Or you could take princess as "As long as you're beautiful and good at chatting up people at parties, you will get a man who can take care of the kingdom and rescue you from the dragon/monster/whatever" and fairy as "wait in your misery til a fairy helps you out" There's alot of unfortunate implications in the picture, especially consindering the fairy tales roots it has in the western world. I mean, beside Rebellious Princess, how many conventions are associated with capable women who are able to tackle problems on their own and Princess/fairies. A Nd then count how many are not.
Culture is hugely objectifying to women. It does tell them that their looks are important, and tries to normalize images of dominant men in positions of power and their desired mate. But how much this has to do with Princesses and Fairies and children's toys and culture is a different matter.
I agree, part of the appeal of Princesses is status of their own. You can be a Princess and rely on your own power and have your own status granted to you at birth, without need to look at it in another. And fairies are cool because they're magical. At least to me as a boy. The only problem is, body don't seem to also fantasize about being princes. Makes the matter a bit odd. I think it could be due to the fact that boys are given less refined stereotypes. Boys are supposed to be into bugs, explosions and gross things. And the Gentlemanly is seen as foppish and lacking in testosterone. Personally, I'd prefer it if boy's culture were filled with more gentlemanly things and less concerned with the crass and aggressive. It's one of the things that alienated me from a lot of boy's toys. I had the temptation to pretend like a few of them just to be popular. But uck, the mere and memory is truly yuck! I feel the desire to cleanse myself of it, and the world of it's desire.
Genkidama for Japan, even if you don't have money, you can help![1]I prefer testosterone overlaid on gentlemanly things. Alien bug tanks performing Shakespeare while cursing, if you will.
edited 22nd Jan '11 12:29:16 PM by OOZE
I'm feeling strangely happy now, contented and serene. Oh don't you see, finally I'll be, somewhere that's green...See, I don't have that much of a problem with princesses and fairies along the lines of Odin Sphere. I mean, they kicked ass.
Not so lucky on the part of the rest of the world, but hey.
edited 22nd Jan '11 12:28:48 PM by Pykrete
I don't know. My childhood games revolved around witches and vampires. Maybe I was just weird.
Also, Disney Pricess movies probably contributed a lot.
edited 22nd Jan '11 12:28:58 PM by Firestarter
Everything happens for a reason. The reason is a chaotic intersection of chance and the laws of physics."This is what Western culture has taught women for centuries." - Ukonkivi
But to what extent has that applied during the 20th and 21st centuries with the progress made therein?
"If you look at skin care products and the like, they pretty much all advertise to women." - Ukonkivi
That describes what skin care product marketers teach women, as per market incentives. Not what society as a whole teaches women.
"More clothing is made for women." - Ukonkivi
See above.
"And there are statistical claims that say that women are still more likely to look for a wealthier man(fortunately decreasing, but still there)." - Ukonkivi
The question remains as to whether this is because it is taught or because it is related to biological tendencies.
"Culture is hugely objectifying to women. It does tell them that their looks are important" - Ukonkivi
Referring to culture generally like this is a bit vague. The real question is who is saying looks are important and who is not; I know the schools I went to focused much of health class and even English class condemning the focus the fashion industry put on looks.
edited 22nd Jan '11 12:44:29 PM by neoYTPism
Well, of course I want to look for a wealthy man. More money is always good.
If I were to want to be a princess, it'd be so I can say L'etat c'est moi.
Oh, and the money. Princesses always have money.
About other girls... I dunno. It might be a Disney thing. Nearly all their protagonists in their major movies (in the 1990s, at least) are princesses.
Oh, I see I was ninja'd.
I was a spy/secret agent, kinda like James Bond meets Charlies Angels.
edited 22nd Jan '11 12:51:30 PM by melloncollie
Wouldn't it be neat if someone made an animated musical princess movie about Marie Antoinette, that was entirely Disneyfied until the revolution starts, at which point it follows the events of history very closely culminating in her death?
I'm feeling strangely happy now, contented and serene. Oh don't you see, finally I'll be, somewhere that's green...Or 'question to girls who do not know or care what fairies were actually like.'
Seriously, those fuckers are creepy. Little, insect-winged sociopaths.
edited 22nd Jan '11 12:53:55 PM by Sparkysharps
The Fair Folk are cool. Modern-style fairies can be kind of charming, but are generally less impressive.
Never really understood why people get so excited about royalty, when they don't make that kind of fuss about, say, the President's relatives or whatever. Royals get nice clothes, I guess. Certainly, romanticised princesses seem cooler than the real thing.
*not a girl, just rambling musing thoughtfully*
edited 22nd Jan '11 1:05:08 PM by BobbyG
Welcome To TV Tropes | How To Write An Example | Text Formatting Rules | List Of Shows That Need Summary | TV Tropes Forum | Know The StaffInteresting thought-a story about the interaction between modern Disney-style fairies and The Fair Folk.
I'm feeling strangely happy now, contented and serene. Oh don't you see, finally I'll be, somewhere that's green...If they did, I can imagine there'd be a lot of eyebrows raised (kinda like Maggie's "We have become a grandmother" remark).
But then, Louis could make a claim like that because he was the head of state, whereas the President's relatives aren't.
edited 22nd Jan '11 1:14:42 PM by BobbyG
Welcome To TV Tropes | How To Write An Example | Text Formatting Rules | List Of Shows That Need Summary | TV Tropes Forum | Know The StaffI'm a girl and I was never into princesses, fairies, or dolls. DRAGONS are where it's at.
Would you kindly click my dragons?I dunno, I'm a guy and I like princesses. The Zelda kind of princess, not the annoying kind.
Additionally, I had many female friends growing up and we never pretended to be princesses or fairies or whatever. Games we played usually had dark magical undertones. Very strange for a bunch of kids...
Also, among male friends I tended to fill the female role. I even pretended to be their girlfriends sometimes. So I guess you could say not every girl is into princesses and not every boy is into superheroes. Many times these roles are reversed. Who knows why children like what they like.
"Without a fairy, you're not even a real man!" ~ Mido from Ocarina of Timethere seem to be alot of exceptions here.
Yet the succes of Disney Princess and Winx Club tells me that the majority of girls do in fact like them.
Make your hearth shine through the darkest night; let it transform hate into kindness, evil into justice, and loneliness into love.On why it is cool to be a fairy: Because fairies are assholes. The fair folk are an odd sort. They can be anything from the laugh of babies to demented angels. Some fairies can be nice fine things, others trolls, and others still down right vicious hellspawn seeking to corrupt poor Puritans to evil witchcraft. The reason this all appeals to females is because we have an innate knowledge of the truth of fairies and are at heart trolls.
On why it is cool to be a princess: Pampered royalty and possibly the ability to be a rebellious bitch.
If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

One of my stories has a half-elven princess who is the illegitimate child of an elven queen and her seprentine deliveryman. The child is now in hiding with her father but is managing to stay in touch with politics due to her ability to travel many places while on delivery duties. I don't plan on having her fall in love at first sight with the first deliveryboy she meets, though. How will you recognize this girl? She's got Princess Curls.