We all suspected that Barbie and Ken are too narrowly defined to be good role models for modern children. Now we have a study backing this up. A study of preschool children found that for both boys and girls, playing with or watching the Disney characters had a strong influence on children behavior and feelings.
For boys, the influence was somewhat positive in that they were more helpful after these interactions. However, the Disney characters’ influence was strongly negative for girls. Girls felt badly about their bodies and had lower self confidence after playing with Disney characters.
In addition, most of the Barbie characters were white and blue eyed, not offering brown eyed children or children of color characters to identify with.
An obsession with beauty and thinness can lead to depression, eating disorders, low self esteem and other things. Further, the males in these stories speak more often than the female do and are more often in heroic roles.
If you must expose your children to Disney characters please be sure to balance it out with strong female characters and soft male characters, so that your children are exposed to a more realistic selection of personas.
Disney Characters during The Princess Diaries Premiere at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California, United States. (Photo by SGranitz/WireImage)
Read more…http://www.time.com/4378119/disney-princess-effect-on-girls/