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When asked to retrospect to childhood, many will find that similar images and experiences are present in the vast majority of Americans. The major commonality? Disney movies. Often in grocery stores,  I witness little girls parade around the aisles in pink skirts and plastic tiaras where they reign as Princess of the Peanut butter aisle. The princess motif has been so normalized that when people pass, they smile and wave and ask the little girl: which princess is your favorite? (Hint, they aren’t referring to Kate Middleton.)

This little girl along with millions of children across the globe are parked in front of the TV or playing on a tablet for a large majority of their day. Studies show that on average, children aged 2-11 watch more than 24 hours of TV a week. What do parents put on for their children to watch? Disney movies and the Disney Channel. Recently, I conducted a survey of my own. I stood outside my local Kroger and asked the mothers who passed me to describe in one word what they thought or how they felt about Disney. The results included: safe, awesome, imaginative, colorful, fun, tradition, and original. Not once did someone say a negative word, and therein lies the problem. Disney has built its brand as wholesome family entertainment and this has become such a widely accepted truth, that any parent, without thinking, puts on Frozen while they make dinner.

However, underneath the “safe” facade, Disney is sending sexist and gendered messages to young princesses and princes around the globe, while their parents remain oblivious. As the first major source of media introduced to developing minds, these movies communicate how each gender fits within society, how they interact with each other and will shape the way that kids view themselves and where they fit within the social hierarchy. Gender is a key factor in shaping one’s own identity and will determine how young people interact with the world. Through Disney films, youth are exposed to harmful stereotypes of each gender that limit the roles they are able to see themselves in and reinforce traditional patriarchal values that paint the picture of a male dominated society.

The call for a new Disney princess needs to be made. A new princess who does not subscribe to stereotypical norms that force children to grow up in a clearly delineated box. A princess who does not need a prince to come and save her, a princess who is real, authentic, and can show little girls that women come in all different shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and sexualities.  A real role model that I would be proud to watch with my little girl one day. A princess who encourages her to be herself, even if she does not fit the stereotyped mold of feminine perfection.