The (de)Evolution of the Disney Princess

Abstract

The Disney Princess franchise does a remarkable job of asking girls to picture themselves as princesses, reinforcing the question: What else would a little girl want to be? The reality of this Disney fantasy is one of gendering young girls to embody a social construction of hyper-femininity through misguided film representations and princess play toys. This research looks at media influences on girlhood through a close reading of the Disney princess. I argue that Disney has focused less and less on the genuine qualities and faithful morality of their princesses, and instead, on the prince-princess dichotomy of finding true love.