I don’t often indulge in debates about feminism and whether Disney Princesses, Barbie and other “Girly” type things are bad for little girls self-image. People are going to think what they want just as I have my opinion and that’s great. But today I saw this video and I couldn’t help responding.
Here’s the thing: I think some of what they are singing is true. As girls, women we do have to love our selves, rescue ourselves and follow our dreams. What I disagree with is that you have to give up on love to have that. Why can’t we as women have both? Why must we chose?
I agree that no one should ever give up everything they are for another person. It doesn’t matter if that person is a parent, a friend, or a lover. In life and love one must compromise certainly but if someone truly loves you they should love all of you even the parts and bits they don’t understand or agree with.
These are my beliefs, the beliefs of a 42 year old single woman who grew up playing Barbies and watching (loving) Disney Princess movies. To this day Sleeping Beauty and Little Mermaid remain two of my all time favourite movies. So do the Sound of Music, Gone With The Wind and Meet Me in St. Louis. All movies where the women give up everything for the men they love. Yet none of these things have ever made me act that way.
I had/have friends who give up everything for the new men in their lives. Whenever the relationship ends they have to reconnect with all their female friends all over again. You hear all the time, “We haven’t hung out like this in forever.” or “When did -big life event- happen? Do I get annoyed with these friends? Absolutely but that is who they are and who am I to tell them to live their lives differently? Do I agree with it? Hell no but most people don’t understand why I don’t want to be married or have children either. Yet we are still friends because we accept and respect these differences in each other.
What I do want to say about this is that maybe it’s time to stop worrying about it all so much. If you are a good parent and have raised your child (female or male) to be strong, brave independent individuals, if they are surrounded by well rounded people in real life then there is a good chance that none of this is truly going to influence anything more then a desire to dress a certain way and sing songs until they outgrow that stage and move on to the next phase.