Little Girls Or Little Women: The Disney Princess Effect

582 Words3 Pages

The topic of self confidence is a subject that is heavily discussed when it comes to girls of all ages. Journalist, Stephanie Hanes, examines the current trend of sexualization amongst young girls. In the article “Little Girls or Little Women: The Disney Princess Effect”, Hanes examines the current trend of sexualization amongst girls. She addresses the issue of desiring to become a women too soon. Hanes develops her article by using the literary techniques of pathos and logos to describe the emotions young girls feel when they see images of women with unattainable features. In the article, Hanes discusses how parents notice changes in their daughters, as they begin to have interest in fitting into a stereotypical world. By using pathos, …show more content…

Logos creates a sense of urgency in the reader’s head that they need to monitor their child’s behavior. One of the credible sources Hanes uses is from a University of Central Florida poll, which found that, “50 percent of 3-6 year old girls worry they’re fat” (*). Hanes argues this statistic could be stemmed from the Disney Princesses image. The princesses have a particular shape and size that has created a standard for body image. The author uses these facts to show her audience that if parents continue to allow their children to view these images, their child will desire to be just like the Disney Princesses. Hanes’ purpose is to provide facts to parents so they understand what will happen if they do not censor the images their young girls see. In the article, Hanes explains that these images will lead young girls “down a path of self-objection to cyberbullying to unhealthy body images” (483). The statistics listed in the article help the author grasp the attention of the reader, causing the reader to feel a sense of urgency when understanding this issue. Stephanie Hanes, author of the essay “Little Girls or Little Women? The Disney Princess Effect”, explains that our society should be worrying about the increase in sexualization amongst young girls. She suggests that parents take steps to make more people aware of the problem. To support her point of view, Hanes uses pathos and logos to explain the causes of this phenomenon. Throughout her essay, Hanes explains that the major factors that influence these young girls are marketing and the media. Hanes stresses that if these images are not censored young girls will continue to strive to obtain the