to try to stop my dd daughter watching Disney girly shlock classics for as long as I can?

[mrszimmerman]

It's just a personal thing, no comment on what anyone else chooses to do. I just happen to think the Disney message about what it is to be female is lamentable.

I tend to think that the longer I can keep these messages away from her then maybe she'll have time to grow some self esteem that isn't tarnished with ideals of blonde perfection and being saved by a prince!
I expect to be given a hard time of course, but wonder whether there' anyone else out there who is trying to hold out for a bit against the evils of Disney shlock!

I do acknowledge that later Disneys have got better with their female role modelling.
Also my mother hated Disney so I have a strong inherited dislike of some of the more dodgy ones. I like the good ones like the jungle book etc.

I'd second those who point to the Disney princesses who have a bit more spark to them. My dd, 4, loves Rapunzel, Tiana, Ariel and Mulan - who I think are a bit more interesting than the older princesses. I was thankful to find she thinks Cinderella and co are a bit dull (though she still loves to dress up as them). I always wanted to be a 'no Disney' kind of mother, but DD1 loves them so much I can't really do it. She also loves the Disney Fairies - who at least have careers - even if they are twee ones.
I try and counter with other stuff. Paperbag Princess is a good book for this, as is the Night Pirates.
For what it is worth, I'm also the main breadwinner in our family and my dh is at home part time looking after the children. I'm hoping that ultimately this will shape the girls' values far more than a few films!

YANBU to try and limit things you consider negatively influential, but I think there is worse out there than Disney. The princesses do at least tend to be kind and hard working-(though you're entirely right about the ridiculous physical perfection) unlike some of the reality 'stars' out there. I don't know which is worse, believing a man will always rescue you and you're nothing without him, or believing happiness lies in fame and you don't need talent or humility and should instead tread all over people to achieve it? Maybe it's better to allow limited access to it all and ensure she gets lots of conversations with you about it so you can point her in the direction of proper feminist thinking and not allow her to be indoctrinated by princesses OR fame whores!

Hmm disagree personally.

I've managed to raise an 18yr old with a disney addiction who is not at all princessy...

If I have to watch a DVD over and over with a small child there are some much worse than disney to watch and you can at least choose which she has (I still hae songs from Peter Pan in my head from when DD was 3- it's all we watched whilst I breast fed her new brother!).

Oh, she's requested and is getting "Tangled for Xmas" . LOL

On the whole I don't censor what my kids watch (which is age appropriate). However we have long discussions about things. We had a long discussion recently in "The Entertainer" over how they sell the same Science sets for boys and girls but in diferent packaging. The girls is all Pink and with added glitter/smells, the boys is bluish and with added grossness. That lead to a discussion of how sexist it is.
We hadn't even heard of Tiana and the Princess and the Frog, until we went to Disney and got her Autograph. Actually Disney Princesses are probably better role models than a lot around nowadays, as they tend to have flesh on their bones (and the other girl in the Princess and the Frog, is fat but pretty). The girls in the Disney versions tend to be slightly less passive than in other versions (even Cinderella does well because she is kind). Although if you go back to the originals they are a lot more blood thirst.
You can't shield your daughter from all sexist/passive representations of women, but you can start countering them from an early age.

(Tangled is awesome )

May I recommend to you the roald dahl poems - v hilarious and much better female role models (well certainly feistier)
We don't read the stories here - or if we do it's with my own twist
School once sent home an outrageous homework - read some sexist 'prince choosing wife' story and comment on why he chose the skinny prim one not the greedy answering back one. I critiqued it for them

May I recommend to you the roald dahl poems - v hilarious and much better female role models (well certainly feistier)
We don't read the stories here - or if we do it's with my own twist
School once sent home an outrageous homework - read some sexist 'prince choosing wife' story and comment on why he chose the skinny prim one not the greedy answering back one. I critiqued it for them

I told my 3DC yesterday when they were watching Tangled and thoroughly enoying it that some mummies don't let their DC watch Disney movies. They thought that it sounded silly and faddy like a child who won't eat a particular kind of food without even trying it . My DC watch Disney and Mickey Mouse and Studio Ghibli and they love them all, they love the songs the music the humour and the stories. They view all of it through the eyes of the children that they are.

