I was reading a blog post I found at a friends blog that really bothered me. (See her post here: http://www.phdinparenting.com/2010/03/09/all-i-think-about-is-princesses/ )
I take huge issue with this post. Let me preface this with a few things. 1) I am NOT a feminist, however, I would not say I take the role of a traditional woman either. Currently I work full time so my husband can focus on school. We split the chores, with him often doing dishes and laundry while I work in the yard. 2) I have see EVERY DISNEY PRINCESS MOVIE many times. 3. I am not a mom, so perhaps I will change my mind when I have kids and reserve the right to do so. 3) I strongly believe in gender roles. Being a woman is part of who I am, and in the "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" it talks about how beautiful and special our gender roles are. That being said, I don't think that women should be seen as prizes or men loved for thier money, I'm just saying that we need to recognize that as men an women we are different and not try to ignore that fact.
I feel like some of the people fighting Disney so hard about thier horrible stereotypes have not done their research. To prove my point I plan on walking you through the "Major" Disney Princesses.
1. Snow White - Alright, I will give you the fact that she is a princess through and through. Dainty, soft spoken, and kind. I dont' know about you, but those aren't necessarily bad traits...and everyone has a personality, that just happens to be hers. She is also a hard worker. When she is forced to flee from her evil stepmother (who by the way is also a woman!!!) she doesn't just mope about it, she finds a place to live and does her best to earn her keep. Yes, she is cooking and cleaning, but more importantly she is recognizing a need and fillign it. I hope my girls have that skill. Her only major fault is trusting a stranger, and it turns out terrible, but that is another lesson I want my girls to learn, so in this case I think it carries a strong message. The happily ever after is the end of the story, not the journey itself.
2. Ariel - Okay, I'll give you this one, she is terrible. As far as princesses go she is the worst. Disobedient, disrespectful, and defiant. She makes a deal with the devil and it works out in the end for her anyway. She is NOT a good role model for little girls, and I hope my daughter does not fall in love with her. That's one for the bad examples, however, she is STILL not portraying the lazy girl who doesn't want to do anything. She doesn't let life happen to her or want to marry a prince. Instead she falls in love with a guy, without knowing who he was. She makes things happen, rather than waiting for them to happen for her. Even though I do not like her, she is still not the "stereotypical" pretty face-empty headed princess.
3. Belle - Possibly the best princess of all time. Belle is smart, driven, and caring. She loves her father and does everything she knows how to protect him. She sees beyond images to the person underneath and finds what really matters. I want my daughters to emulate her. Good things happen to her because she is a good person who works hard and is kind and loving. She even makes the right choices in tough situations. She never sits at home to be rescued, but does the rescuing herself. She is so far from the "princess" stereotype I don't she should even be included.
5. Cinderella - She is the hardest worker I know. And she is EXTREMELY respectful. She is kind to her step-sisters and step mother, even when they torture her. She leaves the prince not wanting marriage, but humming about love. She did not even know he was the prince! She was only looking for happiness, and the message is that her happy ending comes from her being a good person, not wanting to marry a prince.
4. Sleeping Beauty - Yes, she is a princess, and yes she is my favorite, but that is besides the point. She is raised to work and help out around the house, not even knowing she was a princess. In fact, when she learns she is supposed to marry a prince, she is mortified, because it is not what she wanted. She wanted to marry for love, not riches. It is only due to sheer luck that the prince and her love were one in the same, otherwise it would not have happened. Again, a message and example I want my girls to follow: Love and hapiness are one in the same, not love and wealth/royalty.
5. Jasmine - Again, she is a princess to start, but a strong and independent one. She tries to run away from being forced to marry for riches or title. She takes life by her own hands and refuses to be forced into anything. Clearly she is not looking at image, but a person who makes her happy.
6. Tiana - Anyone who actually watched this adorable movie would never even bucket her in the "princess" category. She is one of the hardest working characters ever displayed. Her prince is shown as selfish, and is the one who needs to change before things work. When he is a selfish prince she is not interested. It boils down them falling in love while they work hard to overcome a difficult situation. She was happy with him as a frog....a FROG!!! Clearly they both learned to see past images! Another great example for girls.
Okay, so perhaps this not the best writing, but I think the argument above is solid. So based on these examples, here is my conclusion. This is not mean to be a personal attack, rather a comment in general. If you have a little girl who is obsessed with being a princess based on disney's empire, and she thinks being beautiful and marrying rich are the only things that matter, it is not disney teaching this message. It is lack of parenting. Disney has provided some great learning opportunities here for us to teach children about what is really important. If children walk away from these movies thinking that the gender roles of being "beautiful and finding a rich guy to marry" are what these movies are about, then perhaps it is the parents who are not teaching because that is certainly not the message of these films.....
So there you have it....what are your thoughts on gender roles as portrayed by Disney.
All in all I do like the cut, it's just very short for me. I'm not sure I'll ever have the patience to do this again, but I'm glad I did it at least one time. Anyway, here's a picture of my new short hair! So now the question is, do you like it short better than long on me? I'm still deciding......
She did do an excellent job of licking it evenly! (For those who cannot tell, that is an ice cream cone!)
Wreath for the Front Door! (is the bow too big? I can't decide...)
We had a fabulous Christmas this year! Shelly, Chase, and Cami were in town and we spent tons of time with the family. Normally I'm better at picture taking, but this year we got a new video camera as our gift so this is the only picture I have from Christmas Eve and Christmas day of us! We also got some great new games. Nate got me Risk 2010 and was gracious enough to play it with me! Our favorite gift by far was Monopoly Deal. We got two decks and we have been systematically trying to hook all of our friends on this game, and I think it's working. Anyway , wish I had more, but maybe Nate will help me put some of the videos up....
