Nostalgia In Ever-Popular Princess Movies

Authors James Poniewozik and Peggy Orenstein are both concerned with the increase of princess culture among young girls. Poniewozik’s article “The Princess Paradox” and Orenstein's article “Cinderella and Princess Culture” discuss similar aspects of princess culture that could be potentially harmful to it’s audience. Both Poniewozik and Orenstein take on a feminist perspective in their articles. Specifically, both authors discuss feminist themes in princess culture but Orenstein focuses on toddler to pre-teen aged girls while Poniewozik is more concerned with specifically teenagers.

Little girls love everything about princesses: the beautiful doll replicas, the romantic love storybooks and movies, and the glittering play clothes that come with authentic-looking accessories and adornments. But some believe that letting little girls fantasize and indulge in their princess obsessions may bring more than pink sparkles into their lives. When Peggy Orenstein’s three-year-old daughter entered the “princess phase”, Orenstein became increasingly frustrated and concerned. As a feminist, she worried about the negative and damaging effects the princess obsession would have on her daughter’s self-esteem. In her article, “Cinderella and Princess Culture”, Orenstein openly makes the case that loving princesses may not be so harmless.

Typically before feminism rose in America, girls grow up wanting to be a royal princess and one day hope prince charming comes and sweeps her off her feet and save her from her troubles. In early Disney films, the traditional fairy tale has been shown in most predictable endings. Typically the princess needs to be saved by a prince and sometimes gives something up just to be in love with a man she barely knows. This is where the saying love at first sight may come into play. Young girls who idolize these early Disney princesses are convinced the first guy who comes along will be their prince charming.

Disney Princesses are known to be depending on their Prince Charming for happiness. As years pass by, Princesses today are more independent and don’t need a Prince Charming in their lives. This idea affects children who feel inspired by these Fairy Tales. In the article, Cinderella, by Bruno Bettelheim, he states, “It gives the child confidence that the same will be true to him.” This makes children think that they will have a similar life as them. Disney Princesses have changed overtime since the 1930s. In this essay, I will give examples of Disney Princesses and how they have changed from dependent to independent in the movie industry.

Many girls dream of their knight in shining armor, a perfect wedding, and a “happily ever after” life. Disney princesses give them hope to find love and happiness, along with emphasizing their want for the beauty and grace princesses represent. Authors of “Cinderella and Princess Culture” and “The Princess Paradox,” Peggy Orenstein and James Poniewozik, respectively, agree most girls adore princesses. However, these articles convey differing parental opinions about lessons exhibited from princesses and the unfavorable effects on young girls. Orenstein describes her negative views of princesses through experiences with her daughter and the marketing knowledge of Disney executive, Andy Mooney. Conversely, Poniewozik recounts the changes in princess culture with examples of modern princess movies to depict positive lessons princesses communicate. Both authors find importance in business models, feminism, and future aspirations of young,

Growing up, I remember watching Disney movies all of the time and wanting to be one of the princesses. Still that I am older seeing princesses movies I still feel like a little girl all over again. When Disney first started to create the princess, Disney made the princess helpless and in need to be rescued by a prince charming. Disney is changing the way the princesses’ characteristics by making them stronger and brave. Although many parents believe that Disney should not be changing the gender roles of the princess.

Disney has been a household name since the late 1930s, which marked the cinematic release of the film, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarves’ (History Channel, 2014). With the 2013 release of Frozen, the Disney Princess range has become the most profitable Disney franchise, grossing over $5 billion worldwide (Sheridan, 2014). This report aims to identify the similarities and differences between Disney 's versions of princess-centric tales and their popular counterparts through critical analysis and comparison of their content, tone and style.

Perfection is not the lesson learned from Disney Princesses, but rather the beauty within oneself. Stephanie Hanes argues in her article that Disney princesses have a negative impact on children; she explains she got the idea when she saw her daughter becoming “less imaginative, less spunky, less interested in the world” after seeing the Disney princesses movies (Hanes 1). Hanes further points out that little girls that watch the princess movies “experience the fantasy and imagination provided by these stories” as a typical part of their childhood maturation (Hanes 3). I believe Stephanie Hanes was incorrect on the lessons young girls take from Disney movies, because there is so much more to them then their body image. For example, Cinderella

