from that Disney Princesses post.
“It’s just a movie,” ”Kids don’t understand all of that,” “We live in a different time,” ”Kids don’t learn values from watching TV, that’s up to the parents.”
1. Yeah, it’s just a movie. I get that. However, movies—whether real or fantasy—teach lessons. Movies teach values. If a child sees these movies, chances are they will also believe that one day their prince charming will come along, and they may hold out for that perfect man who will take care of them. No, not just the movie will do that to a kid, but over time with movies, tv shows, advertisements, etc—with continued exposure to the same messages, yeah, you eventually take these messages to heart. One disney movie won’t do that, I know. But once again—continued exposure. It’s called conditioning people. Read a psychology book.
2. Kids don’t realize that these are the messages these movies are sending. Parents don’t even realize it at times. They’re great children movies, yes. But once again—continued exposure. They don’t have to know the exact message in those exact terms, but it’s still something they will keep in the back of their mind with continued exposure.
3. Yes, these are old movies. When these movies were written and produced, women had a very different role in society. Yet the media continues to put this idea of women in our heads. The media still tells us what we can do to please men. The media still tells us that our worth is in the house taking care of everyone. The media still tells us to be skinny and flawless in order for a man to love us. The media continues to tell us that our worth is in the man we choose to be with.
4. TV IS A PARENT’S BEST FRIEND. You ever babysit, or have kids for that matter, and you need a moment to yourself? What do you do? Pop in a movie, it’ll keep the kids calm for a while. I’ve done it, and so has just about every other person on earth. So if a child is watching these movies over and over and over, watching ads, hell a teenage girl goes to the store and reads fashion magazines while she’s in line she’ll see these messages of “this is what you do to find a man”. Seventeen magazine is very popular with the teens. Just like cosmo it tells girls how to figure out what boys really want, do this to be beautiful, do that and he’ll go on a date with you, this is how to really kiss a boy, blah blah blah.
Fantasy or not, these movies are still a huge part of a child’s life. No, we don’t have to ban and boycott all disney movies, all tv shows, and all music, advertisements, whatever. However, it is important to acknowledge what your kids are really learning when you put them in front of the TV.
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