November Blog Post

When I got home after the class in which we watched "Mickey Mouse Monopoly", I asked my sister to tell me what she thought about them. My sister being a bi-sexual, gender-fluid, well read 15 year-old, I knew I would get some creative answers. A part of me was worried that she was falling into the trap that these Disney movies provide, and I wanted to make sure she knew I was a resource for her if she ever needed someone to talk to.

I first asked her what she thought of the princess movies. And her answer surprised me, "I don't really know. I didn't really watch those movies. I liked the movies with animals, Jungle Book, Lion King, Lady in the Tramp. Stuff like that."

This kid is one of the biggest animal lovers in the world, so it made sense that these were her favorite movies growing up. I remember watching "Finding Nemo" with her on repeat when it came out on DVD. I was relieved that she didn't watch the princess movies like I did as a kid. When I was growing up it was princess everything. i watched those movies religiously and I wanted to be just them. I wanted my prince charming to find and rescue me. My sister on the other hand would pretend to be animals around the house. She would make "dens" out of pillows and would strip of her clothes and roar at people who came through the front door. I think these Disney influences had a part in how we were as kids, and as we continue to grow.

State University quotes the American Academy of Pediatrics in saying that, "Children are influenced by media-they learn by observing, imitating, and making behaviors of their own,". My sister and I have shown this with how we perceived our bodies and appearance.

I have struggled my whole life with my weight. I've always wanted to have a small hourglass figure (princess). I always thought long hair was more attractive (princess), so when my mom cut my hair when I was 8 i had a meltdown. I thought I was supposed to marry a "prince" (princess), so i struggled with coming to terms with being a lesbian.

My sister on the other hand enjoys her tall and muscular frame (because according to her, animals are strong), has always had short hair (she says it gets in the way) and didn't have a problem with coming out as bi or gender-fluid (she says nature is nature).

Im not holding Disney responsible for every decision and trait my sister and I have made, but I do think there was influence with what we watched as children. Disney was, and continues to be a big part of our lived. Disney movies have made appearances under the Christmas tree every year, and my sister and I have a huge collection. it would be impossible for something so common in our household to not have influenced us in some way.

Every day for the last week, my sister and I have been watching Disney princess movies and having a discussion about them. As I expected she didn't take them at face-value, and we were able to have in-depth discussion about what was ok and what wasn't in these movies. I'm glad she watched these movies when she was older so she could process them better, but I would encourage parents and older siblings to talk with children who watch these movies to make sure they aren't influencing their children in destructive ways.


1) AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS, AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY, and AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION. 2000. "Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children–Congressional Public Health Summit."