The princess myth appears to be designed to perpetuate the values of the dominating power group - in this case the white middle/upper class. Just as there were virtually no actors of color in the 40's and 50's and somewhat into the early 60's, the looks of the princesses mirrored the "woman as a good looking object" mentality of the time. Women were to be subserviant to men, and their primary goal was to please men. This could account for the lack of mother figures in the myths. Young women would out of necessity need to be under the supervision and "protection" of their fathers - underscoring the subservient female model.
In princess myths, the "happily ever after" occurs after the damsal in distress has been rescued by the handsome prince - never the father. The image of the father is not young, desirable, and handsome. Therefore, the ideal relationship would consist of a passive, beautiful woman and a charming, brave, protective handsome man - just what every girl dreams of after seeing it a myriad of times.
Let's look at three "real life" examples. It appears that in contemporary Western culture the princess "look" is alive and well. Both princesses Diana of Great Britain and Letizia of Asturias (with baby Sofia) are the epitome of beauty - slender and attractive. The picture of the African princess, while very beautiful, emotes a reserved inner strength and elegance more in keeping with a position of power. It's hard to get away from the Western commodification of the ideal when the model is being lived out before our very eyes.
Let's look at three "real life" examples. It appears that in contemporary Western culture the princess "look" is alive and well. Both princesses Diana of Great Britain and Letizia of Asturias (with baby Sofia) are the epitome of beauty - slender and attractive. The picture of the African princess, while very beautiful, emotes a reserved inner strength and elegance more in keeping with a position of power. It's hard to get away from the Western commodification of the ideal when the model is being lived out before our very eyes.
Dale,
ReplyDeleteYour description of the varying cultural perspectives on what it means to be a princess is very important. The Western tradition holds a limited and all-to-often shallow view of what this archetype is and what it means. If wee seek to enable our daughters to become the empowered women that they are capable of becoming, then we need to offer them models and examples of who and what they can be. As we acknowledge that by valorizing subservient and demeaning female characteristics that are generally valued in the Western Tradition, we are in effect contributing to the 'glass ceiling' effect that so many women face. This is an interesting paradox (again!)in that by falling prey to the commodification of some aspects of women we contribute to their continued oppression.