Disney's Princess Culture

After reading Linda Christensen’s piece “Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us,” there was one particular quote that resonated with me. One student Justine, who was a student in her Contemporary Literature and Society class, wrote in her journal, “True death equals a generation living by rules and attitudes they never questioned and producing more children who do the same” (192). As a child I was captivated by the many Disney movies that my mother showed me. Since my mother grew up watching some of these fairy tales, she passed on her love of Disney movies to her children. Much of my childhood was dedicated to the idea of “fairy tales”…friends and I reenacting scenes from our favorite Disney movies, dressing up like princesses for Halloween, collections of Disney Barbie dolls…even meeting “Pocahontas” in a local bookstore was enough to make me feel  like I was important. The constant exposure to Disney animation was part of my childhood growing up, so naturally I was under the assumption that the reality of my adulthood was to find my “prince” and live happily ever after.

Now that years have passed, I see a new generation that is falling into the same pattern that I once did. My younger cousin who is just shy of eight of years old is also fascinated with many of the Disney princesses.  She spends most of her time playing with her dolls, dressing them up in outfits, and brushing their hair to make them look pretty. At times I see my childhood reflected in hers. Once again, this connects to Christensen’s quote about a generation that lives by the rules and how it is simply passed along from generation to generation.

Between the ages of four and ten years old when I was watching these Disney movies, I had no concept of the portrayal of characters in the movies and how stereotypical they were; I only knew that they ended happily. The storyline in most of the movies were about finding true love and meeting their prince charming. In order to obtain that goal, the main character had to change something about themselves in terms of physical appearance. For example, Cinderella was transformed by wearing elegant attire for the ball and Ariel changed from a mermaid into a human to marry her prince in The Little Mermaid. Even when I used to play with the princess Barbies when I was younger, there were always two outfits, the one prior to the transformation and the elegant ball gown. As Christensen would say, these characters “win because of their beauty and their fashionable attire.”

However, in the movie Brave (2012), Disney aims to challenge these stereotypes of princesses. The character of Merida portrays an unconventional role throughout the movie in sharp contrast to the classic Disney movies. Although Merida is classified as a princess, she rejects all of the social princess norms. She takes on a role of an independent character as she refuses to take the hand of any suitors, she tugs and pulls at the gown that her mother makes her wear for the suitors calling, and she does not accept the suitor’s pleads, but rather challenges them to a game in archery for her own hand in marriage. All the while, her mother is repeatedly reminding her that “A princess is cautious, clean, on time, strives for perfection, should not have weapons, etc.” Her fairy tale still ends in a happily ever after, but on her terms. There is no prince charming involved in this tale. In this tale, she is her own hero. Changes in Merida are emotional changes rather than an altercation of physical appearance.

Although these changes are central to the main character, it is important to analyze the other supporting characters in the film. The suitors vary in shape and size, but all display the same amount of physical strength. King Fergus is heavyset demonstrating his dominance and strength, while Merida and her mother are more petite. One particular instance is when Merida is squeezed into her dress to demonstrate her femininity. Although the shifts in the central theme and protagonist have changed in this particular Disney movie, some commonalities in stereotypes were portrayed. When evaluating this film, I found a particular divide among both the traditional memories of princess culture and the oppositional view, with most of the film challenging my memories of the typical princess culture.