tagged w/ Disney Princesses
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Someone took the liberty to snap a couple pictures of Disney star Selena Gomez in a bikini. The shots were taken on a Malibu beach during what appears to be a movie.Someone took the liberty to snap a couple pictures of Disney star Selena Gomez in a... more
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Is “princess” being redefined?
One of the compliments aimed at the new Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog, is that the heroine isn’t just a pretty face, but in fact an entrepreneur who wants to open her own restaurant and is uninterested in catching a man. This observation was made to me, for example, when I was interviewed for a story by CNN reporter Breenana Hare, who suggested that this new princess was making a break with the old princesses in more than one way.
I replied that this “new” kind of princess had been on the scene for a while. Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, according to imdb, was “a bookworm who dream[t] of life outside her provincial village,” not of a prince charming. That was 20 years ago. Both Pocohantas and Mulan were adventurous and brave. Most princesses, these days, are not perfect embodiments of femininity, they balance their femininity with a bit of masculinity. It’s ‘cess + sass as a rule.
But, to be fair, these princesses aren’t radical. They aren’t pushing the envelope of femininity. They are only reflecting the fact that ideal femininity in the West has changed such that the perfect woman now incorporates some masculine character traits. “Some” is the operative word here. Today’s ideal woman is still feminine, but she works, wears pants, and plays sports. She may even be a sports fan and drink beer. But she also preserves her femininity, especially those aspects of femininity that mark her as “for” a (just barely and totally benevolently of course) dominant male. She still doesn’t disagree too vigorously or laugh too loud. She marries a man who is slightly older, more educated, larger, taller, and makes a bit more money at his job that is just slightly higher prestige. And, no matter what, she looks, dresses, and moves in pretty, feminine ways. Barbie and the Three Musketeers is another, non-Disney example of this phenomenon:Is “princess” being redefined?
One of the compliments aimed at the new... more
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This diagram informs us how reliant Disney princesses are on men and their own sexuality. The commentator ends with Jasmine from Aladdin, made in 1992. Were the following female leads (Pocahontas, Mulan, e.g.) depicted in a different light?This diagram informs us how reliant Disney princesses are on men and their own... more
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