Kylie Davis
AP English Language
March 5, 2012
Disney Princesses: Annotated Bibliography
Part 1
Claim: The world of Disney Princesses’ focuses on perfection, beauty, and incorporates
longstanding stereotypes; its messages and ideas negatively affect the self esteem and
growth of young girls.
Data: Experiments, Testimonials, Statistics
Warrant: Through movies, television shows, and the products that continually bombard
young girls, they are being presented with ideas of beauty and large amounts of
stereotypes that teach them negative messages.
Backing: Disney Princesses are essentially royalty to young girls, their actions and
words are held on a pedestal and negatively affect the children’s young minds.
Media has the power to convince groups of people that their ideas and images are
healthy and correct. From a young age, girls are surrounded by images of slim
princesses that urge girls to be a traditional female, the stereotypes and stigmas
involved in Disney Princess movies negatively affect the young viewers. These images
become their reality and eventually change the way they view themselves physically
and emotionally.
Part 2
Hellmich, N.. "Do Thin Models Warp Girls Body Image?." USA Today. Gannett Co. Inc.,
2006. Web. 2 Feb 2012. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-09-25-thinmodels_x.htm>.
Nanci Hellmich, a writer for USA Today, spoke of the issues dealing with the unhealthy
bodies displayed by the media. This piece is not necessarily directed towards an
exclusive audience, readers of many age and education levels could find this article
interesting. This piece did not mention the Disney Princesses; however, it was helpful
in understanding the power the media has over the youth. Overall, I think this source
was easy to understand and will be helpful in terms of understanding the role a
displayed body type plays in negative body image of young girls.
Manasia, Tamkeen. "Effects of Media on Body Image." Vanderbilt University: Health
Psychology Home Page. Vanderbilt University, 2011. Web. 2 Feb 2012.
<http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/media_and_body_image.htm>.
Tamkeen Manasia, an individual affiliated with Vanderbilt University described studies
performed to understand the media's role on female body image. Manasia describes the
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experiments performed, ranging from simple body comparisons to body image's
correlation to mood, and then proceeded to explain the results of each of the
experiments mentioned. This piece is most likely directed towards an educated
audience, interested in the topic. Overall, the results supported the idea that media has
a negative effect on a woman's view of her own body and the idea of beauty in general.
Each experiment described by the author deals with the underlying issue of body image
and the key negative component of media. The experiments and layout of Manasia's
article are very helpful and it was worthwhile. Although this article does not directly deal
with Disney Princesses, it does give insight on how the media as a whole affects its
viewers.
Part 3
Brunette , Libby, Claudette Mallory, and Shannon Wood. "Stereotypes & Racism in
Children's Movies." NHAEYC. n. page. Web. 3 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.nhaeyc.org/newsletters/articles/Racism_in_Childrens_Movies.pdf>.
Libby Brunette, Claudette Mallory, and Shannon Wood, writers for the New Haven
Association for the Education of Young Children, studied the racism and stereotypes
involved in popular children’s movies. The journal article is not incredibly difficult to
understand, however, the focus of the article is most likely directed towards individuals
interested or studying the topic. This work is quite different when compared to the other
scholarly journals, but is still useful and interesting. Although this article does not deal
with the weight and beauty of young girls, it does deal with the role the stereotypes play
in body image and confidence.
Hayes, Sharon, and Stacey Tantleff-Dunn. "Am I too fat to be a princess? Examining
the effects of popular children." Wiley Online Library. 28.2 (2010): n. page. Web.
28 Feb. 2012.
<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1348/026151009X424240/pdf>.
University of Central Florida psychology professor, Sharon Hayes, and a doctoral
student, Stacey Tantleff-Dunn, conducted a study on the effects of watching and using
Disney princess products. The study interviews and listens to the thoughts of topics
dealing with body image in girls aged 3-6. Before explaining the results of the
experiment, the authors described the problems regarding body image in young girls.
The experiment reported that it is not simply body image that young girls have problems
with, but also the lack of presence of many races in Disney films. This scholarly article
allowed me to understand how the topics and ideas I have been studying correlate to
the outcome of an experiment.
Orenstein, Peggy. "What's wrong with Cinderella?." New York Times. (2006): n. page.
Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
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<http://www.michelepolak.com/WMST100fall10/Weekly_Schedule_files/Orenstei
n.pdf>
Peggy Orenstein, an author of multiple novels, a writer for the New York Times, and a
graduate of Oberlin College, speaks of the problems associated with today’s fixation on
Disney Princesses. As a mother, Orenstein seems to direct her writing towards other
mothers, often warning of the media’s manipulating ways. Orenstein’s article is not
incredibly difficult to read, however, the topic of the media’s involvement in the lives of
children is most likely directed towards an educated audience. This particular source is
a bit more personal when compared to the experiment-based articles I cited previously.
This article speaks directly of the problem I am addressing in my research paper, the
idea that the Disney princesses may not be a simple and innocent as they seem.
Ray, Emily. "Part of Their World: Gender Identity Found in Disney Princesses,
Consumerism, and Performative Play." Brigham Young University. (2009): n.
page. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
<http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ETD/id/1999>.
Emily Ray, a former Master’s student at Brigham Young University, wrote a thesis on
the effects of Disney Princesses and their role in the lives of children. The article is
well-written and detailed, suggesting that it is aimed toward a well-educated audience.
This article is much more in depth when compared to the other sources I have cited,
although the focus of her paper is quite narrow, it is written with a large amount of detail.
Ray’s article has allowed me to understand the topic from both a consumer’s and a
producer’s standpoint.
Part 4
Durham, Meenakshi. The Lolita Effect. New York: The Overlook Press, 2008. Print.
Meenaskshi Durham is a professor of journalism and mass communication at the
University of Iowa, in addition to writing The Lolita Effect, Durham is the co-editor of
Media and Cultural Studies: KeyWorks. The writing level is quite high and the book’s
subject is most likely directed towards parents, educators, or individuals studying the
topic of media’s involvement in the development of young girls. In comparison to The
Gospel According to Disney, this book was a bit more general than specifically focused
on my particular topic. This book spoke of issues a bit outside of my topic, and it also
focused on the television shows, Disney included, that affect the growth and confidence
of young girls.
Pinsky, Mark I. The Gospel According to Disney. 1st ed. Louisville: Westminster John
Knox Press, 2004. Print.
Mark I. Pinsky, a graduate from Duke University, is a journalist and author. The book,
The Gospel According to Disney, focuses on the effects Disney films have on children,
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both spiritually and morally. Because the book is quite specific, I think it is directed
towards an educated audience, one that is quite interested in the topic. Although this
book does not focus on the effects on the body image of young girls through the
messages learned watching Disney films, it does include a large amount of information
on the stereotypes consistently used in Disney’s products. This work allows me to
understand not only the history of Disney, but it also allows me to understand the
stereotypes and moral influences these Disney movies include.
Part 5
Roberts, Darryl, dir. America the Beautiful. First Independent Pictures, 2009. Film.
Darryl Roberts is the President of Sensory Overload Entertainment, he is a writer,
producer, and director. Roberts wrote and directed America the Beautiful, a
documentary about the high standards of beauty in the United States. In addition to
being entertaining and enjoyable, the film was also incredibly informative, hinting that
the film was directed at a wide ranged audience. This film combined testimonials,
statistics, and emotional interviews to involve the audience and continue the
entertainment. Overall, America the Beautiful was not only entertaining to watch, but its
thoughts on the media’s focus on body image and the negative roles it has played in the
lives of young girls was incredibly helpful when researching for my paper.