Disney Princesses- Too Provocative?

                Growing up, the Disney princesses were my absolute favorite role models. I always wanted to dress up like them, live in castles like them, meet a prince just like they did. When I was younger, I never noticed the clothes the princesses were wearing, never questioned why they were wearing something so revealing. Now that I’m older, I can clearly see what I failed to notice in my single-digit years. But the real question isn’t why the princesses dressed the way they did- it’s how their outfits have changed over time.

                One of the websites I found that discussed the evolution of Disney princess’ clothing stated that over the years, there has been a “formula” for the Disney princess movies. The “formula” was that the main character was a female who could not or did not stand up for herself and relied on an outside source to assist her in finding her happily ever after (ex. Cinderella needed her fairy godmother).

                As time went on, the formula changed ever so slightly. Disney princesses relied less on outside sources and more on ancestral traditions. Then Pocahontas and Mulan were released, and a whole new perspective on princesses came about- no longer was the princess waiting around for someone to rescue her, now she was the one taking action. I really liked this twist to the princess stories- these movies aren’t about finding happy ever after by just sitting around doing nothing. These movies suddenly showed children that there was something worth fighting for, and hard work and determination would get you where you wanted to go.

                Last but not least, The Princess and the Frog. With this movie, Disney found a way to keep the kind hearted spirit of their very first princess movies mixed with the strong girl power of their more recent movies. Personally, I really liked the princesses before, but just because those movies are considered classics does not make them more appropriate for children to watch. Think about it- in Tangled and The Princess and the Frog, did the lead female role wear provocative clothing? Was her whole purpose in the movie devoted to finding a man? Was she fairly independent or did she rely heavily on an outside source to motivate her through her life? I think the more recent movies have better messages to give to young children; they create a more realistic view of society’s relationships between one another. Women don’t need to sit around waiting for a man to rescue them- we are able to get off our butts and do something with our lives, something the old Disney princess movies didn’t show before.

 

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