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http://i.imgur.com/s3Pro.jpg
Ariel's message is my favorite.
Thanks, Kristi, for sending this, via Rachel Simmon's twitter
Link link linkity link!
This site logs the experiences of one parent and my quest to reclaim my daughter's imagination after it was hijacked by Disney Princesses.
Contact: mfinuc@gmail.com
I began this blog in April 2010. It was meant to be a 90 day run at recovery. From Disney Princesses.
It's been over 4 years since I first googled "Why the hale are Disney Princesses everywhere?" I found a lot of advertisements for Disney World. And a definition of hale (strong and healthy).
I started writing here and found all sorts of people were asking the same question. Minus hale.
My kid is over the Disney Princesses, but I am into all the stuff I've learned while taking notes and exploring. Now I post whatever catches my mind about: marketing to children, girls, and occasionally squirrels.
I think Sleeping Beauty is my favorite. I would love, love to hear from someone who is 100% pro-princess. I know there must be some readers out there who can share their perspective.
ReplyDeleteIt's probably not fair, because I don't (yet) have any children, but I love animation, and I love musicals, so I guess I am pro-princess as far as the movies go. I don't much like Snow White as a film, but I understand its importance historically, and the Queen is pretty great. I love Sleeping Beauty as a movie, I think it's gorgeous and brilliant. I have fond memories of Jasmine and Belle (for their rebellious, book-reading, disguise wearing ways). On the other hand, I never understood why Belle would stay with the Beast once he turned into an ugly Prince, or why Ariel would give up the sea.
ReplyDeleteIs it all the marketing now that focuses the attention on the big ballgowns? I remember I always wanted princess dolls that represented my favorite parts of the movie: Aurora in the forest, Belle in the bookshop. I used to occasionally play Cinderella, and by that I mean pretend that I was a servant girl to make cleaning my room more interesting.
And Mulan! The movie has issues, but even though I was almost out of high school when it came out, and "supposed to be" done with "Kids movies", I was excited for a Disney warrior woman.
I'm interested in all the commentary here, because as an adult who collects dolls, I won't be able to forbid certain things from any potential daughter, so thinking ahead of time is key.
There have been lots of comments suggesting great books, so I'd like to throw out a few suggestions for movies/TV to replace some of the things you're forbidding.
Actually, look into The Princess and The Frog. It's a Disney Princess movie, yes, and there's a lot of plastic stuff they're selling, but Tiana is a pretty awesome character, with a good relationship with her mother, a best girlfriend, 3 part-time jobs and a business plan. Her "I wish" song is about opening her own restaurant. Her prince is charming, but he has to prove he can become a better person before he wins her heart. (Also, they're both frogs at the time, and she only wears the "princess" dress for 30 seconds.)
I am holding out hope for Brave (formerly The Bear and The Bow) which is a Pixar movie in production about a Scottish princess obsessed with archery.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a surreal, funny movie, that manages to bring up the problems facing women who want to go into science.
Also, on PBS is a show called WORD GIRL. It is about a grade school superhero who, along with her monkey sidekick, defeats rather silly villains with her super-strength, flight, and huge vocabulary.
When your little one is a bit older, try Coraline, maybe Powerpuff Girls. Also, Enchanted pokes gentle fun at all the Disney princess motifs, and both Princess and Prince end up with a mate more suited to them than each other.
For even older kids, and fairly dated now, but The Last Unicorn is a fantasy movie which I love, that even sort of has a princess, which is very thought-provoking, sad and beautiful.
I know this is long, but one more thing: as I said, I collect dolls... Here's one thing that I do with them:
http://theclearancebin.weebly.com/from-the-workshop-princess-supplement.html
Oh! And Atalanta:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-77_cVnmUQ