Disney Princesses And Gender Roles

My research topic is focusing on the link between Disney princesses and the established gender roles among them. My research question states: From the early 2000’s to the 2010’s in the United States, what is the correlation between Disney princesses and gender roles, and how does this presumed interrelationship affect the social development of adolescent girls. My target room is adolescent girls I strongly believe this age group is the most effected by the influence of Disney princesses. I chose the time frame of the 2000’s-2010’s because popular Disney princesses were created during this period. Lastly, I chose the United States as the focus region because all Disney princesses have been popularized through American culture. In my study
I intend to focus primarily on the social development of young girls as a result of their fascination with Disney Princesses. I believe that through the use of Disney Princesses, young girls embody their personas such as being “a damsel in distress”. In this study I plan on using different Disney Princesses as examples of conforming to established gender roles such as: Princess Anna (Frozen), Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel etc. In comparison I will also use examples of Disney Princesses who challenge gender roles including: Mulan, Tiana (Princess and the Frog), Pocahontas, Belle (Beauty and the Beast) etc. Through this comparison, I hope to highlight how the social development of young girls would become altered as a result of giving appraisal to different Disney Princesses. In my study I plan on relying mostly on feminist paradigms to shape the focus of my research. I believe the feminist paradigms correlates with the experiences caused due to established gender roles. Feminist paradigms reflect the concern of unequal treatment of women as well as acknowledging that women and perceive society differently. As a result of the different perspectives of society, gender roles are reinforced through mediums such as Disney Princesses. Lastly, this will help shape my research to focus on the discrimination against women through the uses of different Disney princesses. Finding an answer to my research question is vital because the social development of young girls is impeded because of established gender roles. Gender roles limit women’s capabilities to prosper, and through the use of Disney Princesses young girls are being conditioned to accept and embody gender roles. I want to focus on the social development of young girls as it relates to Disney princesses because Disney princes are often considered role models to young girls. Disney princesses set examples for young girls on how they ought to behave. My research will determine if the influence of Disney Princesses impact the social development of young girls, while teaching them to accept gender roles. By the end of this study, young girls will be able to contradict gender roles. Thereby, allowing young girls motivate change which will help influence the creation of Disney Princesses that continue to fight against established gender roles.