Is Disney princess culture bad for our kids?

Recently, a study was released about the impact of Disney movies and merchandise on children. This is far from a new discussion. Citing the lyrics from one of my all-time favorite movies, Beauty and the Beast, "It's a tale as old as time." (And yes, I am ashamed to admit I love that movie).

This latest study focused specifically on the Disney princess phenomenon which has reached epidemic levels. It seems little girls everywhere want princess themed birthday parties, clothes, wands, and crowns. Even children with parents who carefully monitor media exposure are caught up in the frenzy. And honestly, who can blame them.

The study, conducted by Sarah Coyne, PhD, an associate professor of family life at Brigham Young University, involved 198 preschoolers and assessed how much they interacted with the Disney Princess culture (such as watching movies or playing with toys). The assessments of princess engagement and gender-stereotypical behavior were based on reports from parents and teachers and an interactive task where the children would sort and rank their favorite toys from a varied collection of "girl" toys (dolls, tea sets), "boy" toys (action figures, tool sets) and gender-neutral options (puzzles, paint).

"I think parents believe the Disney Princess culture is safe. That's the word I hear time and time again—it's 'safe,'" Coyne said. "But if we're fully jumping in here and really embracing it, parents should really consider the long-term impact."

The researchers found that 96 percent of girls and 87 percent of boys had viewed Disney Princess media. And while more than 61 percent of girls played with princess toys at least once a week, only four percent of boys did the same.

In addition to recording the types of toys the children preferred playing with, Coyne studied their behaviors, how they treated others, and how they felt about their bodies.

Among girls, higher princess engagement was associated with stronger adherence to stereotypically feminine behavior. These girls were more likely to gravitate toward "girly" things, Coyne said. They wanted to play dress-up. They embraced frills. Most of their toys could be found in the "girls" aisle.

While none of this is new to parents of girls, what is surprising in the impact the Disney princess culture has on boys.

The boys in the study who engaged with Disney princess media had better body esteem and exhibited more pro-social behaviors. These beneficial effects may suggest that princesses provide a needed counterbalance to the hyper-masculine superhero media that's traditionally presented to boys.

Perhaps the most interesting outcome was that neither gender showed signs of lower self-esteem or negative body image as one might expect from children immersed in the princess culture.

Researchers concluded that preschoolers generally do not feel self-conscious about their appearance.

"We know that girls who strongly adhere to female gender stereotypes feel like they can't do some things," Coyne said. "They're not as confident that they can do well in math and science. They don't like getting dirty, so they're less likely to try and experiment with things."

For this reason and others, Coyne wants to interview the same group of children in five years to see if there are any lasting effects both positive and negative.

For several reasons, I caution you to be very careful about drawing too many conclusions or changing your parenting behaviors based on this study. The sample was far too small, involving only 198 preschoolers. Additionally, the study was geographically, culturally, and ethnically limited with 87 percent of participants being white, 10 percent described as Hispanic, and three percent was "other."

What we do know, is that exposing our children to as many diverse experiences as possible and allowing them to explore all types of activities is best. If you see your children are absorbed in any one activity for too long, get them involved in a new adventure.

And please, don't discourage your children from pretending they are princesses or super-heroes, rock-stars, or sports legends. After all, engaging in fantasy play is one of the pleasures of being a kid. We shouldn't over-think and over-analyze it. Just let them make-pretend and enjoy.

If you're interested in learning more about this topic, you can start with these sources:

Fairytale Dreams: Disney Princesses' Effect on Young Girls' Self-Images

The unexpected way Disney princesses affect little boys

Little girls or little women? The Disney princess effect

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