Cinderella And Princess Culture Summary

In both “The Princess Paradox” by James Poniewozik and “Cinderella and Princess Culture” by Peggy Orenstein, the princess culture is agreed upon; however, the authors vary their opinions of how the fairytail dream of pink dresses and sparkly crowns came to be. Poniewozik opens up his article by addressing the “kick-ass culture,” while Orenstein focuses on how princesses have diminished the feeling of confidence and independence that young girls should experience. While some may believe that princesses show the younger generation that females possess the ability to accomplish anything a male can, others believe that this trend aggressively encourages the idea of “perfection” in our modern society. Both “The Princess Paradox” and “Cinderella and Princess Culture” discuss the rules and …show more content…
Orenstein goes to the extend of explaining how princesses being a common trend is as clear as Harry Potter being a book (Orenstein 326.) This feminist mother believes that pink becoming the new gold could have detrimental effects on the future of the younger generation (Orenstein 327.) Although there are no studies proving that princesses can tear down and destroy a girls’ self-esteem, there are studies that show how females have made adjustments in their lives in order to fit into society's definition of “perfect.” According to Orenstein, 23% of females end up quitting sports and other vigorous activities between middle school and high school in fear of being too masculine. This pressure to be perfect correlates with many things that could cause stress on females such as: getting good grades, being involved inside and outside of school, containing respectable characteristics, pleasing everyone, and being very thin (Orenstein