Cinderella And Princess Culture Summary

Peggy Orenstein, a feminist mother, wrote the article, “Cinderella and Princess Culture” stating the princess culture is ruining young girl’s minds. Orenstein developed the theory that the princess movement would cause negative effects to her daughter and all the young females in their later futures.

Orenstein asserts in her article by providing her perspective of being a parent whose daughter is being called princess and is treated like one wherever she goes. Orenstein is fed up with keeping quiet about the princess movement frustrating her that she loses her patience and lashes out on her daughter. Orenstein’s feminist views address her reinforcements that she sets upon her daughter. Orenstein is a witness to the struggles that young

females encounter in their daily lives. According to Orenstein, this princess movement is creating specific gender stereotypes because females are being predisposed to like pink things. Orenstein believes females get the idea that pink is their favorite color because “that’s what girls like” (Orenstein 326). Going along with her feminist views, Orenstein states how the princess movement is undermining a female’s well-being, both physically and mentally. Orenstein views the princess movement as anti-feminist because at a young age, females are discovering themselves and society emphasizes mainly on physical beauty. Orenstein believes society leads a female to think negatively about themselves, and this view that society places upon children can lead to depression and a negative self body image.
Orenstein is unsuccessful in supporting her claim because reading her article, it leaves an unsettling biased view.

Orenstein’s use of her own opinion overpowers the premise of the article. Orenstein proposes the question: What came first the Princess or the Product? Orenstein gathers all her information through the Disney Princess and information provided by former Nike executive, Andy Mooney. Orenstein believes the princess movement began when these nine female characters went public (328). Using James Poniewozik article, The Princess Paradox, as a lense to prove Orenstein's weak evidence, Poniewozik used princess movies as fulfilling the reoccurring theme of females having it all while still in a feministic way. Poniewozik keeps his claim the same throughout his article that the princess movement is quality for young females by using less facts and more opinion based evidence. At the beginning of Orenstein’s article, she stated how this movement is ruining the minds of young females however, in some instances Orenstein contradicted her beliefs. Orenstein begins stating factual evidence that disproves her theories, making her argument less valuable. Orenstein lacks the concept of proving how her beliefs could be

right.
Although Orenstein has some weaknesses that does not support her claim, she does fairly point out the pressure women feel within society.

Orenstein expresses that the princess culture can cause a lot of struggles within a young girl’s life. Orenstein provides evidence that states females often feel the pressure to be perfect, have good grades, be president of all the clubs, participate in sports, have enthusiastic personality traits, the idea of being thin and dressing well (329). These negative thoughts flood the female’s mind into thinking that there is no point in trying to succeed in these fields if they do not have the

qualities.
Orenstein calls the princess movement an anti-feminist movement. Though Orenstein’s opinion remains the same throughout her article, she never fails to contradict the point in which she was trying to make. For example, Orenstein being feminist looked at this moment through a negative lense but some way along the article she sees this movement as a sign of progress. Orenstein categorizes herself as a feminist mother. Being a feminist mother, Orenstein tends to care more about what she is saying putting her femininity before motherhood. For example, Orenstein comes to say that her daughter likes princesses as an effect to torture her (327). Orenstein tries to look at her beliefs in a different perspective that instead of weakening a female’s mental and physical health that this movement is actually strengthening it. Pink becoming the dominant color for a female could mean determination.
Orenstein learned that Disney’s secret was picturing themselves as a little girl would react to such princess products. The companies make more money by envisioning through a little girl’s mind such as their bedroom decor. This decor would extend to bedding, televisions, and alarm clocks (329). Relating back to Poniewozik, his view on the princess movement being it is in the hands of the child essentially not the parent. Orenstein weakens her credibility by saying that she is in control of what her daughter wants to be or be a part of. Orenstein is looking too deep into the princess movement to where she is not allowing her daughter to be free.
Orenstein has created a perspective where femininity overpowered her motherhood. Orenstein overall did not succeed in supporting her argument well. Orenstein relied on bias and opinion rather than factual evidence. Besides looking at this issue as a whole, Orenstein based her evidence off how she raises up her daughter.