Young girls as princesses

[Meteora]

Hi everyone,

I noticed on our trip that many CMs greeted young ladies as "princess" or "young princess." I heard it from at least five or six different CMs, and each seemed to have a different "age range"--one was only calling girls under seven princesses, for instance, while another was extending it to girls who looked 13 or 14. I've been going every year, and this is the first time I've heard this. I assume it has to do with promoting the new pirates and princesses theming--at one point I heard a CM call a young boy a pirate. Is this a new park-wide policy? It seemed odd to me that there appeared to be an age cut-off--my sister is 19. Does that mean she's too old to be a princess? Certainly none of the CMs called her one, though they would call the younger ladies before and behind her princesses.

It seems like an overall trend--while shopping for a three year-old girl, my mom and I asked where the clothes for girls were and were shown almost exclusively princess-themed material. The princesses are great--I personally love them--but they're not for every little girl, just like being a pirate is not for every boy. I love Disney and the magic, but I wish there were less of a gender dichotomy going on. What about the little girls who would rather be pirates?

[kakn7294]

My oldest DD is 12, soon-to-be 13, and wears Pirate Mickey ears the entire trip. Most CM's still call her Princess, especially if they have addressed the youngest DD that way, and she loves it. I don't know about a cut-off age because I've also had many CM's call me Princess as well - and I'm 38. I suppose that any little girl who prefers to be a pirate could just politely tell the CM's that she's a pirate or a pirate princess instead - I'm sure that they'd get a kick out of it.

[SimbaandNalasMama]

I am 36 and would much rather be a Pirate than a Princess :secret:

[Mickey'sGirl]

My son's are regularly referred to as "Young Prince" at the parks.... and hey I still get the odd "Princess". I am sure it is not intended to offend or place gender biases on anyone. It is an attempt to bring a little something special to a guest....and regardless of what their interests are, girls are female and therefore princesses and boys are male and therefore princes in the regal heirarchy. Just smile and enjoy it! :thumbsup:

[tinklover]

We were there in May and I was called princess and at one point I had put my DBF's pirate ears on and I was called pirate princess and I was 33 at the time and my DD's 4 and 2 at the time were called princesses in training or just princesses. so I guess it really depends on the CM. One cm that was at the jungle cruise told me that my DD's and myself should not be seen with a pirate( DBF had his pirate ears on and I had my princess tiara ears on)Beacuse princess don't associate with pirates.

[KAJUNKING]

i think its great that they refer to the kids that way, it adds just a little bit of magic to thier day :mickey:

[SBETigg]

The CMs called my daughter "princess" and "cutie" and similar endearments almost everywhere we went on our first trip with kids in 2001 when she was eight. She hated it. When we went back and she was slightly older, she said she would scream if anyone called her cute names. One CM called her Princess. She managed to control herself and be polite. But this isn't a new thing. Disney CMs have done it for years.

[Figaro]

It really isn't a policy, a PR thing, or anything along those lines. It's just the CMs trying to bring a little more magic. They do encourage us to address those who are dressed up as a princess, prince, or even pirate or character to address them as such. It gives us a gateway to interact with you. We're here to make your experience a magical and unforgettable one, and the best way to do that is to interact, and it gives us something to start with. It's going to be the small things people remember, like the special thing that CM did, or said, or way they acted. It is by no means a gender buzzword, or a way to separate age. But keep in mind, when one steps into WDW, or DL, you leave this world behind, and enter one unlike anyplace anywhere, where you leave age behind and you step into a world of magic and dreams. :magic: As it's best said... "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy."

[SurferStitch]

I'm 34, and I was called "Princess" by several CM's throughout our trip in December. A couple times I was wearing a little tiara I purchased at the Emporium in MK, but other times I wasn't.

Both women and men called me princess. I thought it was pretty cool! One person even called me "Your Highness".

[PirateLover]

I was called princess a few times on our last trip... mostly on my birthday. I'm 22.

[Hayden's Dad]

Hayden got a certificate from one of the YOMD CMs when we got off one of the busses and she told us that you have to be at least 5 in order to be considered a "Prince", so Hayden was designated as a "Prince In Training". (He will be 2 on Thursday). I thought it was great.

My DW kept being called "Princess" as well. I got a kick out of it. She would tell me "I am not a princess." I told her that since she had her hair done at the BBB that she was. She corrected me and told me that she was an Evil Queen in Training.

[PrincessCandaceMarie]

I love it when I'm called Princess....its brings more magic!!!:cloud9:

[FlaTinkRAMESAM]

My DD (3 next week!!! AAAAAHHHH--but, this means a trip to Disney for a week!!! WOO HOO! lol) looooooves when they call her a Princess. It is sorta magical. And she really believes that she is one, and I won't tell her any different! :princess:

[Meteora]

I'm glad to hear that every woman can be a princess, and it certainly makes sense that people who are dressed as a princess or pirate would be treated as such. :mickey: Maybe I'll pick up my own tiara next time. :blush:

I personally love the magic and land of fairy-tale happiness as much as anyone, but I think my issue specifically stems from an ongoing discussion we've been having with friends. We very much want our friends to take their 3 yo on a trip to Disney at some point, because we think she'd just love it--she loves stimulation, and she adores Mickey. However, her mom is very against the "princess" mentality--she doesn't want her daughter to think she has to be a princess to be special, or that she needs to be rescued by a prince or have an incomplete life unless she has the perfect guy. She claims if she brought her daughter to WDW, she'd be surrounded and bombarded by this message. I have disagreed--but on this trip, hearing all the "princess"ing, it occurred to me that while I still disagree with her underlying sentiment of what the princesses represent, this is exactly the type of thing she would object to. Again, I love Disney, and love being a princess. It just so happens that many of my friends are gender studies majors, and I think they would disagree.

