Lets Talk Fairytales

Princess culture and superhero culture are two topics recently discussed in class and though I have been struggling to make up my mind about all this, I have decided that it is harmful and deceptive towards kids. When kids grow up playing with Barbie and G.I. Joe’s and fake guns and pretend makeup kits they are being heavily influenced by the subliminal messages they present. These boys for example are familiarizing themselves with the male body, but what they comprehend about it isn’t even realistic or accomplishable. They are being lead to believe that in order to be a hero or to standout they must be muscular and broad and chiseled beyond belief and they are only going to be let down when their fantasies don’t come true. The way the media and the toy industry depict men is harmful to the emotions, confidence, aspirations and future goals for the boys that are consuming it because they are being lead to believe unreasonable characteristics of the man they are supposed to become.

In regards to the princess culture and its effects on little girls, I also feel it to be harmful to their futures. I think that from experience, growing up with a friend who was obsessed with Barbie, I developed unrealistic expectations of my own body and appeal. I remember, as a kid thinking, how is Barbie so skinny? Why are her legs so long and thin? How can Barbie be so thin and have boobs? Why don’t the older girls I know have bodies like Barbie? And these, I believe, have contributed to the lack of confidence I have in my own body today. Even if I am complemented often about my physique, I still find flaws and expect more out of myself. Now, I am not saying every kid grows up thinking like me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a large percent of them do. The characteristics that a princess or Barbie posses are very influential on little girls and the way they act, and I find it unnecessary for a toddle to be glamorous, preppy, beautiful, well dressed, or covered in makeup and jewelry at such a young age. As kids, your supposed to get dirty, get cuts and scrapes, and only look presentable when your parents make you. When girls are young they should be exploring nature, and reading books and playing outside in jeans and a t-shirt, not worrying about their hair, or clothes, or getting a “boo-boo”. And I argue that if they do grow up in such a feminine culture that they are going to be less well-rounded women and struggle in the real world. I also think that they will struggle with body issues and money problems more than girls whose expectations are for it to be handed to them like a princess.