Dr. Rebecca Hains
Author, professor and speaker | Children's media culture, media literacy, and media criticism
Archives
In Disney’s ‘Cinderella,’ courage and kindness are a victim’s strengths, but a film’s weakness
Ella’s “choice” to submit graciously to her stepfamily’s abuse is given no context in Disney’s new film, and that’s a problem.
Read MoreAnnouncing my new book, The Princess Problem!
Rebecca’s new book, The Princess Problem, hits stores Sept. 2. It’s full of powerful strategies to raise media-literate girls who can thrive in a princess-saturated world—and beyond.
Read MoreHomemade Disney Princess peg dolls: Tutorial and giveaway
Many little girls love playing with Disney Princess dolls. They make up stories with their dolls or reenact the films. They delight in dressing up the dolls and styling their hair. And sometimes, they just like to snuggle them. Faced with the Disney Princess…
Read MoreCustomers: Stop abusing Disney Store clerks. It’s not their fault Frozen merch is sold out.
Disney’s film Frozen was released in theaters five months ago, but merchandise based on the film is still sold out at Disney Stores nationwide. It’s clear that Disney Consumer Products Division had no inkling that Frozen would become the most successful animated movie of…
Read MoreDisney Princess Lingerie Goes Viral
This weekend, no fewer than a dozen people sent me links to this Jezebel article about Disney Princess lingerie being sold by a Japanese retailer. The images were also all over my facebook feed. Check them out: Although this line…
Read MoreRole Models Reimagined as Disney Princesses: A Q&A with Artist David Trumble
In the midst of the “Sexy Merida” controversy back in May, cartoonist David Trumble posted a satirical set of cartoons to the Huffington Post. His cartoons imagined how Disney’s Consumer Product Division would redesign other female role models to fit…
Read MoreSexy Halloween Costumes Reveal the Truth about Girls’ Toys
Do you object to sexy Halloween costumes for little girls? When you compare the “Little Leopard” costume for young girls to the adult “Sexy Leopard” costumes, do you cringe? When you see children’s classic Disney Princess costumes placed literally steps…
Read MoreDisney responds to Merida petition, missing the point
Recently, Disney released a new, 2D image of Merida. This prompted outrage because the character’s design was altered, for no good reason. The new Merida has been “prettified”–made more conventionally attractive in a way that undercuts the character’s strengths, to the detriment of the children…
Read MoreCartoonists and animation experts weigh in: the new Merida doesn’t HAVE to look this way
In the past few days, the new Merida designed for the Disney Consumer Products Division has lead to heated controversy. On the one hand, critics argue that the redesign undercuts Merida’s strength, serving her up in a more stereotypical princess…
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Dr. Rebecca Hains 
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