Comparing Poniewozik's Cinderella And Princess Culture

The Cinderella tale has been at the heart of many stories for generations. People have become very familiar with the storyline, as it is very prevalent in society today through many moderns movies and stories. The Cinderella story is adored by young children, more specifically by young girls. However as a more feminist culture has emerged, society’s viewpoint of fairytales is becoming increasingly negative. In, “The Princess Paradox” and “Cinderella and Princess Culture”, authors James Poniewozik and Peggy Orenstein further evaluate themes found in the Cinderella stories. In their articles, both authors call on the gender roles that sit at the center of modern day fairytales. Poneiwozik and Orenstein also touch on the glorification of being

Both Poniewozik and Orenstein acknowledge the resentment shown by parents against the “Princess craze”. Poniewozik describes it as, “the recurring nightmare of high-minded parents of daughters” (citation), as they try to give their girls Legos and soccer balls instead of Barbies or tiaras. He goes on, explaining that regardless of the actions of parents, the royal urge will continue to be pushed by Hollywood and other companies upon our children. Orenstein also touches on the struggle and frustration that parents feel as they continue to have their young daughters go through continuous cycles of Princess phases. She does so by recalling a personal experience that she had with her own daughter when visiting the dentist’s office. When her daughter was three years old, she took her to the dentist for her first exam. Orenstein was fed up due to the fact that everyone she encountered spoke to her daughter as a princess. The author goes on to talk about the recent trend of princesses among young girls, and the obsession that has taken place. So while Poniewozik and Orenstein describe it in different ways, they agree that in today’s society, young girls are extremely influenced by the glorification of Princesses regardless of the

In Poniewozik’s article, “The Princess Paradox”, he chooses to look at several different movies that have Princess type roles, and follow the Cinderella storyline. He chooses films that embrace some of the current feminist beliefs, as it helps prove his claim that modern-day fairytales are providing good, influential themes, for young girls of this generation. In contrast, Orenstein in her article, “Cinderella and Princess Culture”, chooses to look at several companies that are selling the more modern princess brand. The main companies she discusses are Disney, Mattel, and Nickelodeon. Orenstein pulls most of her evidence from studies done, proving that these companies are providing a disservice to young girls by promoting their princess products. Poniewozik chooses to pull quotes and scenes from specific movies to show the feminist undertones of the film to prove his points. He also uses quotes spoken by the directors of these movies, showing that they would agree with his claim about their films. So while both authors discuss relatively the same topics, they way they go about doing so is where they differ, resulting in two vastly different