Season 4 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic stands as a brilliant deconstruction and reconstruction of Disney's Princess culture, which has dominated young girls media for over a decade. Through the arc of the show's principle character, Twilight Sparkle, and drawing upon the show's mythos and a season-long downplaying of Twilight's role, the season on a whole is able to dig into a distinct commentary on the nature of princess in modern media, and tries to shift the meaning in a direction that serves the show’s themes, which encourages young girls to express themselves more freely than within the previously narrow and vague confines of trying to be a princess.
Firstly, it is key to understand the full extent of what princess culture. Starting from the late 1990s, Disney decided to tie together the heroines from some of its most popular films in a marketing and merchandising effort, and it was a smash success. The Disney Princess Line became the most dominant force across the landscape of young girls’ media, and other companies adapted to this.
Over time, the centralizing power of the Disney Princess Line embedded certain ideas and themes across into a generation of young girls. Girls everywhere dream of being princesses like their favorite Disney heroines, following in their footsteps. Criticism arose, however, at how the dominance of this brand limited the options of young girls and the media oriented for them.
In Orenstein's book
How Cinderella Ate my Daughter: Dispatches from the Frontline of the New Girlie-Girl Culture, she discusses the potentially negative impact that the dominance of the Disney princess line has, and the problematic messages it sends. Three elements that Orenstein discusses in Disney's construction of princesses are heteronormative romance, the obsession with physical appearance and materialism, and the distinct separation of the princesses within marketing:
Among other things, princesses tend to be rather isolated in their singularity. Navigating the new world of friendships is what preschool is all about, yet the Disney Princesses, you will recall, won't even LOOK at one another." (Orenstein, 23) (Referring to how the princesses are all looking in different directions across the Disney princess line)
Princesses may confide in a sympathetic mouse or teacup, but, at least among the best-known stories, they do not have girlfriends. (Orenstein, 23)
Princesses avoid female bonding. Their girls are to be saved by a prince, get married...and be taken care of for the rest of their lives. Their value derives largely from their appearance. They are rabid materialists." (Orenstein, 23)
Orenstein's account rings fairly true, in my book, a few examples notwithstanding. Though many of the princesses themselves are fairly strong characters within their films, they are more simplified in marketing, and many are locked within similar, problematic narratives. Female bonding is also notably absent from a lot of Disney princess films, with mothers frequently being deceased and the films spending most of their time developing romance, villains, and side characters. The Disney princess line has also largely focused on title, materialism and appearance over other aspects of their characters Disney itself seems to have grown cognizant of their own tropes within their films
Brave and
Frozen, and although these two films counter a number of these trends, the impact of the original Disney princess line can still be felt.
Friendship is Magic is a show that felt the ripples of that from the very beginning. As Faust constructed the show, the legacy of the Disney Princess line influenced a key decision. As Lauren Faust wrote:
"I know "princess" sounds cuter and helps sell more toys, and because of that you were probably forced to keep her as a princess by the powers that be..."
That's what happened. I was told that because of Disney movies, girls assume that Queens are evil (although I only remember 1 evil queen) and Princesses are good. I was also told that the perceived youth of a Princess is preferable to consumers.
She does not have parents that outrank her. I brought the weirdness of that situation to my bosses, but it did not seem to be a continuity concern to them, so I'm letting it alone. I always wanted her to be the highest authority, and so she remains so. And I certainly don't want marriage to be what would escalate her. (Bad messages to girls and what not.)
Sorry I couldn't give you a more satisfying answer. Maybe as the series goes on we can thread something together. I put up a bit of a fight when her title changed, but you win some, you loose some.
http://comments.deviantart.com/4/1603670/1791456540Not entirely by choice,
Friendship is Magic was forced to play a part in princess culture. Subtly, however, Friendship is Magic rebelled traditional molds for the standard princess. Celestia and Luna were the highest power in the land as princesses and distinct as leaders, as opposed to most Disney films, where kings were the highest authority and "princess" and "leader" are frequently divorced concepts. This was to be only the start to FiM's shaping of the princess, however.
In Season 3, Twilight Sparkle earned the title of princess (another subversion of the standard princess narrative), and the show irrevocably changed. In this mandate, FiM would have to engage with themes of the princess more directly if it were to continue to resist the culture and stay true to its feminist core. Megan McCarthy seemed cognizant of this:
Those challenges will include living up to that lofty new title. In MLP‘s Equestria, “princess” is a designation that’s earned, not freely given — and though princesses have specific leadership roles in pony society, being one really means “being a good pony who shares the gifts that they have been given with others,” according to McCarthy. “We’re building a very unique mythology around being a princess,” she continues. “Every little girl wants to be a princess, and not everybody can get to be a princess — but you can live up to the ideals that should come along with being a princess.”
http://family-room.ew.com/2013/01/29/my ... -princess/
Originally there were interpretations of this quote as McCarthy re-enforcing the mandate that every little girl has to want to be a princess. But after Season 4, there's no doubt in my mind that McCarthy was commenting on the power of princess culture, and hinting on the kind of subversive direction they would take with Princess Twilight.
For example, there was this little piece of dialogue from “Princess Twilight Sparkle”:
Rarity: Oh, don't be so modest. It's everypony's dream to someday wear a crown and have their coronation ceremony preserved in stained glass for all to see. [sighs]
Rainbow Dash: I don't know if it's everypony's dream.
Pinkie Pie: Most of my dreams are about frosting! [slurp] Ohohohoho...
This little piece establishes the show's awareness of the ground it is treading, and it's willingness to counteract the dominance of princess culture. Establishing that being a princess is not a thing that every girl really would desire is a powerful little subversion within the premiere.
The rest of the premiere continues on with FiM's previous playing with the concept of princess in a more up-front way. Twilight needs to grow into more of a leader, which she demonstrates in ordering around the guard in part one.
Part two, however, plays with the ideas of the relative importance of the role of princess. Applejack and the other main cast overblow Twilight's position as more important than they, or even Twilight herself, is, dismissing Twilight because Equestria needs its princess. But they come to the realization that their friendship is more important than Twilight's title, which ultimately leads to their successful mission. The narrative works to stress their strength in working together as equals, effectively diminishing the importance of the princess title and highlighting that it is not in and of itself something that gives power or happiness, nor something that is more important than friendship.
All of which works in fairly stark contrast to the vague representations of the role of princess in film, and the isolation that is present across the Disney princess line. The most interesting subversion against princess culture, however, would not appear until the season finale, which draws forward from this point in the premiere into a powerful narrative and meta-commentary on the meaning of princess, and works the concept directly into the show’s central themes.