The Great Disney Princess Role Model

Growing up, my idols where the Disney Princesses. They are probably the reason why I wanted to be a in musical theater (my first play: Peter Pan at 13- coincidence?). Everything about them seemed so perfect: beautiful, thin, musical, the center of attention, and adored by gorgeous heart-throbs. While I was still sweet and cute, I convinced my parents to buy nearly every Disney Princess film. I even bought Sleeping Beauty with my own money as a teenager. I can probably recite every song and dialogue in the Disney Princess "collection". I think its easy to say that the Disney Princesses probably constructed a lot of my views on love and how to be the perfect woman.

Good thing reality hit when I actually started dating in high school. I finally learned how men (boys) really are. I also learned how lame it would be to actually model my life after these princesses. Although I still have a soft place in my heart for these movies, I want to analyze a few things that I feel parents should question when subjecting young girls to these fantasies.

1. Snow White: The character Snow White probably wins the award for "Damsel in Distress" out of all the Disney Princesses. When overwhelmed, she flops herself down onto the ground and cries. She is oblivious to evil (her scary stepmother and poisonous fruit). And she only sings about housework and meeting her future prince. Not to mention- she is a great house cleaner and "mother" to the seven dwarfs. She then marries the first man who kisses her! Off to start her REAL life...

Lesson to girls: Sing, marry the first man you see, and take shady fruit from scary strangers.

2. Beauty and the Beast: According to Kathy Maio's article "Women, race and culture in Disney's Movies", Disney promised its viewers that they would present a more progressive female role model. But the only real improvement to Belle is that she loves to read. One positive is that she does stand up for herself: she does not accept Beast's aggression and she does not fall for the town heart-throb Geston (but he is rather stupid so its understandable). The big problem with Belle is that she sets herself out to change her captor Beast. As Maio points out, a real modern-day Belle would actually be a battered woman than a positive miracle worker.

Lesson to girls: Never attempt to escape from your abusive male companions and it is YOUR job to change them.

And please remember, there are many more examples of these weak female traits in EVERY Disney Princess. Perhaps its in Disney's best interest that they have taken a break from the Princess films.

Skanks in the City

I have always had mixed feelings about HBO's hit series (and movie) Sex and the City. On the one hand, you have a highly entertaining show about women who essentially get what they want. And they want money, successful careers, close friends, and lots and LOTS of sex. Or do they want love? Or sex and love? I'm still not exactly sure- even after I walked out of the movie.

Creators of this show give audiences the impression that this a show about the modern-day, independent woman. The show progresses date-by-date. And lunch-by-lunch. Apparently the modern-day woman is constantly on the prowl for men- or else she is considered a prude. In fact, the character Charlotte is portrayed as the "good girl" because she strives for marriage and a family. Let's remember that Charlotte has had her good share of" sexcapades". Not to mention, I have no idea how all of these women can be so successful in their professional careers because all of their free time is consumed by men: shopping for their dates, lunching while chatting about their dates, and finally- DATING.

Even though having promiscuous sex and successful careers are definitely qualities of an independent woman, this show gives audiences the impression that ALL women are obsessed with men! These characters are fashioned to be the ideal model of the modern, independent women- so women of all ages can aspire to be like them. However, if the ideal independent woman is consumed by men, then ALL women must be consumed by men. That is not liberating at all.

Shelton Hull's 2003 article "Modern Woman as Love Machine: The Post-Feminist Landscape, as Projected by 'Sex and the City'" exposes great specific examples of why this show should not be a role model for any female of any age.