The Disney Dilemma

I know we talked about this last week, but I wanted to readdress the issue of major corporations such as Disney and the negative effects such companies can have on body image especially in young girls. I stumbled across this article recently (http://jezebel.com/5418010/do-disney-princesses-provide-thinspiration-for-little-girls) and found it extremely interesting. Some researchers asked a group of young girls ages 3-6 about what they would change about themselves, and while 40% of the children were described as "nonwhite," there was nevertheless a common answer among all the children that if one has white skin and blonde hair they would more closely resemble a princess. Not only does Disney create racial tensions through their predominantly white princess franchise, but also the outrageously thin waistline of each princess perpetuates negative body image issues that will plague the children as they grow up in this hypercritical society. The Disney princesses, like Barbie, give girls unrealistic expectations regarding what is beautiful and how their own bodies should look. Barbie and the princesses all have non-existent waists, thin and elongated limbs, large eyes, and oftentimes (especially in the case of Barbie) large busts. I personally am a bit torn when it comes to this topic because I realize now how perverse these images are (and extremely detrimental to young girls) and yet Disney is so deeply embedded within both society and my own childhood memories, that it is nevertheless sometimes hard to disassociate from the franchise and realize the true extent of damage it causes society daily.