The new Disney Princess is important to my daughter. When I was a little girl I loved watching Disney movies, but not one princess who looked like me. The lack of representation definitely had an effect on me. However, with the new princess in town, Tiana, my daughter is having a totally different experience.
I bought the DVD a few weeks ago and she loves watching it! Not only that..when she puts on her pull ups, she specifically looks for the ones with Princess Tiana and the other princesses. When I attempt to put one on with just Cinderella or Snow White, she declares, "NO! Tiana!" When she prepares for sleep, she wants to hear the Tiana story, have her doll next to her and the blanket covering her. And when she sneaks to her brothers room later in the night, she brings all of those items with her.
I truly wonder if other black girls across America are having a similar experience. Of course, Princess Tiana will not be the main ingredient in determining how little black girls see themselves. However, I do believe it is having a positive effect. And I am anxious to see how this will influence their definitions of their own beauty.
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