The nature (or nurture) of marketing

When I saw this advertisement/newsletter from Disney ("The Eternal Allure of the Disney Princess"), it reminded me of a surprising conversation I had some years ago. After sharing with a new co-worker that my daughters loved some Disney story or another (one of those polite water-cooler kinds of conversations) she got a dour look on her face and then told me she had issues with the portrayal of the heroines in Disney films. In particular, she thought they taught girls to think that somehow women always needed to be rescued or that it was normal for a woman to pine for a knight in shining armor. I was surprised that someone would be so troubled about that issue that they would be so forthright with that view in perhaps a maiden conversation.

The subject is interesting because it deals with the issue of nature vs. nurture and why little girls are attracted to princesses. Disney has sure capitalized on the attraction, even though (I would bet) many of the upper-level muckety mucks at Disney share my co-worker's sentiment. Which leads us to the article; here's the first paragraph:

"Ever since 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' first graced the screen in 1937, little girls everywhere have been enchanted by Disney Princesses. But don't be fooled into thinking that these ladies, with their sparkly dresses and long cascading hair, are just another bunch of pretty faces. They make strong choices, help those less fortunate, and ultimately champion the underdog."

It is amusing to read the article because, try as they might, the authors could get little more than the "traditional" answer from the girls they interviewed. As demonstrated by the interviews in the article--not to mention my personal experience, the "allure" of princesses isn't their decisiveness, charity or "champion[ing] the underdog." Frankly, the Disney folks (driven by the forces of Capitalism) probably strike a proper balance between acknowledging nature but seeing the potential of nurture.