What do you think of the princess phenomenon?

There in for a big shock when they get pregnant and end up living in a single wide trailer because the baby daddy ran off to keep from paying child support. Parents need to teach children about reality not fantasy.

There is nothing wrong with fantasy, but heck if they want to play princess, the parents should INVOLVE them in something thoughtful. Not just fashion. Ask them how they would run the kingdom they are princess of. What is the country like? How would you treat the peasants? We need to make learning and science cool for girls. Smart girls are great. Self-obcessed girls that think everything should come to them, not so much.

The survey is a bit leading, because there is nothing wrong with pretending you are a princess. But if children are expecting to live the life, there is something wrong with the parents.

I have two young girls, who were all about being princesses when they were 3 to 7. Their room was pink and purple, they had princess bedding, the whole thing. They had a great time visiting Disneyworld as Princesses, and dressing up, as I did when I was a little girl in the 60's.

They are now past their princess stage, (sob), and are wonderful, involved, interactive straight A students who remember being a Princesses fondly. They still love to visit Disneyworld, but now want to ride the fast rides, and point out how cute the little Princesses are!! It is most important that you spend quality time with your children and teach them right from wrong, whether they are wearing a tiara or not!!

i agree with mark! there is absolutely nothing wrong with fantasy play but parents need to be involved with both genders!

if we question why a girl would play at being a princess - her own version of a superhero that's accessible to her - shouldn't we question that a boy playing macho superhero gives him the entitlement that he should always be a winner regardless and a big dumb man that solves problems with his fists?

the problem is the question... that girls will be targeted no matter what. you can dress a girl in a burqua and someone will STILL think she isn't acting right. we should let girls play and imagine freely and let them be themselves.

personally i grew up as the 'un-son' - the second child that was supposed to be the boy. i was raised on yard work, legos, and science with little frills that my older sister got. these days i just do as i want. i wear pink and frills or all black with little regard for what other people think. my message to all princesses and tomboys is to BE YOURSELF and respect the differences in others. it does nothing to put others down for just being who they are inside. nothing wrong with either side!!!

What do I think of the princess phenom?

I think it is nauseating and destructive, both to the girls in the form of unrealistic expectations and distorted self-image, but also to society in general.

I've been trying to steer my 4 yr old daughter away from princess themed stuff and playing princess for nearly 1 1/2 yr. I try to get her to play she's a fairy or angel instead of always the princess. For a long time I deterred her away from princess movies,and have let her watch a handful now. Her favorite is Ariel the mermaid whos a very loving princess and smarter than most. I never wanted to raise a spoiled rotten selfcentered lil girl who thinks the world should wait on her,and I'm not. She's very caring,loving,and aware lil girl. I make sure no one gives her princess stuff,and if they do I remind them I'm not in support of it,and they return the item and buy something else. It blows my mind some of the stupid crap there putting on tshirts for lil ones these days. Stuff that encourages buying crud,being a shopaholic,which were anything but that in my family,and all the princess snobby crappy spoiled rotten garbage type of messages! Pisses me off! Having said all this I do let my child have three dresses that are fairy looking,she has wings,and plays dress up and enjoys that make believe,but she knows the truth. Her parents are not a queen n king,therefore she's not a princess. And why would she want to be,how boring,to be hounded to death by paparazzi your who life scrutinized,like Princess Diana. How sad. The groovy part would be the power to help others besides that it sounds like a ball and chain to me.

How can I say this.

You are dillusional if you think being and feeling special sends the wrong messages. Maybe you folks should consider what extreme liberals do to and have done to this society. Not that you would admit that boys are growing up to be men that have no clue how to be chivalrous and respectful to women. Young girls are competing against the opposite sex when they should be embracing being a beautiful woman with their own inner beauty.

Let girls be girls and boys be boys and get past your own insecurities and scorn.

Heal yourself and let youth be innocent!

I think it is silly, superficial and sends an unbalanced message to little girls. Children need BALANCE. They can be a princess once in a while, but need to balance that with climbing trees, or being a tomboy or pretending to be Heidi or some other more realistic 'character' from a book. For a country that eschews royalty, there sure is a lot of nonsense about being a princess.

My blue-eyed blonde girls only liked the Disney girls that did NOT look like them--the independent girls like Mulan, Meg from Hercules, Esmeralda from Hunchback and above all, Pocahontas. Guess what THESE "princesses" did for my girls? Top scores on AP US History and AP World History exams. I don't like Disney-fied "history", but the tough-girl heroines did get my kids reading beyond fairy tales.

My 4 year old daughter likes "other" girl heroes - Eliza Thornberry, Nim from Nim's Island, Fern in Charlotte's Web...the list goes on. Thank God for other good role models!

She has a friend who is all about Disney, wears "I'm the princess" t-shirts, etc etc and has made comments to my daughter like "I'm smarter than you" When I hear things like that coming out of the mouth of a 4 year old it makes me sick sick sick. I just hope some of the other posters are right that this is a "phase" for this child...and thankful my daughter does not have that kind of attitude toward her peers.

