Dr. Rebecca Hains
Author, professor and speaker | Children's media culture, media literacy, and media criticism
Category: marketing
Cartoonists and animation experts weigh in: the new Merida doesn’t HAVE to look this way
In the past few days, the new Merida designed for the Disney Consumer Products Division has lead to heated controversy. On the one hand, critics argue that the redesign undercuts Merida’s strength, serving her up in a more stereotypical princess…
Read MoreDisney faces backlash over new “sexy” Merida; pulls new image from web site as a result
UPDATE, May 16, 2013: Disney has stated that 1. the 2D image was never on their official web site in the first place (though, oddly, it’s all over the official Australia/NZ version of the Disney Princess site–which may have been the source of any…
Read MoreKids’ products and gender: What’s on the packaging?
Preschoolers can be quick to notice gendered illustrations on products. If a package has a picture of a boy on it, that item must be for boys; if it has a picture of a girl on it, it must be…
Read MoreDisney Princess Prom Gowns and Cradle-to-Grave Marketing
Just a few months ago, I wrote about how Disney Princess-styled extravagance among toddlers reflects the extraordinary extravagance of today’s proms, which now cost families an average of $1,000 to $2,000. But until Mouse on the Mind brought it to…
Read MoreReimagining Disney Princesses with racial diversity: From Tumblr to D-Tech
A couple of weeks ago, a young woman named Lauren reimagined the white Disney Princess characters as women of color, posting recolored images of them on her Tumblr blog. Her inspired designs quickly made their way around the blogosphere. Responses ranged…
Read MoreLifestyle branding and the Disney Princess megabrand
Did you know that Behr produces a line of Disney Princess interior paints? Here are some photos I took of Behr’s Disney Princess – Disney Color catalog. Introducing the Disney Princess bathroom: And, of course, the Disney Princess bedroom: While…
Read MoreScience Museum gift shop offers girls “space princess” tees and other stereotypes
You know, there are a lot of ways to get girls excited about science, but I don’t think this is one of them: Neither is this: The fact that a science museum is targeting girls Lego Friends style–by coating the gender-neutral…
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