Response to "What's Wrong With Cinderella?"

I enjoyed reading Orenstein's article because it reminded me a lot of the mindset I had as a child and still mostly have today. It might not be as bad as the author's because I definitely don't recall going off on a dentist for a Disney or princess comment. However, I completely understand her dislike for the typical pink tiara culture that seems to be forced upon little girls.
Growing up, I hated pink. I didn't see the point in playing with dolls let alone pretend to be one which is what happens when you pretend to be a princess. At the end of the article, Orenstein admits that even though some girls relish their time in the princess phase, most of them tend to grow out of it with goals of an actual profession that doesn't involve twirling. She fails to recognize that while the majority of girls gladly embrace the princess culture, there is that minority group that recognizes the culture is being forced on them and so they refuse to accept it. That's where I was and still am. I didn't want girl toys, I wanted the cool ones like remote control race cars and a slingshot and a skateboard. I never got those though.
My parents were set on not buying me those because they were "boy toys". I never stopped asking for them though which I think proves that children have the ability to know what they want, even though they may not get it. I'm not mad at my parents though because rather than try to force "girl toys" and the "princess theme" upon me, they let me do my own thing. Orenstein is worried about how her daughter will act as she gets older if she believes in the princess idea the market sells so well. I think she should be more worried about what she teaches her daughter at home. Parents have a great influence on their kids, they may think they're in a losing battle with mass media, but really it's the way they raise their children that helps children filter what they see. I think Orenstein should have a little more faith in the girls of today's generation, as well as see that it's not their fault they're exposed to that.

Janet Wasko

Reading Janet Wasko's article was kind of what I expected. Of course hindsight is 20/20. However, her claims of the 5 myths were not very surprising. It would be very naive to believe that the Disney corporation is not like any other business. They are a corporation,  it does not matter that they mostly sell Disney movies with princesses and heroes. That is actually one of the myths Wasko tries to expose. When most people think Disney, they think of the things that actually say Disney on them, and that's usually products based off the famous animations such as Mickey Mouse and the gang as well as the typical damsels in distress that we see in the princess movies. Since it is a business, it can be expected that they would not place their well known name on all the television stations and radio stations and other businesses they own in case something comes from those businesses that doesn't fall into line with the Disney image. It would hurt their reputation and therefore, potentially hurt their profits.
Wasko spends a good portion of the article trying to demystify the "great man image" that Walt Disney is known for and I don't see why. I think I see this point as useless because I never even knew about Walt Disney. I never knew that there was a man behind the idea of Disney. Growing up, I just assumed Disney had sprung out of nowhere, kind of like all the Hogwarts students assumed Dumbledore just sprang to life all aged and wise (or at least I did). Wasko has a point though. Glorifying Disney, the man and the corporation, is not a good idea because of how well the name is known. If everyone grows up thinking Disney is that magical place where amazing stories happen, it could influence how people think of businesses. They may be more easily influenced by mass media and propaganda and fall under the power of huge monopolies because they're so easily convinced by an image.

Introductory Post

My name is Jacquelyn Arreaga, I signed up for this class because it was based on Disney. I figured if I'm going to be forced to write, it might as well be about a topic I am 85% sure I will enjoy. My favorite Disney character is a toss up between Stitch and Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's Apprentice in Fantasia. My favorite Disney movie is Hercules. I am definitely interested in how this class will end up changing my writing style.