I'm tired of the "Disney Princess" stuff my daughter keeps getting

[Bill McBlueState]

My mother-in-law keeps buying my daughter toys from the "Disney Princesses" line. They all feature three princesses from Disney movies -- I don't know who they are, a blond one, a mermaid, and another one I can't remember. For example, she has a set of lego-like blocks that feature plastic figurines of these princesses.

There should be alternative versions with better role models for little girls who want to grow up to be something other than a princess. (I hear there aren't many job openings for princesses, even if the benefits are good.) If there were lego sets with little plastic figurines of say, Rachel Maddow, Tina Fey, and Janeane Garofalo, I think that would be better for little girls.

Who's with me?

[Shell Beau]

1. Those aren't likely to sell. Lots of little girls want to be princesses.

:shrug:

[Bill McBlueState]

3. I'm not sure mine does

I've never seen a princess with a giant orange circle around her mouth after she has spaghetti for lunch, but I *have* seen professional scientists do that. ...if that's any indication of her career goals.

[Shell Beau]

7. It is all fairy tales. Imagination! Maybe they should have a broader range

of what the princesses look like.

[Bill McBlueState]

11. I know, I know

And she's only 22 months, so she doesn't really care what her dolls look like. I just think it would be fun for her to have more than princesses.

[AlCzervik]

14. Did you ever read Grimm's fairy tales?

my daughter got a copy a few years ago and she read them and then we discussed how Disney changed the stories, it was pretty funny and Cinderella, man that was bloody.

[skygazer]

9. Why do little girls want to be princesses?

Because princesses are shoved down their throats from the time they're tiny. Toys, movies, television, clothing - princess crap everywhere. And they're horrible role models - women who sit around in their beauty waiting for a handsome prince to come rescue them. :puke:

And no, I don't think anyone who buys princess stuff for their daughter is a horrible person but I do think it's pretty discouraging that even now, there are very few positive, strong, independent role models for little girls.

[keroro gunsou]

37. this is the princess all girls should emulate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Knight

never mind the backstory and the genderbending, this is one princess that ain't waiting for her prince, she's hunting him down.... and saving her kingdom at the same time.

[Steerpike]

2. My Daughter loves all that stuff too

At least they have a Jasmine Princess...so she can have a Princess that looks like her...

[surrealAmerican]

4. Yeah, it's vapid stuff, but it probably won't harm your child.

Just wait until grandma buys your kid the movies. How old is the child? What does SHE like to play with?

[Aristus]

5. My two nieces are deluged with Disney princess stuff. I think they'll be all right.

First of all, my sister is a teacher who will insist that they get a progressive, useful education. Second, they are both blindingly bright girls who will put aside childish things when they get older. Right now, they're little girls who love pretending to be princesses. If my sister is cool with that, so am I.

[AlCzervik]

6. my daughter had some princess crapola from Disney, a few dolls that she took the heads off of.

she was and still is a lego girl and muppet fan. A few princess things won't ruin her life or set unreasonable expectations.

[redqueen]

8. Yep... you can give a kid whatever you want...

but they'll only play with what they like.

And most who are crazy about the princess stuff grow out of it pretty quickly.

[AlCzervik]

10. cardboard boxes, pretty much the best thing ever.

one day me and my neighbor got new appliances, it was freaking awesome.

[redqueen]

21. Hell yes...

imagination! Can't beat it. I regularly bring home the huge boxes from work, and they play with them till they fall apart. :D

[tabbycat31]

22. boxes are THE best toys

I remember when my parents got a new fridge, and my sister and I played with the box until it was destroyed.

[Kali]

46. boxes, dirt, and sticks

:thumbsup: add some water and they won't even come in for cookies.

[Arugula Latte]

16. I was going to say that ... My daughter was given some of that stuff,

but after a couple years of it she outgrew it and now detests the Disney princesses.

[DS1]

12. gawd

I have some customers in their twenties who still call themselves Princess so-n-so. :puke:

[Heidi]

13. Do they also talk in little girl voice when they want something from you?

:shudder: :cringe:

[DS1]

18. No

I'd refuse to talk to them if they did :D

[Heidi]

20. Thank you.

:yourock:

[Midlodemocrat]

17. I call myself Goddess.

[Lost in CT]

15. Considering the alternatives (Bratz and Barbie) Disney princesses are a good bet. nt

[lukasahero]

19. At least she's getting Legos

Legos are actually an engineering toy that encourages very basic engineering thought processes (something I bet your mother-in-law doesn't realize). Be glad she's not just getting the princess baby dolls (teaching her that what she really needs to learn is how to be a good mother).

