Tuesday, April 24, 2012

National Princess Week

The Target Corporation has started a new tradition...they have created a "National Princess Week." It's kind of a neat idea, although most likely just a ploy to get dads to buy Princess things for their little girls. I know some people aren't the biggest fans of the obsession with Disney Princesses, but I think we can use it to our advantage.

In one way, with the commercialization of all the Princesses, it has led every little girl to believe she can be a princess. It doesn't matter where she grew up or what her family life is like, all she needs is a dress. Or maybe just shiny shoes. Or a simple paper crown. I had "Cinderella shoes" when I was 4; they weren't anything special, just shiny white shoes I wore for Easter! But they made me feel special.

A princess should carry herself with dignity and respect. As those little girls grow up, they lose sight of that. They trade their beautiful gowns for low-cut tops and their crowns for hook-ups with guys. What happened in-between? Were they told they could never actually be a princess? Or did they come to think the idea was silly? When I was in high school I was told I was still a princess because I am the daughter of the King of Kings. How cool is that? And today I still want to find my Prince Charming!

While Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Cinderella, and the others all have their struggles, they do make it look easy to be a princess and fall in love with your prince. But we can look beyond the stories and fairy tales to our own lives. We don't have to give up being a princess because it's something that is only for little girls! There are a lot of positive messages we can give girls today about being a princess. It's time to write our own stories (or for the guys, help co-author them).


2 comments:

Unknown said...

I think your sentiment is an interesting concept but I wonder if it is a bit too idealistic for the way the world is sometimes. I agree that people should always act with dignity and have a personal moral code that they live by. That's something that I like to think I have myself although I realize I am not perfect. But I have to disagree with the notion that life will just be better if I have this or that. I've always been my happiest when I accepted life as it is. If I am unhappy in life I don't ever assume that that will get better or disappear, but instead I try and deal with that in a realistic way so that if I am unhappy in that way again I can cope with it better the next time around. By learning to deal with the unhappiness or failings in life better, I allow myself to enjoy my happy moments and successes that much more.

Unknown said...

Oh I'm way over idealistic! Those were just initial thoughts, I never have the time to further develop them (or think about how it wouldn't work). They're just ideas I like to throw out there!