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The Evolution of Disney Princesses

Writer's picture: Emma HammackEmma Hammack

Emma Hammack 3/2/23


If you ask any woman “have you ever seen a Disney princess movie?” they will almost certainly say yes. Personally I grew up watching Disney princess movies and I would play princesses at recess with my friends. As I have gotten older I have been rewatching these movies. I have noticed a change in Disney princesses movies I find comforting. However the beginning of the Disney Princess movies were objectively not great movies for young girls to watch now.

Women's representation in film is especially important in pop culture film adaptations like Star Wars, Superhero films and Disney movies since those are the genres children absorb the most.

The main source of female representation I got was from Disney princess movies but the prince was the one saving the princess and the princesses were the ones singing songs waiting for the prince to save them. Did this mean I needed a man to come and save me whenever I was in trouble? Was I not capable of doing things on my own and being independent? I wasn’t thinking this deeply as a six year old obviously, but at young ages children learn by observing and this manifested itself later in my teens when I thought I needed to wait on men and needed male validation.

Disney had three periods of Disney Princess movies the first being Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty; the second one includes The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Mulan; the most recent era includes The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Brave, Frozen and Moana, etc.

In the first period of Disney princess movies the message I gathered was just wait for your prince and everything will be happily ever after, very simple, but not as great of a message as most would think. Waiting for a prince is not teaching girls about independence, self validation and self love.

The second period of Disney Princess movies includes more of a message of some independence, valuing education and adventure. Personally this era gave me my favorite Disney movies before the more modern day ones came out. I loved Beauty and Beast because Belle liked to read and didn't care what the villagers said about her, but of course the living embodiment of misogyny wants to marry her for her looks alone. Mulan was strong, but she did have to pretend to be a man for it to be believable sadly. Jasmine wanted to see the world, but her father kept her in the palace and an old man tried to force Jasmine to marry him. This era was tainted with misogyny, since the princesses wanted to read, travel and be strong but it was men holding them back.

Lastly, the newer more modern Disney princess era sends messages I wish I had when I was a kid. Princess and Frog has the classic happily ever after ending, but at the beginning of the movie we see Tiana working and saving for her own restaurant and she fulfills that dream of her career, her business in the end, not to mention she was the first black disney princess. Frozen demonstrates how non-romantic love is just as important as romantic love, the sisterly bond and independence. Else becomes Queen without a man at her, instead her sister. Moana gets to go on an adventure and saves her people with Maui’s help. The princess’s accomplishments are at the heart of these movies and are the representation children need.

Representation affects kids' self esteem and confidence, so a little girl watching Sleeping Beauty when a man comes to save her and she sings about how grateful she is for him saving her is not something I would want my daughter to think is right and the only way to be loved or validated.

Positive media representation can be helpful in increasing self esteem in youth and especially youth in marginalized groups. As well as reducing stereotypes and giving people, women in my focus validation, which is why women need to be shown in better roles in film. Women in film become role models for young people, so the correct representation is needed and matters for young girls and boys.


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