What young girl does not dream of becoming a princess and living in a castle happily ever after? Virtually every young girl identifies with princesses and has watched at least one Disney Princess movie. From the first movies of Snow White and Cinderella, to the later movies of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, to the most current movie Moana, Disney Princess movies permeate not only the movie theaters, but also our culture. In fact, “becoming a princess is as easy as purchasing a tiara and hosting a princess-themed birthday party or buying a Halloween costume and playing pretend” (Garabedian, 2014, p. 23). Nonetheless, as declared by Princess Merida in the movie Brave, “there comes a day when I don’t have to be a princess. No rules, no expectations. A day where anything can happen. A day where I can change my fate” (Andrews & Chapman, 2012). In other words, does the life of a princess measure up to the expectations of little girls everywhere? The Disney Princess brand has grown incredibly popular, especially with young girls. In spite of this, the franchise has also become extremely controversial due to potential gender stereotypes in the films. “Gender is one of the most discussed topics in today’s society…[it] represents and also reproduces certain attributes, expectations and roles which are associated with male and female…influencing the views and opinions of future generations” (Maity, 2014, p. 31). Yet, is the Disney Princess brand harmful to young children due to gender stereotypes? Two essays that contemplate the Disney Princess brand and gender stereotypes with opposite viewpoints on this controversial issue are “Girls on Film: The Real Problem with the Disney Princess Brand” by writer Monika Bartyzel and “In Defense of Princess Culture” by writer and mother Crystal Liechty. However, Liechty’s essay “In Defense of Princess Culture,” is the most effective article in convincing the audience of her point of view due to the claim, support, warrant, language, and vocabulary employed.

There are some concerns with body-esteem in young girls. As the princesses are showed pretty, slim, and with a small waist. Researchers talked to both parents and children to assess what types of influences exposure to princess culture may have. They did find a link between young girls watching more princess media, identifying with princesses, and playing with princess toys over a year, and higher levels of female gender stereotypical behavior, but could not link it with self-esteem (SNS, Pg.1). Princess exposure was not associated with poor body image in girls, however in was affecting the boys. They identified with the various dashing young male leads. As my brother did not identify with the various roles of princes, he was more the cars, dirt bikes, and dump trucks type of boy. He would make me play his kind of games instead of playing princesses with me.

On November 3, I attended the Moana Artists Tour held in White Hall. This tour sends artists who worked on the newest Disney Animation film, Moana, to colleges to explain the process of making the film. The artist who visited Emory was Neysa Bové, the costume designer for the film. She talked to us about how the film was made and how she came up with the costume designs. She also showed us exclusive clips from the film that had not yet been shown to the public. After her presentation, she held a question and answer session with audience.

In the films Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke, by director Hayao Miyazaki, there are many references to times that took place before the events that occur in the stories. Certain historical events can be seen to have affected the way in which Miyazaki handles events of the past concerning nostalgia. The way in which he presents technological concepts can represent his feelings towards history and how it should impact the present. These views on nostalgia often contrast with the way in which American animation typically views the events of the past.

Research has been conducted to understand the motives of this nostalgic response to certain objects and experiences, a study by Holak and Havlena (1992) tries to identify the most recurrent motives in nostalgia, through the

In modern English, the meaning of nostalgia is the sentimentality for the past. According to Oxford University Press, the word originated from two Greek words, nóstos, meaning homecoming and álgos, meaning ache. Nonetheless, by the early 20th century, the word nostalgia means “longing for the past”, especially the “good old days” from one’s earlier life. The globalized world today made such old memories even more precious. Numerous literature showed that music and photographs are good stimuli for nostalgia and people often feel emotionally consoled upon such experience. Therefore, incorporating the nostalgia genre into films might be one reason for the success of the Singapore film, That Girl in Pinafore by Chia Yee Wei, which grossed an estimated

One might underestimate the influence of what we used to watch on TV as a child. The Disney company has produced hundreds of princess movies for families. Those Disney princess movies have influenced not only America but worldwide. They keep a memorable image in people’s childhood, in which they give children an expectation and fantasy for future possibilities meanwhile practicing children’s logical thinking. These movies also correct many stereotypes for woman in the fairy tales, in which princesses show the audiences woman’s desire of freedom, brave and peace. What is shown in those films are fundamental qualities such is friendship, love, peace and creativity that enriches children’s spiritual world. It is these characteristics that help people to dream forward.