Once upon a time in a land far far away...all the way across the Atlantic...there was an eighteen month child who, for the first time, visited a magical land. This child grew up away from this magical place and for her 5th birthday returned...
Disneyland Paris, Collage: Parkerlebnis
I still remember my birthday at Disneyland, how despite all the theme park rides, entertaining shows and disney characters, my favourite ride was always 'mad pram'. Mad pram was a game my dad invented to keep my brother and I entertained while we waited in the long ride queues. We'd stand on the step at the back of the pram or sit in the seat and he'd race all round, tip the pram up, make crazy noises and keep us thoroughly entertained.
I love hearing the stories mum tells about this holiday. How, despite being pregnant with my little brother, she was dragged out of the audience into a Wild West show, thrown in a carriage and tipped out! I remember Minnie and Mickie Mouse bringing me a chocolate cake at dinner, and the whole restaurant singing 'Happy Birthday' to me. Apparently the cake was so big and chocolatey my parents were passing pieces out to all the tables around us!
Like most children, I've grown up with Disney in my life. And as Peggy Orenstein explains, it's not like you could avoid it, even if you wanted to! But I loved the films, books, games and princess dresses. I went to the Disney on Ice show. When my cousin and I were both quite young she helped dress me up in my Cinderella gown, with white gloves, a pearl necklace, little slippers and my hair in a sophisticated bun. I was a classy princess ready for a ball and we went down to show our parents, who were amazed at the skill of my cousin in getting me ready! But I was never an extreme pink fanatic. I loved embracing the princess side, but I also have two brothers and am always more than happy to climb a tree, play rough sports, play with a train set or build a K'Nex rollercoaster. I'm fortunate to have grown up in a balanced environment, where I could enjoy whatever I wanted and was freely able to embrace both my truly girly side and the more 'boy-ish' activities. And my brothers were by no means afraid of pink or princess! My older brother borrowed one of my dresses as he played the ugly step sister in a school play! (How I wish I had access to pictures of all these things to show you!).
My Disney experience has not ended as I've grown up. I'm on the current Frozen bandwagon almost as much as any 5 year old! Just this Christmas I visited my 3 year old niece, Penny, and took her a box of Frozen Christmas crackers as a present. Inside were great presents, with games and trivia...of course all Frozen themed. Then we watched the film together and naturally had to sing every song! And just watching Penny enthralled in the film shows me the real magic of Disney. I can see it does her good too! She remembers the plot line and the script. She loves telling me about what will happen next, or saying the Characters lines with them, or even just before them! She shows empathy when Anna is hit by the ice-blast the first time. All these developmental skills she's expressing through Frozen. And Penny is just as happy to dress up in her beautiful Elsa dress as she is her spider man costume. She adores her toy kitchen and her builder's set equally.
Last year I also saw Disney's The Lion King on the West End at the Lycium Theatre in London. It was the best West End show I've seen by far!
I signed up for Decoding Disney for a number of reasons....firstly, duh....it's Disney! I mean who doesn't want to re-live the childhood dream and embrace their inner Hakunna Matata. But it's not all just sining and dancing, I'm also very interested in delving behind the scenes and exploring the underlying messages Disney portrays, the effects on children and how Disney really shapes our lives for the future.
I took the opportunity of reading Orenstein's 'Cinderella Ate My Daughter' over winter break (don't worry, I'll re-read the chapters for in-depth blog posts) and while I suppose the book is supposed to provoke a reaction, it really got to me and put me on the defensive for Disney! I don't see the pink and princess fad as harmful or evil and I felt desperately sorry for Orenstein's daughter, who was being denied these princess experiences. I believe a girl can be a princess and still grow up to be a strong, successful woman. I think the key is in balance and choice. Yes, Orenstein claims that Princess is rammed down girls' throats from such a young age that it can hardly be considered a choice. And undeniably so, commercialism is becoming ever more prominent in our lives - yes, now even taxis have tv adverts in them! But I think it's unfair to try to ban Disney, rather a balance is needed. Maybe some girls will want nothing but Princess...for a time...but I'm sure many would be happy to branch out. To build impressive lego constructions, ride bikes, play football, or hot wheels.
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