Over Time and Beyond Disney—Visualizing Princesses Through a Comparative Study in India, Fiji, and Sweden

http://www.diva-portal.org This is the published version of a paper published in Social Sciences. Citation for the original published paper (version of record): Uppal, C. (2019) Over time and beyond disney-visualizing princesses through a comparative study in India, Fiji, and Sweden Social Sciences, 8(4): 105 https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8040105 Access to the published version may require subscription. N.B. When citing this work, cite the original published paper. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited Permanent link to this version: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-73341 social sciences $€ £ ¥ Article Over Time and Beyond Disney—Visualizing Princesses through a Comparative Study in India, Fiji, and Sweden Charu Uppal Department of Geography, Media and Communication, Karlstad University, 65188 Karlstad, Sweden; [email protected] Received: 24 December 2018; Accepted: 23 March 2019; Published: 31 March 2019 Abstract: Disney animated princesses are broadcasted around the world through Disney Channel and its global affiliates as well as through numerous other networks that purchase distribution rights. In an attempt to provide diversity in the last 25 years, Disney has featured nonwestern princesses such as those in Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995), Mulan (1998), and Moana (2016). This study examines how princesses in animated Disney movies are perceived and understood by girls (8–15 years) in three different countries, over two time-periods with a gap of nearly a decade (2009 and 2018). The primary research question, considering Disney’s global reach, is how race, culture, and presence of a royal family interact with transnational access to the same media content in the perception of the princess concept and about being a girl. The selected countries provide an opportunity to explore differences in perception of Disney princesses between girls raised in countries with and without a royal family, and between girls in nonwestern and western countries. Differences in the perception are attributed to local and national cultures that allow a different lens to view the same content. A mixed method combining interviews, focus groups, and participant-generated images was used to gather data in India, Fiji, and Sweden. Results indicate Disney princesses, with their ubiquitous presence in various formats, e.g., media content, costumes and school stationery, have created a uniform idea of beauty across countries. Princesses in Disney were perceived by participants as being Caucasian and American, regardless of the race or country they represented. Girls in India and Fiji did not identify with Jasmine or Mulan, whom they considered ‘American’, whereas girls in Sweden considered Jasmine and Mulan as princesses of nonwestern origin. Girls in India and Fiji did not think they could be princesses because of their skin color, and did not want to lead a life ‘restricted with responsibilities’, but girls in Sweden considered the same question from the place of a choice, i.e., they preferred not to lead a ‘boring’ and regulated life like that of a princess. Participants from Fiji, with the least access to domestic programming that showed girls of their same Fijian origin, were least likely to consider themselves capable of being a princess. Keywords: Disney; girls; beauty; transnational media; princess 1. Introduction The ‘Disney Universe’1 has captured audiences and consumers around the world for nearly a century. On its international website2, the company that appeals mostly to children and young adults, lists nine online destinations, seven of which are regions or continents—Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, 1 As used in J. Wasko, 2001. 2 http://www.disneyinternational.com. Soc. Sci. 2019, 8, 105; doi:10.3390/socsci8040105 www.mdpi.com/journal/socsci Soc. Sci. 2019, 8, 105 2 of 24 North America, Latin America, and Middle East, and two of which are countries with large populations, Soc. Sci. 2019, 8, 105 2 of 24 India and Russia. The website lists India, a country of 1.3 billion people, with a growing market that 3 marketconsumes that much consumes media much in English, media asin aEnglish, separate as market a separate from market Asia . from Each Asia tab has3. Each a drop-down tab has a drop- menu downthat takes menu the that viewer takes to the country viewer and to country language-specific and language-specific content. Each content. region isEach further region divided is further into dividedmany subregions into many andsubregions countries. and In countries. essence, In Disney essenc ise, everywhere.Disney is everywhere. If not in theatres, If not in theatres, then it can then be itfound can be on found electronic on electronic screens thatscreens are that omnipresent, are omnipresent, or as logos or as and logos images, and images, posters posters and book and covers, book covers,theme designstheme designs for birthday for birthday cakes, and cakes, even and professionally even professionally paintedonto painted the wallsonto the of young walls children’sof young 4 children’srooms (Figure rooms1).4 (Figure 1). FigureFigure 1. 