Document Type
Paper
Abstract
Disney's animated characters, songs, story themes and trinkets are true cultural icons, venerated across the world by staunch believers, adults as well as children, who live in massive urban centers and in tiny rural hamlets (Faherty 1). For some, the Disney princess is the princess of all princesses (Do Rozario 34). As Bruce asserts, since the 1937 premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney's princesses have become a directing force of young American girls culture (Princesses 7). Before determining whether this force is positive or negative, one must ask: does the portrayal of princesses in Disney movies affect girls perceptions of gender and gender roles? To answer this question, one can turn to current research in the field of media communication. Despite differing opinions and findings, most researchers agree that some Disney princesses end up sending mixed messages in regards to gender while others are considered old-fashioned. Bruce points out that as it has been fifteen or more years since the wave of criticism [on Disney princesses] hit its greatest height, it is now worth exploring the question again (Princesses 8), especially with the newest wave of Disney princesses.
Department(s)
Communication Studies
Date Accepted/Awarded
3-2015
Award/Distinction
Library Research Prize Honorable Mention
First Advisor/Reader
Sochay, Scott
Recommended Citation
Graham, Gina, "A 21st Century Fairy Tale: Disney Princesses and Perceptions of Gender" (2015). Library Research Prize Student Works. 19.
https://spark.bethel.edu/library-research-prize-work/19
Reflection essay on the library research process
Terms of Use and License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Included in
Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Mass Communication Commons