Disney Princesses Rhetorical Analysis

Across the world, little girls and little boys are being raised on gendered norms that determine how they will behave for the rest of their lives. Exposure to various types of media during their formative years instruct children on how they should look, feel, and behave. Consequently, adult women strive to emulate the fantasies they were exposed to through the Disney Princess films they were raised on. Disney Princesses offer a mold for what a successful woman looks like in terms of size, color, and physical sexuality. In modern society, countless marginalized groups are seeking equal representation in the media to accurately reflect how diverse the world truly is. Despite these movements, some companies seek to reinforce the traditional expectations

Foremost, the ad opens with the question “which princess are you?” which establishes a personal approach to the ad that initiates the audience wondering if she is deserving of being a princess. As the ad progresses, Zales continues to invoke emotions supporting the narrative using three classic Disney Princesses. Snow White, Belle, and Cinderella all create a sense of nostalgia from childhood. Nostalgia often causes a yearning to recreate the sense of wonder from childhood. In this case, nostalgia acts as a catalyst for women to begin conforming themselves into the three princesses shown to be considered perfect. In correspondence with the segments of Snow White, Belle, and Cinderella plays a soft piano score that invokes a sense of whimsy that is representative of the music that often occurs during a Disney Princess film. Another appeal that is made is romance. Every Disney Princess has a problem that is surrounded by romance. As mentioned previously, the three that are used in this ad are part of several love stories considered to be classics. In order to continue the narrative that a woman is only worthy of an investment by a man, naturally the ad has to create a Prince Charming. The Cinderella segment features the Cinderella model meeting up with her Prince Charming as they drive away

The ad begins, as previously mentioned, with the question “Which princess are you?” The questions establish the foundation that the women they are targeting must be a princess, must be of value. Then, the ad proceeds to present three short segments alluding to the twenty-first century version of Snow White, Belle, and Cinderella. While all three Disney Princesses appear to be different, they are more alike at their core foundation than first perceived. In this ad, all three are portrayed by the same model. A model who is thin, white, and blonde. The ad uses what is universally desirable by men to showcase what a “princess” must look like, that is to say if a woman looked like the model, then she is worthy of rewarding. Moreover, the ad uses three of the Disney Princesses who are the ones surrounded most by domesticity and submissiveness. White women are presented as submissive because submissive is considered the most desirable. To a man watching, he sees the suggestion that if the woman in his life looks like the model and acts like the model, then he is clear to invest in her. Additionally, the ad shows scenes of the model finding the jewelry (she finds a Snow White necklace, a Belle necklace, and a Cinderella ring). The act of finding the jewelry is representative of her working toward being the woman that is worthy of her man, when she is considered worthy she gets her a reward. The end of the