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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think Disney Princesses are not superheroes.

88 replies

TheSkiingGardener · 02/04/2014 18:23

Superhero day at the DC's nursery and half the girls turned up in Disney Princess dressed. Very pretty but completely not relevant surely!

OP posts:

itiswhatitiswhatitis · 02/04/2014 18:25

Maybe their parents didn't want to go out and buy super hero apparel. Meh to all these dress up days

HoneyDragon · 02/04/2014 18:28

Batman has a Utility Belt and climbs stuff so dipoles Merida

Hulk turns into a green thing and saves people, Ariel turns into a fish and saves people

HoneyDragon · 02/04/2014 18:29

Dipoles?!?!

Does

ShatnersBassoon · 02/04/2014 18:29

Hmm, well I know when they cover this topic in schools, they talk about how superheroes aren't just people in capes with super powers. They can be anyone who inspires us, so it might be a firefighter or a parent, or someone who's overcome adversity. Or a princess if you're three and can't quite grasp hold of the bigger picture

ICanSeeTheSun · 02/04/2014 18:29

maybe to the girls wearing the costume hero's are Disney princesses.

EatDessertFirst · 02/04/2014 18:31

The Disney costumes are ridulously overpriced so I agree with itswhat.

However, without trying to sound like a feminist some of the newer Disney princesses (maybe the ones from Brave or Frozen) are pretty kick-ass!

Some people get all huffy about the Disney Princesses representing women as fragile flowers etc and being a bad example to young girls etc but they all have strengths.

HoneyDragon · 02/04/2014 18:31

Rapunzel does not have dissimilar traits to wonder woman and frying pan is more useful than bangles, it vanquishes bad guys and fries bacon.

HoneyDragon · 02/04/2014 18:32

Cinderella has a secret identity like Clark Kent and Superman.

ShatnersBassoon · 02/04/2014 18:33

Good points here, a lot of Disney princesses are as capable as the more obvious superheroes.

tethersend · 02/04/2014 18:34

There are hardly any female superheroes, and almost none that anyone without a specialist interest has heard of.

Why should a male concept of power be more desirable for children to dress up as than a princess?

itiswhatitiswhatitis · 02/04/2014 18:35

Technically batman isn't a superhero either but kids dress up as him on these days.

ILoveTamsinGreig · 02/04/2014 18:35

You can't really dictate to another person who their hero is, even if you don't agree. I imagine there is a large element of 'oh, fuck, she's supposed to be in some sort of costume. What do we have?'

HoneyDragon · 02/04/2014 18:35

Not to mention Iceman and Elsa, only Elsa manages and entire country too

(I am beginning to wish I'd done more with my life)

arethereanyleftatall · 02/04/2014 18:36

And on princess day, would all boys be happy to go dressed as a princess?

HoneyDragon · 02/04/2014 18:37

Batman is a superhero.

Extraordinary powers or abilities is the criteria.

OverAndAbove · 02/04/2014 18:38

I think a lot of Disney princesses have overcome a lot of anguish and in some cases, tragedy and abuse in their lives. Possibly more so than your average Superhero.

My DD recently went to a Superhero party in her ballet uniform. She was Ballet Girl and her superpower was to do everything that other people do but with her feet turned out, her back straight and her hair in a perfect bun smug

hiccupgirl · 02/04/2014 18:38

On Book Day half the kids at DS's nursery were superheroes or princesses because small kids like to dress up in their costumes and are difficult to persuade to wear anything else. Did it matter?

My DS would much rather be a princess than a superhero....better clothes!

MargotLovedTom · 02/04/2014 18:41

Dd went in on Superhero day in her Sleeping Beauty dress. She was happy and I was buggered if I was going to fork out 10 - 15 quid for another costume just for one day when I have food to buy.

That's probably the main relevance of the Princess costumes OP. Saving money.

itiswhatitiswhatitis · 02/04/2014 18:47

He just has a lot of money and technology at his disposal. I think he is heroic indeed but he has no super human power or ability.

Original poster

TheSkiingGardener · 02/04/2014 18:49

Fair enough. It just seemed a bit uninspiring I guess. All the boys as action heroes, one girl as SuperGirl and all the rest in pretty frocks.

I am cheap when it comes to these things. DS2 went with a pair of superman pants over his trousers. He is 12 months old. The pants will go back in big brothers draw tomorrow.

I had no idea the Disney princesses did anything except sit and simper about Prince Charming though, so that's been enlightening. However, isn't a flouncy frock a bit impractical for these things?

OP posts:

BeCool · 02/04/2014 18:52

Batman is a super hero. He is a hero. And he is super.

He has the ability to invent the technology and gadgets that he uses. He also has special abilities that allow him to control and use the gadgets effectively.

itiswhatitiswhatitis · 02/04/2014 18:52

They're 12 months old?! Seriously what's the point?!

kateemo · 02/04/2014 18:54

I am a big fan of Mulan, as she is based on the Chinese mythical heroine and as described in Maxine Hong Kingston's novel The Woman Warrior.

EatDessertFirst · 02/04/2014 18:56

You should definately watch some of the newer ones Skiing. They are brilliant films .

KatnipEvergreen · 02/04/2014 18:56

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