1. ScenesScenes from from LittleLittle Mermaid Mermaid onon a a wall wall in in a a house house in in India. India. ThisThis study study illustrates illustrates how how Disney’s Disney’s global global presen presencece mainstreams views on being a girl. Disney’s Disney’s globalglobal presence presence has has been been critiqued critiqued both both for for perpetuating perpetuating stereotypical stereotypical images images (England (England et et al. al. 2011)2011) andand its its potential potential impact impact on on cultures, cultures, especially especially in in countries countries lacking lacking domestic domestic programming programming that that relies relies onon western western media media content content (Forman-Brunell (Forman-Brunell and Hain Hainss 2014).2014). Ubiquity Ubiquity of of American American media media including including Disney,Disney, andand thethe absenceabsence of of media media rooted rooted in in native native cultures cultures can can hamper hamper young young girls’ girls’ identification identification with withand takingand taking pride inpride their in own their culture. own culture. Domestic Domestic audio-visual audio-visual programming programming focusing onfocusing culturally on culturallyrelevant stories relevant and stories folklore and can folklore potentially can empowerpotentially young empower girls toyoung counter girls Disney’s to counter transnational Disney’s transnationalbut monocultural but narrativemonocultural (Nastasia narrative and Uppal(Nastasia 2014 and). Countries Uppal 2014). that do Countries not have that a thriving do not domestic have a thrivingmedia industry domestic present media no competitionindustry present to transnational no competition media content.to transnational Not surprisingly, media content. Fiji, a country Not surprisingly,which lacks domestic Fiji, a country industry, wh5ichdoes lacks not domestic attract Disney’s industry, interest,5 does andnot isattract missing Disn fromey’s itsinterest, international and is missingwebsite, from possibly its international because it iswebsite, a small possibly market because and Disney it is isa small aware market that lack and of Disney competition is aware in that the lackcountry of competition ensures viewership. in the country ensures viewership. Sweden,Sweden, India, India, and and Fiji, Fiji, the the locales locales of of research research fo forr this this study, study, provide provide a a complex complex intertwining intertwining of of variablesvariables which allowallow examining examining the the role role of of Disney Disney princesses princesses on youngon young girls’ girls’ perceptions perceptions about about being beinga girl. a The girl. three The countries,three countries, as described as described in detail in in detail the following in the following sections, sections, vary in culture,vary in ethnicity,culture, ethnicity,and use of and transnational use of transnational media. media. This comparative study examines data gathered through a participatory study on girls between 8 and 15 years of age in three different countries over two time periods nearly a decade apart—India and3 http: Fiji,//www.disneyinternational.com in 2009, and Sweden /in#panel1i 2018., accessed All three September countries 2018. are democracies 6 with considerable 4 differences,The researcher that had function seen one suchas variables. wall-painting Sweden in India., a constitutional monarchy, has a modest media 5 While Bollywood, the Hindi film industry of India, is prominent in Fiji, it is consumed mainly by Indo-Fijians who constitute less than 40% of the population, due to language constraints. 3 http://www.disneyinternational.com/#panel1i, accessed September 2018. 4 The researcher had seen one such wall-painting in India. 5 While Bollywood, the Hindi film industry of India, is prominent in Fiji, it is consumed mainly by Indo- Fijians who constitute less than 40% of the population, due to language constraints. 6 Although Fiji had its fourth coup in 2006, since then there have been two elections. Soc. Sci. 2019, 8, 105 3 of 24 This comparative study examines data gathered through a participatory study on girls between 8 and 15 years of age in three different countries over two time periods nearly a decade apart—India

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