Princess Culture

When I first read the articles discussing Princess Culture/ Superhero Culture I found the whole thing kind of funny. The unread messages of Disney Princesses and how our culture thrusts these attitudes upon us was humorous because I could not understand how things that appear so innocent could have such negative effects on little girls. However, the more articles I read and even more so when we discussed these topics in class were my eyes opened to how ridiculous our culture has become and how obsessed our culture is with children. When I was a little girl I was always considered the princess, seeing as I have two older brothers, so maybe I was not wanting to believe how self centered the term "princess" really is. I now realize how many different things were targeted to me as a child and that I was that ultimate consumer. The first example that I think of are the stores I used to beg my parents to take me to, such as Libby Lou, Limited Too, and Claire's. Stores like these, particularly Libby Lou, were created to make you a princess. You would design your crown, make a bottle of glitter to take home, and put on makeup to top of the look. As a child, I also always wanted to wear the Disney princess costumes and put on makeup. I think these movies and stores and other aspects of princess culture not only make little girls think they are entitled to whatever they want because they run the show but also force them to grow up too fast. I am not saying no little girl should be allowed to play dress-up, but now every little girl is watching shows like Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and Toddlers and Tiaras, and they think that is what they should dress up like and become.