Disney Princesses

Fictional Females’ Power over People In this day and age, it is not abnormal to idolize a role model that may have been fabricated from the imaginations of another. Yes, these imaginations of the creators are fictional characters, and it does not matter if these characters live in the pages of a book or frolick across television screens. It is easy to idolize fictional characters. For one, authors and script writers oftentimes do an impeccable job of developing their characters to mold them into someone that many people wish they could be someday. These writers are able to provide a behind-the-scenes look at their characters and show their thoughts and feelings giving their audience a more personal and a possible in depth connection to

In general, the princesses range in age from fourteen to nineteen years old and the plot of their movies commonly revolves around the common theme of needing to be saved by a man. For Princess Ariel, age sixteen, and Princess Jasmine, age fifteen, they are not strangers to this idea. Susan Krauss Whitbourne, of PsychologyToday.com, emphasizes the impact of role models on children, which the princesses are to many, by sharing her perspective through the results of studies. In her research, Whitbourne has found that children tend to model their behavior off of individuals that seem to be rewarded. This idea can be used to describe some of the more questionable scenes in both Ariel’s and Jasmine’s movies. In Ariel’s movie, The Little Mermaid, she swims around the ocean in her infamously purple seashell bra and blatantly disobeys her father. In the scene where Ariel first has her new legs, she greets Prince Eric without any articles of clothing. To more aware audiences, they action may interpret this scene as being suggestive, especially after the prince invites her to come back to his castle with him. However, it is important to note that not every child would pick up on this strange occurance. In their eyes, children may see a young girl who is, in the end, successfully in accomplishing her goal. It is safe to assume that perhaps the majority of these children would overlook to consequences of Ariel’s actions and to not be able to recognize the riskiness of her decisions. Similarly to Ariel, Jasmine uses her good looks and revealing outfits to save Aladdin from Jafar. She distracts Jafar by seducing him with her revealing outfit and flattering words. The effect of her actions result in portraying women of resorting to sexual means in order to stand up for themselves. In the end, Jasmine willingly objectives herself to Jafar, and her