I agree with Laquitar, be a positive role model youself and start by not censoring what they watch if it is age appropriate.

YABU!

EVIL?
jesus get some perspective woman

you think she will watch dsney and turn into a stepford wife. hey ho your life but its hardly EVIL

My twin DDs are 4.5 and love Disney, the Princess and the Frog and Tangled being two favourites (both with capable female leads). They also love Dora who's an independant, resourceful young lady (albeit one with a nauseatingly formulaic lifestyle).

Despite being identical, one of them is on record as saying "Princesses don't go to the toilet, they just marry a Prince" (and yes, they have "I Want My Potty"). The other is obsessed with dinosaurs and skeletons and is more excited about any dragons in the films than the princesses, particularly if any fighting is involved.

I don't think you're being unreasonable, but your DD will eventually make her own choices, especially when she gets a nursery or school peer group.

Personally, it's the violent and/or traumatic deaths that are a frequent feature in Disney films that bother me. But they don't seem to bother the girls.

YANBU. Disney has an awful human rights record with regards to children working their factories (ironic - hey) for this reason alone DD is not allowed disney. So yes DISNEY IS EVIL.

www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/aug/27/disney-factory-sweatshop-suicide-claims

www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Global_Secrets_Lies/WorkingForRAt_DisneyHaiti.html

ihscslnews.org/view_article.php?id=5

Just a few links (plenty more available) to back up my point. I know someone will be along shortly to say 'oh yes but everything we buy comes from the developing world'.....but I don't consider that an excuse for buying disney, there is something especially evil about abusing children to produce sick making disney products.

Yadnbu, so I don't have to repeat myself, I'll direct you to a similar thread in feminism topic.

well said Laquiter - us mums should be the best role model for all our DCs -

my DD (6) LOVES Disney aswell as other non-princessy things - surely it is a matter of balance - and by denying them won't it seem more exciting -

How could you avoid all this by the time they get to school anyhow?

This one is particularly pleasant.....www.globallabourrights.org/reports?id=0089

Sorry for the thread hijack OP - hopefully this will help you justify your decision in your mind. TBH YANBU even is Disney wasn't guilty of these crimes...the messages they send about being female are ick.

My OH threw a Hannah Montana DVD bought as a pressie for DSD (age 5) on the fire one night as he's so turned off by the whole Disney thing. Her mum takes a different view so she has super-girly gender reinforcement at mum's house and trips to the park and helping out with veg patch at our house!

She was none the wiser I must say and not traumatised in anyway by the burning of Miss Montana!

I think you could choose some Disney films with a non-girlie fall for the man theme:

EG. Pochahontas - she is in the driving seat and John Smith is infatuated with her. She shows him the world, and refuses to go back to the UK with him. She is kick ass.

Also, Anastasia is another 'female empowerment' disney movie.

YABU to tar all Disney with the same brush.

YANBU to hate the generic princess needs a man to rescue her theme.

I have brought DD beauty and the beast for christmas. Firm faves in our house however are Peter pan and tangled.

I adore disney, I really do, both DD and DS watch all of the films, I have a huge collection, they are both entrances, I love the Princess and the Frog.

Actually thats not true, we dont watch the Dark one, ie, Hunchback, Lion King, Bambi, things that will make them sad.

I don't have anything against Disney at all. My DC's like some and not others. DD likes pink sparkly things and dresses like a boy half the time. I'm not bothered at all tbh, they watch them rarely and some of them are good fun.

Meh - does no one care about the human rights angle? Maybe I should eff off and start my own thread.....

Sorry but maybe campaigning about human rights is far more likely to change things than a one woman campaign against a huge corporation. Which corporations can I buy from BTW? Apart from the CO-OP and even there I'd have to be careful about brands, and do they sell clothes my size?

My Dd loved Disney princesses aged 3-4. She's now a feminist teenager. Just because they fall for the myths at three, doesn't mean ti say they can't look at it rationally when they're older.

Thanks for acknowledging my post mummytime. As I said in my post, yup most corporations are evil. But that's no excuse for not avoiding the most evil and hypocritical which I believe Disney is one of.

No need to buy clothes form co-op. Plenty of fair trade clothes places or buy second hand so you are not adding to profits of sweatshop users. Or just do some research - many high street stores now have fair working conditions for their workers.