There is entirely too much focus on women and girls in this country.  It is female-centric and if it were the other way around, the whining would be loud and unending.  The feministas are bent on sending the message that women and girls are more valuable than men and boys.  Most of the programs in our schools focus on the girls, most of the programs for adults focus on the women.  No wonder they are smiling 24/7.  Gender equality is a sham and men have been duped by this so-called movement.  Women actually believe they run the family and the household.  Men that step aside and allow this are wussified and emasculated.  Men that do not agree with this absurdity are labeled misogynists.  That clearly shows how out of control the entire matter has become.  Women don't believe in balance; they want and expect it all; expecting men to support their every whim, need, and want - all while the women do next to nothing to support men.  The truth hurts and this is the reality of it.  Should we teach young girls the 'Princess monolgue'?  That is a no-brainer.  Of course not, they don't need to be taught 'issues of entitlement' so early, mom will teach her soon enough.  

Make believe is always fun. It is no longer that when parents say, "How's my little princess or You willl always be our princess sweetie," and mean it saying "anything you want, you deserve and will have it" to prove it true.

We rent to college students and you would not believe the attitude of some of these gals who think everything must be perfect when they move in, but then leave the place a hovel fit for peasants. Their parents move them in, pay their bills and move them out, sometimes cleaning for them, but not always since their princess is done with it. The girls rarely thank them amd hardly do any of the work themselves. Not good.

Give me a good Girl Scout any day. They are happier and capable of having a good life.

The Disney idea of princess is pretty far removed form the reality of a princess. Even today, it is still the ball and chain of being a decorative figurehead - and the current princesses in Spain and Denmark had to undergo extreme scrutiny and even take lessons in order to marry their princes. Female nobility was chattel to keep family lands and power at a peak.

My youngest granddaughter once replied that a princess "cleans" - think Cinderella and Snow White (as she opens the window and trills for her "helpers").

Teach little girls the reality of princess--read them a true biography of Princess Diana and her "faithful prince".

I am the mother of two boys but have alwyas had a love for princess and failry tales. I htink one problem with the princess pehonm is that Disney and other marketing companies are only looking at the crown, the glamour, the prince and hte ball. But if you take a closer look at the stories of the princesses, you'll find hard working, determined, intelligent young women who strived sfor something greater, for a dream no matter what others might have told them how impossible it was. I think that if parents focus on the becoming as well as the being a "princess" they will find that these charachters do have good attributes to teach oung girls. Bell - her love for Books; Cinderella, hardworking and forgiving, Sleeping Beauty, a hope for something beyond herself; SNow White, sharing and work, Mulan, determination; Ariel, hopefulness; Pocahontas, love for her people and the earth...and so on. In additon, thesee characters also placed a lot of value on the power of a kiss and being demure, something that is lost now.

I think that the focus on the prize is greater in these stories now than the effort to get there. So for the little princesses out there, realize that a dream is achieved with hard work, determination and a belief in yourself...that will create a greater treasure than any crown or any prince.

People are taking this entirely too seriously.  My daughter loved princess stuff from age 2 to 6.  I fondly remember some her more creative ensembles from her "dress up" box and will never forget when she talked her dad into buying her a princess dress while at Disney and went down the street curtseying to one and all.  She's now 12 and I can't get her out of her jeans.  She mucks stalls to help pay for her horse and swims competitively.  It's all a phase on the way to being a grown-up.  Let kids be who they are, let them have their own dreams and imagination, and enjoy them for who they are.

Maybe its time for a new definition of princess - someone who comes from wealth and privilege can also be one with the abilities and resources to help others in less fortunate circumstances. How about a movie about a princess who sells all her jewels and dresses to feed the hungry people in her village? I most remember Princess Diana when she was visiting with AIDs patients and touring the fields with land mine victims.

I dont understand what the big deal is. I grew up loving the disney princess movies and remember my freinds loving them too. It was classic and fun and whimisical. I am 26 now, and living a totally normal life, married, great job and im happy. If anything it emulates innocents and hopeless romantisism. I would love for my duaghter to enjoy those classics some day. If it is realism you want to instill in your children it shouldn't be totally reliant on the form of entertainment. Let them know, its just entertainment. Parental guided structure and living life will teach them whats real. Let them dream and let them live.

I do not think that it is necessarily a bad thing as long as it is within the bounds of reason. The fact is that almost all children enjoy pretending as they get older. (Although I sometimes see adults that have not lost that penchant. I beleive that we call them politicians.) This is a part of childhood and as long as certain behaviors are not permitted (the princess is not permitted to run the household in any way) then it is fine. The key is that they parents must be exactly that and must take firm stands with their children to teach them the proper bounds of behavior. This will not happen if the or the other parent suffers from a royalty complex as well.

How about we teach our girls that their "Princess(es)- daughter of a heavenly King" instead of a princess of the world. That way their hearts will be filled with compassion, love and kindness for all and not selfishness!!