Moana, the Disney princess that breaks with stereotypes
When we are small it is difficult not to notice the protagonists of the films as true role models. Both girls and boys see female and male protagonists with a series of characteristics that unconsciously understand what society expects from them. In this sense, the princesses Disney they teach values that tell the minors that they must be a girl with no capacity for resolution who must wait for the hero to be saved.
But it seems that the movie industry Disney He is reacting in this direction and betting on more independent female characters in his latest films. Feature films like 'Brave', where its protagonist is the one who solves his problems, or 'Frozen', where the myth of the "Prince Charming" is broken, are some examples of this change. Now it arrives Moana, a Disney princess that breaks with the stereotypes that have been seen so far.
Who is Moana?
During the San Diego Comic-Con the world attended three minutes of 'Moana', the next movie from the Disney universe. This film is starring a 16 year old girl who will be the charged with saving the world, a thesis that already starts from other feature films in this study where it is the woman who must wait to be rescued or see a brave knight solving all the problems and then marry her.
Precisely this second point is also interesting because as its directors John Musker and Ron Clements point out, Moana will not have romantic interest in the male protagonist. Something that follows the line of 'Brave', where the end was not a wedding in style with a prince charming.
In short, 'Moana' represents the values of an independent girl who is capable of solving her problems on her own. A message that aims to raise the self-esteem of the girls who come to see this film next November.
Disney princesses and self-esteem in girls
The effect that Disney princesses have on girls' self-esteem has been the subject of a study carried out by Bringham Young University. This work entitled Pretty as Princess focuses on the process by which a minor deals with these films with characters of so clear characteristics and with perfectly defined roles according to their gender.
A total of 200 pre-school children participated in this research, of both sexes. In this study we tried to verify how they were being affected by the content of Disney princess movies. The data collected in this work revealed that the stereotypes of these characters affected more than previously thought to the self-esteem of the children.
The results of this work showed that girls with problems of self-esteem were more prone to be committed to the stereotypes of Disney princesses over time. According to those responsible for this study: "Disney princesses are one of the first examples of an ideal of thinness. As women, we have this ideal present throughout our lives, and it really begins at the level of the princesses, at the age of 3 or 4 years. "
Damián Montero
