Abstract

Animated children’s media is becoming increasingly thinner, particularly as society demands continually smaller waists in the ideal female body size. The present study is focused on analyzing the origin and effects of abnormally small waist-to-hip ratios in animated Disney Princesses on a younger, primarily female audience. Exposure to these unrealistic body standards may result in internalization that leads to body dissatisfaction, as well as a drive for impossible thinness that results in disordered eating, mental health concerns, and suicide ideation. Adolescents and preadolescents are particularly at risk, due to daily entertainment screen time nearly tripling since 1999. While the risks associated with exposure to Disney Princess movies is great, particularly when exposure is repeated, the present study also proposes solutions to this problem. Removing the movies from adolescents’ lives is an unrealistic solution; instead, adding preventative care surrounding media consumption is considered. These additions (active mediation, body diverse media, and media literacy interventions) better equip children to understand the unrealistic nature of thin-ideal media in general, not only in the Disney Princess movies that they are regularly exposed to. The risk of internalization is greatly reduced with these interventions, and they are solutions that benefit adolescents into their adult lives, where thin-ideal media is still present.

Semester/Year of Award

Spring 2024

Mentor

Randi Polk

Mentor Professional Affiliation

Associate Director EKU Honors

Access Options

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelors

Department

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