An Introduction

Hello and welcome to my blog!

Ever since I was accepted to Duke University, my mind has been buzzing with ideas and fantasies about what my freshman year would be like. I imagined going out with friends, long nights studying in the library, and late night heart to hearts with my roommate. Never would I have imagined that at 11:30 on a Wednesday night, I would be sitting on top of my twin XL bed, blogging.

Yet here I am, because I was one of the lucky 12 people that had fast enough fingers to be able to register for the highly coveted "Writing 101- Power of the Disney Princess." I love Disney and always have. As a child I watched Disney movies on repeat, and as a pre-teen I would ride the rollercoasters over and over again at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I have been to Disney World 4 times in my life, and I will never, ever get tired of the Rockin’ Rollercoaster.

Over time, tastes changed and my friends slowly replaced Disney Channel with Netflix. However, Disney still maintained a presence in my life because of my sister. My sister Keira is now 10, and we are seven and a half years apart. Because of our close relationship, I got to know many of the "third wave" Disney princesses, who were created during her childhood. I have really enjoyed most of these new movies. I appreciate the fact that Disney is trying to diversify their female figures in terms of race and nationality, but they still have a ways to go. Even though Merida and Tiana gave my sister insight into a new culture, I challenge Disney to create a princess who is not necessarily tall, thin, and essentially, perfect. 

I am excited to rewatch many of the Disney classics with a more mature eye. In doing this, I hope to learn more about the expectations placed upon women from childhood. Personally, I grew up with a lot of pressure to perform well. For me, this pressure motivated me to succeed. However, pressure like this could be very detrimental for others. Even in these first few days of Duke, I have noticed that there is a colossal amount of pressure. Are we holding ourselves to unrealistic standards of success? How can we expect to combat this if young girls are being raised to reach the unattainable standards of intelligence and beauty portrayed seamlessly by each Disney princess? I mean, if Ana could save her village from an icy winter while simultaneously rescuing her sister AND getting a man to fall in love with her, couldn't I get a 5 on BC Calculus? (Turns out I couldn't #yikes)

I am looking forward to discussing possible answers to these questions with my classmates and professor in the coming weeks. Being at Duke has already provided me with a multitude of new perspectives, and I know I can only continue to grow from engaging in discussions with others who also share a passion for the brand that has been a big part of shaping the lives of young women today.

That’s all for now, folks! To infinity and beyond!

Smell ya later,

Shaina