Let it go? The effect of Disney princess culture on kids

Media professor Sarah Coyne has a message for parents concerned that their children are into Disney princesses - relax.

After studying the effects of 'princess culture', Coyne discovered that embracing princesses at the age of four or five has no negative impact on kids and may even be beneficial.

Sarah Coyne writes articles for Psychology Today you can read here.

Back in 2016, when Coyne's first study (of girls and boys aged 4 and 5) revealed princess culture had no impact on girls' body image, she realised she had to do another study.

"I thought 'that can't be! The princesses are all so thin, their neck is the size of their waist, there's got to be something going on here."

In her follow-up study, Coyne followed the same kids to age 10 to see how the princess fans had fared in terms of body image and gendered expectations.

Surprisingly, the results revealed that being into princess culture at age 4 or 5 did not correspond to worse body image down the line.

For boys, a liking for princesses even had a "pretty positive" psychological impact, Coyne says.

As tweens, boys who were into princesses at 5 tended to be more androgynous (by which she means they had "a mix of masculine and feminine characteristics") and take a more egalitarian view.

"They also had better body image and more pro-social behaviour, especially if their parents talked to them about media in general."

In her next study, Coyne will focus on the impact of superhero culture.

"[Children] who are into superhero culture tend to be more stereotyped in a masculine way which makes total sense because superheroes tend to be hyper masculinised. And they tend to be more aggressive in their play."

Almost all male superheroes have incredibly muscular bodies with very thin waists - a body type completely unobtainable for most men, she says.

"If you're feeding that [ideal] to a little boy over and over again as the coolest, most awesome amazing role model I wouldn't be surprised if that has an impact on the way boys perceive their bodies later on in life."

When it comes to talking about princesses with your kids, Coyne recommends parents focus on their interpersonal characteristics as opposed to appearance.

"[You might say] 'Man, she's this powerful example of a woman who is loyal to her sister, and who gives up a lot and who follows her dreams and is independent."

Talking in this way helps teach children that their gender shouldn't get in the way of doing what they want to do, Coyne says.

It can also open up a conversation about what princesses actually are. Coyne's personal definition is "a woman of power and might".

A couple of Coyne's favourite Disney princesses are the sea-faring Polynesian princess Moana (from the 2016 film Moana) and the Scottish warrior princess Merida (from the 2012 film Brave).

But not the re-designed Merida that Disney released images of 2013 who had been "feminised completely", Coyne says.

"Her hair was changed, she was wearing makeup, she was wearing a lower-cut top, she was thinner, she had a sparkly dress. They took away her bow and arrow and they gave her a sash and so on."

That year, Coyne was in the supermarket with her three-year-old daughter - a big Brave fan - and came across a can of Campbell's Soup featuring the redesigned Merida.

Coyne says her daughter turned it down, declaring that the image wasn't the "real" Merida.

Don't hesitate to share with your kids when you find a fictional character is presenting something problematic to do with gender, she says.

"They know more than you realise."

Sarah Coyne is associate director of the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University in Utah.