[blueraven95]

23. I understand your point, but..

of all the crappy role models out there, the Disney Princesses seem not that bad. All three women (and I assume they are Cinderella, Ariel, from The Little Mermaid, and either Jasmine, from Aladdin, or Belle, from Beauty and the Beast) knew what they wanted and went after it, generally in a way that (mostly) wasn't cloying or helpless. In other words, they are heroines, unlike, for example Barbie, who is just a clothes horse. While not perfect, they are much more body image friendly than Barbie or Bratz, and generally more wholesome too.

Just a thought, anyway.



But it would be cool to have a Tina Fey doll, wouldn't it? :)

[WildEyedLiberal]

28. I agree - waaaaay worse stuff out there for girls

Granted, the fact that they're marketing them as "Disney Princesses" is pretty stupid, but the characters and movies themselves are pretty positive. I was a little kid when all those movies - The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin etc - were in theaters, and while I was a tomboy who never liked "girly" or "princess" crap, I enjoyed the heroines of those movies because they were spunky, headstrong girls. Especially Belle from Beauty and the Beast - she's the local bookworm who the rest of the town thinks is weird because she refuses to swoon over hunky villain Gaston. When she does fall in love, it's with a man who, as far as she knows, is a giant beast. She loves him for who he is, not because he's a rich and handsome prince. She's a great role model for little girls. Definitely a major step up from the swooning, sighing damsels in distress from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and all those old Disney movies.

[blueraven95]

36. now that I think about it

Cinderella and Belle aren't even princesses - at least not genetically. They marry into royal families, which makes them cooler. :-)

[keroro gunsou]

38. ariel and belle

the first two (as far as i know) disney ladies who kicked ass, took names, and rescued their gentlemen in distress. i'm sure there were others... but those two jump out first and foremost in my head.

lilo from lilo and stitch, not princess material, but could definately kick ass. it takes guts to stand up to the aliens she did, and patience to not toss stitch in the pacific.

[Scout]

24. only good princess i know of is "The Paper Bag Princess"

a storybook for children. Try to find it, it's very good.

[demmiblue]

50. A great book for boys and girls!

:yourock:

[RubyDuby in GA]

25. That right there is why I am eternally grateful that I have a son.

That and he is the most magnificent thing to ever happen to anyone ever...

p.s. For boys now, its all about Disney's Cars. Even the Pull-Ups have Cars on them, but that's not so bad. That movie cracks me up (every night when we watch it again for the umpteenth time).

[Marrah_G]

26. Probably Cinderella, Belle and Ariel

Nothing wrong with imagination and fantasy. Instead of taking away the fantasy part, just balance it out with your own knowledge of strong women.

[ScreamingMeemie]

27. I'm kind of a Disney girl, but I wouldn't a bajillion Cinderallas, Ariels and Sleeping Beauties

in my house. I'm in enough pain from stepping on BabyG's fleet of planes.

[Critters2]

29. All the little girls at church love this stuff, too. Some come to worship

dressed in princess dresses--with pics of the various princesses on 'em. I know it's all fantasy, imagination, etc. But it causes me internal cognitive dissonance, to be trying to teach equal opportunity, social justice stuff, when they're getting these messages about waiting for Prince Charming to find them before their lives begin.

Most of the girls in my congregation come from families who share my values, so I just have to trust they're doing things to counteract these messages.

[lizziegrace]

30. Lelapin grew up with the Disney princesses

her role models were Ariel (saved the Prince)and Belle (loved to read books and saw past the Beast's physical appearance). She liked Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, but she always gravitated to the ones who were strong and compassionate.

She'll be 22 on her next birthday and Rachel Maddow, Tina Fey and others are her heroes. :)

[Crabby Appleton]

31. I don't know, being a mermaid sounds pretty cool to me.

[NewJeffCT]

32. A lot of the Disney princesses are pretty good role-models

They're all smart young women, and women like Mulan, Belle and Ariel all take the lead in their respective stories by leaving home, Mulan and Belle to save their fathers and Ariel to find her prince.

As the father of a girl who turns 6 tomorrow (and who has moved on to fairies from Princesses) I think the Disney Princesses are better role models than Barbies and Bratz.

And, young girls have pretended to be princesses for decades now, Disney had just capitalized on the market the past 10 years by making official princess clothing - so, instead of a 4 year old putting on a dress and calling herself Cinderella, she can now put on an official Cinderella dress and call herself that.

[Kali]

33. So counteract it with some cars and lab sets.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

34. I played with matchbox cars and cardboard boxes and figurine horses.

Much more fun and open-ended than stupid Disney princesses.

Try seeing if she likes blocks or cars or stuffed animal-type things. As she gets older, she might well appreciate those--you can have a lot more open-ended fun with those than with some silly pink princess.

