Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A 21st Century Fairy Tale: Disney Princesses And Perceptions Of Gender, Gina Graham

Library Research Prize Student Works

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 …