My media class assignment this week was somewhat of a challenge. We were assigned to write a letter to anyone--an actor, a CEO, President Obama, a congressman or woman, etc--and we would actually send it to them. We had to ask for some sort of change from these people, to voice our concerns about what the media is doing to society, and to be an instrument of change.
I chose to write to the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Robert Iger. This semester, we've talked a lot about the impact of the media on children, and I knew that I wanted my letter to be asking for change starting at a young age. We've talked about Disney princesses, what they stand for on the surface, on the inside, and what they are teaching our little girls. Disney announced in 2011 that they would no longer be making princess films, in order to draw in a wider audience. This was extremely upsetting to me because I LOVE Disney princesses and what they teach young girls...but then I saw the following video from Disney called "I Am A Princess" which I have posted before. And that launched my letter idea to the CEO of Walt Disney.
Dear Mr. Iger:
I have loved
Disney films and Disney princesses my entire life. I find great messages
scattered throughout the stories and great strength in the characters. But I
was extremely sad to hear that Disney has sworn off any more princess movies
for the foreseeable future. I understand the marketing reasons for this
decision, but I will deeply miss these films.
I recently came
across Disney’s campaign on YouTube entitled “I Am A Princess” that was
launched in the past few years. It
is an amazing concept that I wish received more attention. By using real girls
doing real things, this video teaches the importance of being strong, of being
kind and generous, of loving your family, of being brave, and of overcoming
obstacles. The message of this video is something that I think needs to be
advertised and shown more often, and I believe Disney has the capability to do
it. Expanding the real life “I Am A Princess” campaign, and possibly airing it
on your networks (especially Disney Junior and Disney Channel), would allow for
more exposure to the young girls who need this message the most.
Little girls are
constantly bombarded by misrepresentations in the media of what it means to be
a woman, how a woman should look, and what a woman can and cannot do. These
girls need to be exposed to more truth and I believe the “I Am A Princess”
campaign is the perfect platform. I would love to see this campaign expanded
and brought further into the public eye. There need to be more real life examples
of everyday princesses, using their minds, their skills, and their kindness to become
incredible women and contribute to the world.
Because every
girl is a princess; long may they reign.
Sincerely,
Jenna Berkey
Stop it. THIS IS PERFECT!!!! Baaaah I am so jealous. I decided to write to Victoria's Secret about their new teen line. Ridiculous, right? Like our teens need any more messages about sexualization. I'm so mad about it. But I hate it cause it's like, angry persuasion, which never gets anywhere. Your letter is perfection.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great letter! Good job. I didn't know they swore off princess movies... how sad is that!
ReplyDeleteI was in LOVE with this video when Prof Coyne showed it in class. I think it makes sense that because these videos are more PSA-style rather than a movie that needs to be sold, their marketing goals shouldn't affect whether this campaign is expanded.
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