:)

[dropkickpa]

35. I am so happy Dropkid is more into animals

She was mildly interested in the princess crap for a very short time, but she's much happier with stuffed animals or her bike/scooter/soccer ball/bucket. She's never been into dolls, be they princess, baby, or barbie, thank carp. Give her a stuffet tiger, a bucket, and some dirt and she's in heaven.

[Justyce]

39. Little girls only get to believe they're really a princess

for such a short while, I say let her enjoy it. It's just another childhood fantasy like Santa. Soon enough she'll be a teenager dressing gothic, purple hair, a dozen face piercings, black clothes with skulls... so enjoy it while it lasts... :P

[amitten]

41. Exactly. Enjoy the kid stuff while you can, I say. If it's princess

stuff, big deal. It's just playtime.

[amitten]

40. Neither little girls nor little boys need for toys to be "role models"

IMHO. Toys are the stuff of playtime and pure fantasy.

I played with all kinds of crap when I was little, from stuffed animals to naked Barbies to Spiderman.

I don't think any of it was "role model" stuff for me. They were just my toys. :shrug:

The only role models that ever made a real impression on me were my own parents, which is true for most kids I think.

[Fire Walk With Me]

42. When every little girl (and boy) is the most important person in the land

we'll have achieved true equality.

[Fleshdancer]

43. I was soooo happy when my daughter moved out of her Disney Princess phase

Now it's Pokemon, Bakugan, Sailor Moon, and Princess TuTu. I'll take anime over Disney any day.

[Shell Beau]

44. I don't like anime for some reason!!

[Jamastiene]

45. I'm with you wholeheartedly.

I always hated girl toys when I was a little girl. They all involved either housework, changing diapers (i.e. Baby Alive), or beauty contestant/princess training.

Last time I checked, Jon Benet Ramsey is still dead (and still only remembered for her makeup and beauty pageants more than for her murder) and Sarah Palin is still NOT what I'd want any little girl of mine to grow up to be like.

[jobycom]

47. Disney was better when Eisner ran it. I tried to avoid toys like that when my daughter

was young. I bought her gender-neutral stuff like stuffed animals, and discouraged gifts from relatives. My in-laws made it their own private campaign to load her up with tea sets and "girly" stuff, but she refused to play with it. My younger daughter has fallen for it all. Princesses, Polly Pockets, Groovy Girls, the whole shebang.

Interestingly, but are strong-willed, independent, and not overly enslaved to gender stereotypes. The older one is better adjusted overall, whereas the younger one has trouble fitting in at school.

When Eisner ran Disney, they tried to correct the old Disney stereotypes. He released Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and Alladin, which showed young girls trying to escape the romantic stereotypes male-dominated society had for them, then he made Pocahontas and Mulan, which is almost a study in modern feminist thought, scaled down for kids. When Eisner lost control they made Mulan II and turned her into another cute princess.

The first thing people judge a child by is gender. They start forcing kids into prescribed stereotypical roles from birth, and then use the fact that kids fit these roles as proof that gender stereotypes are natural, rather than societal constructs. Fight the brainwashing as early as you can.

On the other hand, if your kid is already hooked on these things, don't try to take them away, or she will be drawn more to them. Offer counterpoints, and trust that over her lifetime she'll learn what you are teaching her.

[applegrove]

48. I hope you have the book "Paperbag Princess" by Robert Munsch.

Absolute must have for all princesses in dangers of not growing out of it.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

49. My daughter was all about Disney

. . . for way too long. She had the baby pink room with white trim and for two years, only wore stuff that was pink and lavender. She watched that mermaid EVERY.STINKIN'.DAY. She must have been given half a dozen mermaid dolls. Being from FL--land of fucking Disney--I've grown to despise the whole thing. Since the mermaid, all Disney heroines are basically the same damned person--all eyes and teeth, just different hair color. When did they get too cheap to innovate? All they do is recycle their same crap endlessly.

Once my sweet little thing started school, the hormones started to kick in. By second grade, she started figuring out who she was. She was sick to death of pink and to this day, refuses to wear any pastels or let someone call her a princess. She is a wonderfully unique and gnarly person.

Little girls go through an intense period of girlishness. I think we're hard-wired to do it at that young age, and society certainly encourages it. Luckily, it's short-lived and most grow out of the princess stage and become normal human beings. I would suggest since this bothers you, you might make a point of giving her things to spark other interests--art and science toys, whatever complements her strengths and interests. Praise her for things that reinforce brain power over beauty (but do tell her she's beautiful) and compliment women who have traits you admire (especially Mommy) so she figures out who the real role models should be. When she hits that teenage stretch where girls' self esteem plummets, she should have something to build on, if you've planted the right seeds.

In the meantime, enjoy your little princess. As a daddy, you may some day wish you could go back to this time, when you were her favorite Prince Charming and she didn't make you want to farm her out to convent school. :eyes: