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As a preschool teacher I dreadedValentine's Day. For me, the hearts and parties were not the problem-my dread was because my teaching team implemented a thematic unit on fairy tales.I enjoy fairy tales to a point,but these idealized happily-ever-after stories have become a mainstay of our contemporary culture; princesses have become seemingly ubiquitous. Disney regularly generates new princesses and launches gigantic marketing campaigns, so it is nearly impossible to walk down a toy aisle, browse children's movies, or shop for girls' clothes without encountering a plethora of pretty princesses. Nearly every day, at least one of our little girls came to school with princess-themed clothing, a blanket, books, or pretty pink princess toys. I have grown tired of the Disney princesses who appear to be everywhere I look; I am saturated with the princess motif.
Princesses are typically characterized as young and beautiful; they have fancy dresses and pretty crowns. These princesses are praised, hated, and possessed for their beauty. They are not characterized as intelligent or able to act with power and autonomy.If you recall the Disney princesses from childhood, they are cursed, abandoned, controlled, and saved by others; their intelligence and capabilities are negligible.
Adding to this princess obsession, the Pinkalicious books have become popular with young children. In the Pinkalicious series, the main character, an obnoxious and narcissistic little "princess," is obsessed with girlie colors (a palette of pastels), eats girlie foods (cupcakes and candies in an array of these pastels), throws tantrums, bosses adults, ignites conflict with her brother, and engages in stereotypically girlie activities such as tea parties and dress-up (in princess clothes). As a teacher, I began to question whether the characterization of little girls in this popular series was positive-and if parents and teachers should perpetuate it. There were no other images of girls represented in these texts. The main character did not foster friendship with other children, negotiate compromise with parents, or seek peaceful resolutions with her brother. Rather, she was an unreasonable and unyielding frilly-pink-clad tyrant. I recommend exploring http://thinkpinkalicious.com to gain a sense of the girlie-girl narcissism privileged in this series -Pinkalicious is as healthy for children as an artificial pink cupcake.
I am not the only individual who is concerned with the influence...