A new study is showing that “princess culture” may not be as toxic as some thought it was. Disney is known for its princess stories, and children grab onto these stories and they adore them. They dress up at Halloween as their favorite princess, and they play dress-up on any given day. They can even act much like the princesses they see in a lot of the Disney classics, waiting for a prince to come and “save them.” While this was thought of as sweet, there are some who may be worried that this is “toxic” and harmful for a little girl’s development.
According to BYU, a new study is showing that this culture may not be as dangerous or damaging as parent’s first thought, and this may be comforting news to a mom whose child cannot get enough of Snow White and Cinderella.
The study was posted in the Child Development journal, and it can be read in full here. This was the longest study that was done on the impact of princess media on customers and it was led by Professor Sarah Coyne.
The study found that children who are more engaged with princess culture tended to hold more progressive views about women in the future and had less hegemonic masculinity.
Sarah stated that if we look deeper into princess culture, there are some strong messages about being a woman and relationships and that there is more to the stories than just a damsel in distress who is waiting for a man to come and save her, common problem parents may have with princesses and the idea of fairy tales. However, the researchers wanted to say that their study did find that it may have a negative impact on a child in elementary school, but as they age there are some long-term positives that seem to be more important.
The study involved 30 children and their parents, and they were asked questions during their preschool years and then five years later. It found that children who were more engaged in princess culture in their preschool years had more progressive attitudes about women when they entered early adolescence. Sarah said that the positives to take away from princess stories is that the princess is often the lead character and they are seen following their dreams (whatever they are), helping those around them, and becoming their own adult. That these stories tell children that they can achieve anything in life.