Princess Culture

Today in class we discussed Princess Culture. What I found most interesting throughout our discussion were the differences between the two different eras of Disney- the Walt Disney era vs. Team Disney. The more I thought about it the more I realized the major differences that can be seen throughout the Disney movies made when Walt Disney was around and the Disney movies made by Team Disney. Although it seems that the original Walt Disney Princesses were more often victims and the Team Disney Princesses are seen as more often causing trouble, I still find myself enjoying the Team Disney Princess movies more than the latter. My favorite princess has always been Ariel and to be honest throughout my childhood I never realized how “sexified” the Disney princesses are made out to be. Once we discussed it in class, it was clear to me that Team Disney began making Disney Princesses a lot more “sexy” than the way Walt Disney had made the previous ones to be. The fact that these films are targeted towards little girls and the creators insist on making them seem like sex symbols is a little creepy. Although I think it’s creepy I don’t see how it could be avoided since the goal of almost every Princes movie is to “get the guy” in the end. Courtship and the happiness that comes with it is definitely amplified in all of the Disney Princess movies, no matter what era they were made in. To be honest I would like to see one Disney Princess movie that is full of adventure and shows the life of a Princess but doesn’t involve the Princess trying to hook up with someone in the end. Overall though, I think that the goal of all Disney Princess movies is to have a positive influence on its young audience. Below is a video I found on youtube about subliminal messaging and some of the “sexual innuendos” found in Disney movies. I thought it was interesting but you’ve probably seen some of these before but there were a few I hadn’t heard of!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I2SJNdt0Xs&feature=related