[animalkingdomguy]

Generally, I love the idea. I have two daughters and it has always delighted our family when they dress up like one of the princesses. My only problem is when the kids do this in the parks when the weather is not appropirate. One murderously hot and humid August afternoon I saw a little girl completely covered in a Belle Taffita gown laying on a ambulance stretcher in town square. Please, Please do not let your childs fashion interfere with common-sense. That being said, I still love the princesses and the little princesses that like to dress like them.

[kakn7294]

I personally love the magic and land of fairy-tale happiness as much as anyone, but I think my issue specifically stems from an ongoing discussion we've been having with friends. We very much want our friends to take their 3 yo on a trip to Disney at some point, because we think she'd just love it--she loves stimulation, and she adores Mickey. However, her mom is very against the "princess" mentality--she doesn't want her daughter to think she has to be a princess to be special, or that she needs to be rescued by a prince or have an incomplete life unless she has the perfect guy. She claims if she brought her daughter to WDW, she'd be surrounded and bombarded by this message. I have disagreed--but on this trip, hearing all the "princess"ing, it occurred to me that while I still disagree with her underlying sentiment of what the princesses represent, this is exactly the type of thing she would object to. Again, I love Disney, and love being a princess. It just so happens that many of my friends are gender studies majors, and I think they would disagree.You know, anyone who watches ANY Disney Princess movie (and actually pays attention) would quickly realize that the princesses are not simpering little maidens waiting to be rescued by a prince. They are a good representation of what I want my DD's to be - strong, smart, kind women who have good moral values and stay true to their beliefs in love, happily-ever-after, and magic. It's not such a bad thing to be compared to a Disney Princess!

[Meteora]

To clarify again, my issue is not so much whether we agree with that sort of point of view--I myself don't, and I'll assume most other people here don't either--but whether the "princess culture" in the parks has become so prominent that it would no longer be a good place for people who have those types of opinions to bring their kids, as opposed to maybe a decade and a half ago when the princesses were a still big part of Disney but not, IMO, quite the way they are now.

So I guess my question is more, if the princess thing is not your cup of tea, are you realistically able to avoid it these days? I'm genuinely interested in people's opinions on that subject.

[dolphinmickey9170]

I don't know about a cut-off age because I've also had many CM's call me Princess as well - and I'm 38.

That's too funny....but I got called princess once as well and then at the CRT, Ben and I were called "My Lord and Lady." It didn't offend or bother any of us either. It was kind of fun, actually.

As Kathy stated previously, just have the child tell the CM. It surely won't hurt.

Just as a side note, we are all dressing as Pirates for the P&PP and I suspect Keara, our DGD, will still get called a princess.

[KateMW]

To clarify again, my issue is not so much whether we agree with that sort of point of view--I myself don't, and I'll assume most other people here don't either--but whether the "princess culture" in the parks has become so prominent that it would no longer be a good place for people who have those types of opinions to bring their kids, as opposed to maybe a decade and a half ago when the princesses were a still big part of Disney but not, IMO, quite the way they are now.

So I guess my question is more, if the princess thing is not your cup of tea, are you realistically able to avoid it these days? I'm genuinely interested in people's opinions on that subject.

IMO the more kids become more middle of the road in their interests, such as many more girls playing sports and more boys not playing sports, etc., the more gender specific toys there seem to be. It's almost like Disney, Fisher Price, etc seem to think Parents as a whole aren't doing enough to teach our kids that they are girls or boys and they feel the need to stereotype for us. My daughter loves princess stuff, but she also has a wooden tool bench that she asked for for about 6 months and it was her reward for being potty trained. I love that about her, why can't everybody. That being said, if they called her a princess at the parks, we'd all think it was cute and move on. I have no desire or need to explain to the general public that she's a princess who also likes to play "football boys" and I'm usually the Coach Mommy!

I'm also an exercise in contradiction myself though...I'll let her have babydolls and we collect Madame Alexander dolls, but I won't let her have Barbies. Those horrible little tramps have no place in my house. LOL Sorry, I REALLY hate Barbies for some reason.

[kakn7294]

So I guess my question is more, if the princess thing is not your cup of tea, are you realistically able to avoid it these days? I'm genuinely interested in people's opinions on that subject.Can you avoid it? No. However, I think you can do things to lessen the impact such as not shopping in the princess sections of the gift shops and not going to the princess character meals or character meet-and-greets.

Can you ignore it? Yes. If their DD happens to be called "princess" - and I'm sure she would be - smile and move on and don't make a fuss over it.

[Mandalorian30]

When my GF and I were in WDW last year, she was referred to as a princess a few times, mostly by the Disney Princesses themselves. She's 23 and I'm 25, and they always asked her if I was her prince whenever she talked to them. Cinderella said I was a very handsome prince.:blush:

We both thought it was a lot of fun!