--- title: New Study on the Potential Problem With Disney Princesses description: Researchers at Brigham Young University found that playing with Disney princesses could make children more susceptible to stereotypes canonical: https://time.com/4378119/disney-princess-effect-on-girls/ author: Kirsten Salyer article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-22T18:12:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:06:13.930Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Are Disney Princesses Bad for Girls' Self Esteem? og:description: A small study takes aim at that question og:url: https://time.com/4378119/disney-princess-effect-on-girls/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03befb1c0f38f154/698898f6e20a878482a91536/princesses.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Disney Characters during The Princess Diaries Premiere at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Are Disney Princesses Bad for Girls' Self Esteem? twitter:description: A small study takes aim at that question twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03befb1c0f38f154/698898f6e20a878482a91536/princesses.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Are Disney Princesses Hurting Your Daughter's Self-Esteem? > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Virginia Teen Petitions Disney For Plus-Size Princess [Watch (HLS stream): Virginia Teen Petitions Disney For Plus-Size Princess](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/VRZRXhzF.m3u8) (1:24)  _Published 2014-02-04. Jewel Moore says a plus-size Disney princess would do a world of good for girls who feel ugly for not fitting the skinny animated stereotype. Her online petition had more than 17,000 signatures as of early Tuesday._  by [Kirsten Salyer](https://time.com/author/kirsten-salyer/)  ## Kirsten Salyer Jun 22, 2016 6:12 PM UTC  Disney Characters during The Princess Diaries Premiere at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Disney Characters during The Princess Diaries Premiere at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. SGranitz—WireImage  by [Kirsten Salyer](https://time.com/author/kirsten-salyer/)  ## Kirsten Salyer Jun 22, 2016 6:12 PM UTC Snow White, Cinderella and the rest of the Disney Princess gang have some explaining to do. A [new study from Brigham Young University](https://news.byu.edu/news/disney-princesses-not-brave-enough) found that engaging with Disney princess culture could make young children more susceptible to gender stereotypes. The small study, by family-life professor Sarah M. Coyne, looked at how much 198 preschoolers interacted with Disney princesses—through movies, toys and merchandise—and then assessed their behavior through reports from parents and teachers and a task in which the children were asked to rank their favorite toys among stereotypical “girl” options such as dolls, stereotypical “boy” options such as tool sets and gender-neutral options such as puzzles. The researches found that 96% of girls and 87% of boys had viewed Disney princess media, and more than 61% of girls played with princess toys at least once a week, compared to 4% of boys. For both boys and girls, engagement with Disney princesses was associated with more female gender-stereotypical behavior a year later. The study found that the influence could be good for boys—it could encourage better body esteem and being more helpful. But it could be damaging to girls—it could make them more susceptible to having bad body esteem and less confidence. Of course, this is just one, small study. But it comes during a larger cultural conversation about the potential [effects](https://storify.com/sternb13/the-disney-princess-effect-on-young-girls-and-femi) that Disney [princesses](http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2011/0924/Little-girls-or-little-women-The-Disney-princess-effect) and other gender-normative toys could have on young girls and boys. Just like [Barbie](http://time.com/barbie-new-body-cover-story/), the thin, perfectly proportioned, predominantly white characters perpetuate a potentially harmful ideal of beauty. As Peggy Orenstein outlined in her 2012 book [_Cinderella Ate My Daughter_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061711535/?tag=timecom-20)_,_ an obsession with beauty can increase girls’ [vulnerability](http://www.npr.org/2011/02/05/133471639/saving-our-daughters-from-an-army-of-princesses) to issues including eating disorders, depression and risky sexual behavior. Other [research](http://time.com/4196181/disney-princesses-talking-time/) has shown that some Disney Princess films feature male characters speaking more often that women, which raises additional questions about the example these princesses set for girls’ independence and confidence. So what are parents to do? Coyne [told](https://news.byu.edu/news/disney-princesses-not-brave-enough) BYU News the answer may be moderation. “Have your kids involved in all sorts of activities, and just have princesses be one of many, many things that they like to do and engage with.” ## Transcript >> Whether posing in real life or prancing across the big screen, the Disney princess has a definite stereotype-- beautiful, in recent years more empowered, and skinny, often very skinny. Meet Jewel Moore, a high school junior from Virginia who wants Disney to do something about its female images. >> And Moore says it's unrealistic and sends the wrong message to kids. So, she started an online petition asking Disney to create a plus- size princess in one of its upcoming movies. >> Moore's Change. org petition had more than 17, 000 signatures as of early Tuesday morning, and that she writes, " If Disney could make a plus- size female protagonist who is as bright, amazing, and memorable as the others, it would do a world of good for those plus- size girls out there who are bombarded with images that make them feel ugly for not fitting the skinny standard ." >> I know how to stop this winter. >> Critics of Disney have pointed the body image example such as Frozen Princess Anna whose eyeballs are bigger than her wrists. Moore made the online petition during a recent day home from school because of snow. She admitted to Yahoo she's received some backlash from those who question whether girls should look to media for self- confidence. She said, " I wish women wouldn't listen to the media, but that's inevitable. If we can't change people, we can at least start with animated characters ." 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