Am I doing my dd a disservice?

[toptramp]

By buying her disney princess stuff for Christmas? She just loves it but I'm wondering if it's because I ahve sub consciously promoted princessy type things. I don't have a huuuuuge problem about Disney princess stuff ; more a few of the usual feminist niggles. Is it just harmless fun?
I am the sort of feminist that loves femininity but are thse princesses good role models?

we can all believe in fairy tales but I am sure you will teach your little girl about real life and all the toads and lizards and snakes in the grass in time. I too have waivered and conceded to the princess stuff, but i also counter it with books such as Robert Munsch's, "the paper bag princess".

Big ole can o' worms i reckon....

i find the question "are these princesses good role models" a bit funny though. Sure if you want your daughter to grow up to be Amy Childs... lol

don't take that too seriously... :)

I think my dd likes the magic associated with being a princess. I was thinking the other day that although some princesses look like Barbie and sit around waiting to be rescued; some of them are actually feisty and make a destiny for themselves. Like ..............er........................? Princess Fiona from Shrek?!

My poor dd's have to listen to me huffing and puffing and tutting when they watch all that princess crap - Aerial fawning over Eric, Belle and Beast, snow white cleaning up HAPPILY wtf? after all those men! I hate it but have to give in and buy it too.......just make sure you present a balanced picture and show positive female role models I'm sure your dd will be fine!

DD2 used to love Aurora from sleeping beauty and had her dress, shoes etc. Now she's 12 she is very much a feminist.

DD1 was never interested in princesses and the like. I don't suppose it's that you've promoted the idea, it's just what she likes.

I think your DD will be fine, she's got a good role model and won't grow up thinking that's how she needs to be.

I'm not a fan of the disney princess stuff and I don't like the messages it sends to girls.

Have a read of this are the new disney princesses feminists as she says it far better than I can.

I hate it and vowed my DD would have none of it. We have all of it. She's 4 now and is quite determined that she doesn't want to be a princess when she's older.

I'm not sure the Disney princess stuff is any worse than the other insidious crap, tbh. It might be "safer" because it's so obvious and easy to explain. Suspect it depends on the message the parents give...

Just grit your teeth & enforce positive messages about equality.

I always swore I'd not have any Pink crap around the house but with 2 DD's it was inevitable, they grow out of it & my too are now lovely open-minded young ladies who are very quick to point out "but that's not fair is it Mum?"

It's just a phase & I don't think it persuades them to be pink & fluffy as adults any more than if boys wear high heels & bridesmaids dresses it makes them gay!

Just role play.

You can't blame Disney entirely for The Little Mermaid. It was based on the Hans Christian Andersen story, which itself is no feminist romp, though it took Disney to turn her into an overdressed hussy. Andersen's mermaid had no name, so Disney stole one from Shakespeare, and from a male character at that.

The story:
hca.gilead.org.il/li_merma.html

The mermaid (properly dressed):
www.copenhagenpictures.dk/mermaid.html

God, I loathe Andersen's tales... If the woman/girl isn't being given away she's ill or mutilated. They infuriate me. In case you couldn't tell

Well then, Andersen + Disney = something pretty toxic.

How does she know about it? Not everyone allows small children to watch a lot of television and films. She wouldn't even want if it you hadn't allowed her to see that sort of stuff. i remember the feminist book club for children we used to be in - you would get picture books of the woman plumber, doctor, stay at home father etc. In some ways they were a joke but I think they did the children no harm and both my daughters are in or are heading for pretty good careers and I am sure the fact they had those books not disney princess would have helped.

Get her dungarees. You know it makes sense.

I wouldn't pay any heed to all the rubbish some so-called feminists write about the princess thing. It's just adults projecting their holier than thou shite onto children. The whole Disney princess thing introduces children to the idea of magic. It may be commercial (like everything else) but it has its roots in our folk culture and that is why I'm happy to encourage it with mine even if it empties my wallet a bit.

Xenia, I suspect any children of yours would be on the way to "pretty good careers" even if they'd a constant diet of Disney...

We did have some periods with no television in the week which worked quite well.

I certainly it's good if girls have role models who are active with careers. The Radio 4 programme about the Chalet School books the other month was interviewing lots of women who then followed the role model in the book - working wife with career etc I am sure my daughers found books and films particularly they became teenagers where women were not just kept appendages of men who were there to cook clean and look nice and a massive role model for most girls will be a high earning full time working mother who loves her work rather than a housewife who spends her days cleaning up after a man.

i think mrs plug the plumber from the janet and allen ahlberg books had it spot on. in her handbag she had a comb, a blowtorch, a lipstick, a plunger...

I can't remember the name of the feminist book club but I didn't find the stories too awful and they were a useful addition to bed time story routine. As teenagers we'd read out Enid Blyton reversing the names which revealed the sexism. So you'd get the boy character Richard talking about his new dress and the girl Anne or whatever talking about her plans to cut down some trees.