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For once Disney seems to be doing something right. Its primary role models for girls have, for years, been princesses. Sure, the ones created in the past couple years have been more dynamic, with more in their lives than just wishing that “someday my prince will come,” but at the end of the day, they’re princesses. That’s usually the notes on which their movies end. They’ve found men or are living in a castle: that’s the happily ever after.
The princesses are also all so very “white as snow.” Most of the princesses are white, and everyone else just gets only one princess representing them, rather than several. It took way too long for an African-American princess to join the ranks, but since then Disney’s continued to churn out white princesses.
Someone over at the Disney Channel is doing much better. One of its hit new shows, “Doc McStuffins,” features for its primary protagonist a young African-American girl who in her childhood play pretends to be a doctor. Not a princess, not a dancer or singer, but a doctor. At first that might not seem like a big deal, but it really is.
Most parents encourage their children to be whatever they want, and that includes doctors. Some might even actively nudge their children into the medical field. But it’s a lot harder to get kids actually interested in such meaningful careers if they don’t have role models, and kids often look for role models from the media. Can you think of any other female doctors in children’s programming? If so, how many of those are white? How many are African-American?
I always feel a little funny when I say that media ought to have some social responsibility. No one’s forced to watch television, so why should TV executives concern themselves with properly educating or informing the masses? That might be true, but producers of programming for children do have more responsibility to make sure that they are sending good messages to their young viewers. Yes, ultimately, it’s a parent’s job to regulate what his or her child watches, but children’s media still has some responsibility too.
Obviously Disney, or at least the Disney Channel, is starting to think the same. Their recent ban on junk food ads shows that they care what messages are being sent to the children watching. “Doc McStuffins” is telling little girls that they can be doctors, and showing boys that girls can be doctors. It assures African American girls that they have diverse role models within the media.
The Disney movie department, no matter how happy I might be with elements of their content, has a long way to go in presenting realistic role models for kids. There are a few exceptions: “Lilo & Stitch” is a great example. Otherwise it’s princesses, princesses, princesses (even if they are archers or restaurateurs). Now, Disney Channel: this might make up for your princess misstep. Let’s keep having more characters like Doc, and less like Sofia.
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*(This image by Stuart Miles is from FreeDigitalPhotos.net).