POWER TO THE PRINCESS: DISNEY FIGHTS BACK
PRINCESSES have been getting a bad rap – so much so that Disney Australia is today launching a campaign to reinvent the term “princess”.
Once upon a time, children believed the Disney princess to be inspirational, a positive role model. Now the term now conjures up images of an overindulged spoilt brat.
New research by Disney Australia shows most children aged four to sixyears-old still love to dress up as their favourite character, such as Belle or Moana, and love to call themselves “princess”.
But by the time they hit 10 to 12, almost 50 per cent said they would be offended to be called a princess.
Parents admitted they used the term “princess” negatively when their kids were behaving badly.
“Across generations, Disney princesses have been portrayed as resilient, strong, optimistic and kind,” Disney Australia chief executive Kylie Watson-Wheeler said.
“We want to empower girls and boys to again embrace the inspiring qualities of princesses and admire the strong character traits of modern characters such as Anna (from Frozen), Belle and Moana.”