most of them are based on fairy tales and folk tales, 382 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:29,360 Speaker 1: which is probably their own podcasts in terms of how 383 00:20:29,359 --> 00:20:32,200 Speaker 1: they treat women. But I mean, I just don't. It's 384 00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 1: hard for me to look at a thing. We found 385 00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 1: this thing on a sociate sociological images blog that reduced 386 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,199 Speaker 1: Bell to someone who saved the princess life with her 387 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:44,800 Speaker 1: only asset, her sexuality. I mean, it's just not what 388 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 1: I got from beating the beast. Well, but all of them, though, 389 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:50,440 Speaker 1: I think there is something to say that they all 390 00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:53,240 Speaker 1: have in common, the fact that they are very attractive 391 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:59,200 Speaker 1: women who um, you know, are basically cherished mostly for 392 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,840 Speaker 1: their beauty. True, so that might not be the best 393 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:06,960 Speaker 1: message should be sending, but her mind, niece does luke 394 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:09,680 Speaker 1: hute in those dresses. So we want to hear from 395 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,439 Speaker 1: you guys like Disney princesses good or evil? Yeah? What 396 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: do you think? Who's your favorite one? Yeah? And what 397 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:17,360 Speaker 1: do you think about Tiana? Let us know your thoughts 398 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 1: and you can do that by emailing us at mom 399 00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:22,840 Speaker 1: stuff at has stuff works dot com. Yes, and do 400 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 1: we have some listener mail online? We have one? Well, 401 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:30,679 Speaker 1: do you just one? Because we've probably kind of rambled 402 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 1: on about various thoughts on Disney princesses. This is um 403 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:39,040 Speaker 1: a comment from Katie on the Vampire podcast, and she 404 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:41,680 Speaker 1: wanted to kind of stick up for Bella, who we 405 00:21:41,920 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 1: who we dissed a little bit, and she says the 406 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,360 Speaker 1: difference comes down to the books versus the movies. So 407 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,679 Speaker 1: here are her points for how the books show that 408 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:53,600 Speaker 1: Bella is in fact a strong character. Um Bella. The 409 00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:55,159 Speaker 1: books allude to the fact that Belle is more of 410 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:56,719 Speaker 1: an adult than her mother and takes care of her 411 00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: family in Arizona, meaning she's mature. She leaves everything behind 412 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:01,520 Speaker 1: end to move in with her father who had she 413 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:03,480 Speaker 1: hadn't senior years in order to make her mother happy, 414 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:06,639 Speaker 1: means she's self sacrificing. She goes above and beyond to 415 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:08,680 Speaker 1: encourage Angela and give her the confidence she needs to 416 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:10,159 Speaker 1: ask out a boy, and she does the same with 417 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:12,320 Speaker 1: Jessica and Mike. She's not looking for boyfriend. It turns 418 00:22:12,359 --> 00:22:15,240 Speaker 1: down several boys dates offers. She's happy with the life 419 00:22:15,280 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 1: she has and is Edward who seeks her out, which 420 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:20,440 Speaker 1: means she's fulfilled already without a boy in her life. Uh. 421 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:22,959 Speaker 1: She takes over all responsibilities of running a household when 422 00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:24,720 Speaker 1: she moves in with her father in the book, she 423 00:22:24,720 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: does all the cooking, et cetera. Means she's a caregiver. 424 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,159 Speaker 1: She's brave despite her own fear. She's the fact that 425 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: Edward can't read her thoughts to hide her fear and 426 00:22:32,080 --> 00:22:34,200 Speaker 1: tell him that she's not afraid of them. She puts 427 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: herself in possible danger to gain the trust and friendship 428 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:40,480 Speaker 1: of another. She's a good listener, she's humble, she's non judgmental. 429 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,680 Speaker 1: And Katie feels that the movies don't do a good job. 430 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 1: I'm showing most of these as it cuts out all 431 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: the secondary relationships and pretty much everything not pertaining to 432 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:50,920 Speaker 1: advance in the plot between girl and vampire. When I 433 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:52,439 Speaker 1: saw the movie, it's kind of upset at how much 434 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:55,879 Speaker 1: they cut out. Um. So she recommends to anybody to 435 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:59,520 Speaker 1: read the books before watching any of the movies. All right, well, 436 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,880 Speaker 1: thanks for writing in, and of course, if you have 437 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:05,360 Speaker 1: any questions or comments you'd like to send our way, 438 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:07,680 Speaker 1: you can email us at mom stuff at how stuff 439 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:10,200 Speaker 1: works dot com. And we also have a blog called 440 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:13,760 Speaker 1: how to stuff it is at how stuff works dot com. 441 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:17,520 Speaker 1: And finally, for a riveting article, how the Disney princesses work. 442 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,720 Speaker 1: You can go to how stuff works dot com for 443 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:26,080 Speaker 1: more on this and thousands of other topics. Is that 444 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:30,240 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. Want more how stuff works, 445 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:32,679 Speaker 1: check out our blogs on the house. Stuff works dot 446 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:39,800 Speaker 1: com home page. Brought to you by the reinvented two 447 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,360 Speaker 1: thousand twelve camera. It's ready, are you