- REFLECTION: Write about your personal connections to this text. What does it make you think about? How does it relate to you? Be sure to draw directly from the text so that the author’s themes and issues are clear.
"I have never seen a study proving that playing princess specifically damages girls' self-esteem or dampens other aspirations. And trust me, I've looked. There is, however, ample evidence that the more mainstream media girls consume, the more importance they place on being pretty and sexy" (Orenstein 18).
It is more than apparent that there is a massive con job going on here, yet masked through this brilliant idea: that idea summed up,"we are only giving the children what they want versus we are by no means coercing them with vast amounts of advertisements," (sarcasm of course). Through these mainstream forms of media this secret education is sold through Disney Princess movies and the business flourished through mass production of these gendered products being sold, as well as the concepts and coercion being sold and projected towards and upon young females about what "ideal beauty" is and mass production/consumption of these Princess products. Capitalism and patriarchal social organizations could be blamed for young girls issues with body image, self-esteem, eating disorders, and suicide.
Although you cannot blame the companies for conspiring and brainwashing due to there conning ways munipulating parents and children there has to be a line drawn somewhere. As Orenstein mentions in the chapter there is a fine like between what we want as young kids and what we are secretly coerced to want. Not only are we fed to be and act and follow the roles of "Disney Princesses" but we are also coerced and subjected as well as victims of this massive con job. The stereotypical roles of princesses I mean come on now this is not a difficult thing to understand as adults and I bet without even listing them you have already thought about how you thought you had to be or act as a young girl in the blink of an eye! Like you know the graceful, soft-spoken, submissive, clean, pure, sweet, weightless, perfect body shape, loving, dainty, beautiful facial features, quiet, girly voice, virginil and husband ready? Yeah not surprising, I bet you could not dis-agree with these roles that you thought as a child were your definite future. Even if you felt different or you felt as if this did not fit who you were as a person you still felt that you had to do this because it was what you were supposed to do. Right? Even our parents are and were brainwashed into believing that as a girl, as their daughter you want princess barbies, or covers for your new bed, and don't forget you must have all of the princess movies. Daddy always calls you his little princess and plans out a that future princess wedding for you before you even come out the womb hoping you'll find the perfect prince and have the perfect family. Not to mention that as a princess you must fufill those princess roles, right? Like those I had listed earlier, but by no means could you step out of line.
Also do not forget the new and improved princess aka supergirl you must also be successful and strive for the riches while also being the perfect princess and by perfect I mean, fulfilling all of those princess roles, you know having that ideal beauty which consists of unattainable expectations, the perfect body, skin tone, weight, not a scar or blemish on that smooth skin of yours... BY NO MEANS CAN WE EVER BE HUMAN BEINGS PEOPLE!!! DONT YOU GET THIS?! ha. The systems and frameworks that place these expectations, oppression, and manipulation upon us and the pressures we face as females on a day to day are far to insidious. They continue and have been used against us for a very long time and they continue to get stronger this will stop is from ever achieving are well deserved prosperity and fulfillment in life and as living breathing human beings. As of right now we are the walking dead.... we have no say when it comes to large/massive change... but through our voices and resistance I hope that one day we can dismantle the machine!
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