Cinderella Ate my Daughter: Influenced by the Barbie effect
- abbywinfield
- Oct 19, 2017
- 2 min read
Cinderella Ate my Daughter: Dispatches from the front lines of the new girlie-girl culture, written by Peggy Orenstein takes a look at the rise of all things pink and pretty for the 'girlie-girl' culture that is becoming increasingly difficult for parents with young daughters to avoid. The obsession with everything pink and princess is the focus of Orenstein's 2011 book written purely from taken her daughter to school and within a week she noticed a profound change.
"She came home having memorised, as if by osmosis, all the names and gown colours of the Disney princesses."
It was only after her daughter's sudden change, she began to notice princess references everywhere around her daughter. It has always been the case that very young children do not yet understand that your gender is fixed. So you can't wake up and suddenly become a boy. So young girls may immediately be drawn to pink, sparkles and princess gowns as a way of asserting that they are and always will be girls. 'The Princess Stage' I would say qualifies as part of a young girls developmental stage.
All things dolls and Barbie
Dolls have been entertaining young girls for decades. It is only until the present day where Parents are giving their indecisive views. Especially Barbie, a little girl's love and favourite but for the parents this isn't the case. For people who have read Orenstein's strong views about the stereotype of pink and the girlie-girl culture. Parents are interested in how Barbie and other popular dolls (Bratz) shape young girl's perception of the world and themselves. That's why Mothers have particularly strong views of Barbie, with numerous mothers debating whether she should be involved in their daughters developing life. Many believe that Barbie is a bad influence. Barbie and princesses are such unhealthy, unnatural and unrealistic examples of women that encourage young girls to become. Although yes, it does encourage young girls to become absolutely anything they set out to be. However no, this only happens as long as you "look like a doll" to get everything you desire. When they are older, they may have low self esteem because of it.
Acknowledging back onto Cinderella ate my daughter, it describes a powerful battlefield of young girls who may lead to potential body issues, poor self esteem and sexism. The 'Pink and the powerful' may never be a good feature to set on girls. Orenstein explores the awareness of everything pink and sets you for the road ahead in raising a girl.
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