Disney Princess Characteristics as Predictors of Body Esteem and Gendered Play Across Early Childhood

• In Event: Gendered Play and Development

Abstract

Although there is much concern about the harmful effect of engagement with Disney Princesses on young children’s body esteem and internalization of gender stereotypes (e.g., Orenstein, 2012), Disney princesses remain extremely popular with young children. While research has examined the effect of engagement with Disney princesses generally (e.g., Coyne et al., 2016), this research explores the effect on engagement with Disney princesses based on their attributes (body size, intelligence, race, and SES). Specifically, we explored two research questions; how are characteristics of Disney princesses related to body esteem and gendered play behavior longitudinally, and do these effects differ by child gender? And, do characteristics of Disney princesses interact with different types of princess engagement to uniquely influence children’s body esteem and gendered play longitudinally? These questions were examined in a sample of 421 children (M age = 29.68 months, SD = 3.73 months, Males = 235, Females = 209).
Using a multiple group analysis in Mplus, we found that the effect of princess characteristics on body esteem and gendered play was moderated by gender. Specifically, for girls, princesses’ body size and intelligence were associated with gendered play and body esteem at T2, controlling for body esteem, gendered play at T1, household income and parent education (see Table 1). There were no associations between princesses’ characteristics and body esteem or gendered play for boys.
To examine our second research question, we used an OLS regression framework to predict each body esteem and gendered play by facets of princess engagement and princess characteristics. Child gender, household income, parent education, and the body esteem and gendered play at T1 were included as covariates. Interaction terms were added between princess characteristic and types of princess engagement. Significant interactions were then plotted (See Figure 1), and simple slopes were calculated to probe the interactions. Princess body size moderated the relationship between playing pretend princess and body esteem, as well as gendered play. Children whose favorite princess had an average body size showed a positive relationship between time spent playing pretend princess and body esteem, and gendered play. Children whose favorite princess was thin did not show a relationship between time spent playing pretend princess and body esteem or gendered play. In addition, children whose favorite princess was depicted as medium SES showed a positive relationship between time spent playing pretend princess and feminine play. Finally, children whose favorite princess was a different race than them, showed a positive relationship between time spent playing pretend princess and body esteem.
Princesses remain a large part of childhood today, both for girls and boys. Depictions of princesses’ body size seem to be particularly impactful for young children, although our analyses suggest that perhaps thin princesses are not necessarily harmful for young children. Instead, our findings suggest that princesses with average body sizes create a protective context for young girls for both body esteem and the internalization of gender stereotypes.

Authors

• Jane Shawcroft, University of California - Davis
  Presenting Author

• Sarah M Coyne, Brigham Young University

• Hailey Holmgren, Brigham Young University

• Adam Rogers, Brigham Young University

• Megan Gale