Article The Rise of the Androgynous Princess: Examining Representations of Gender in Prince and Princess Characters of Disney Movies Released 2009–2016 Benjamin Hine 1,*, Dawn England 2, Katie Lopreore 3, Elizabeth Skora Horgan 4 and Lisa Hartwell 5 1 Department of Psychology, University of West London; St Mary’s Road, London W5 5RF, UK 2 School of Health and Education, Middlesex University Dubai, Knowledge Park, Block 16, Dubai, UAE;
[email protected] 3 Department of Nursing, Middle Tennessee University, 13-1 E Main Street, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA;
[email protected] 4 Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA;
[email protected] 5 Master’s Counseling Department, Messiah College, One College Avenue, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055, USA;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +44-0208-209-4571 Received: 5 October 2018; Accepted: 16 November 2018; Published: 22 November 2018 Abstract: Previous quantitative research examining Disney movies has highlighted that whilst prince characters display largely balanced gender profiles, princesses exhibit biased gender role portrayals—performing mostly feminine characteristics, rarely participating in rescue behavior, and concluding movies in romantic relationships with the prince. However, such research, as well as public commentary, has also suggested that princess characters in movies released across the 2000s and 2010s may have more positive gender role portrayals. This study aimed to test these assertions by utilizing content coding analysis to examine the behavioral characteristics, rescue behavior, and romantic conclusions of prince and princess characters in five iconic Disney films released between 2009 and 2016 (The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Brave (released under Pixar), Frozen, and Moana).