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Those who shunned animated tales likeCinderella,Snow White,Sleeping Beauty,The Little Mermaid,Beauty and the Beast, and more — thinking that the “damsel in distress” trope could negatively influence a girl’s sense of self-worth and shape boys' views of women as being in need of saving — might be surprised to hear that those immersed in the films at a young age managed to develop healthier views about gender roles.
A group of researchers from Bringham Young University and Linfield College conducted thestudy, examining “associations between engagement with princess culture during early childhood and gender stereotypes, body esteem, and adherence to hegemonic masculinity in early adolescence.”
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Walt Disney Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
“The results indicated that early engagement with princess culture was not associated with later adherence to female gender stereotypes,” the study stated. “However, princess engagement was associated with lower adherence to norms of hegemonic masculinity and higher body esteem.”
Participants in the study included 307 children who completed questionnaires in preschool (back in 2012 and 2013), and then again five years later. The participants were 51 percent female, 87 percent white, and the median age of participants was 4 years old.
Dr. Sarah Coyne, one of the authors of the study,told theWall Street Journalthat instead of showing negative body esteem and gender-stereotypical behavior, children who watched Disney princess movies and played with princess toys were more egalitarian and said they felt men should show more emotion.
The Princess and the Frog Disney Movie.Disney/Everett
“Princess culture gives women key story lines where they’re the protagonist,” she said.
Coyne and her co-authors also found that it didn’t matter what type of princess the children viewed for these outcomes.
She told theWall Street Journal, “You’d expect a girl who said her favorite princess was Mulan to be less gender-stereotyped than one whose favorite was Cinderella, but we didn’t find that.”
Walt Disney Animation Studios Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee told the outlet that the company strives to portray well-rounded characters, princess or not.
“At Disney Animation, we approach our stories with the goal of creating dimensional, relatable and engaging characters, whether they are female, male, dragon or snowperson,” Lee said.
source: people.com
