Send a princess to college!

Have you noticed that in many animated movies the princess has to be rescued by a prince? Then they go off into the sunset to “live happily ever after.” Did you ever wonder about what might be involved in “happily ever after?” We do!

What about going to college or getting a job or changing the world somehow? 

Now, a growing number of girls, women and supportive men are raising their voice in a request to the makers of animated movies –  Let’s send a princess to college!

Isn’t it about time that animated movie makers like Disney/Pixar and Dreamworks joined organizations and businesses world-wide that are promoting equality, independence, and self-determination for girls? Think of what it would mean for young girls to see other girls just like them changing their lives through education.  It could give those girls inspiration to change their own lives.

When girls continue their educations, they are likely to earn more money, have better futures and delay having children. Studies show that working women return  90% of their incomes to their families, while men return just 30-40%.

In some of the more recent animated movies, female characters have been depicted as stronger and more independent than in the past. A DVD Disney series even showed Princesses Jasmine and Aurora longing for something more in their lives. A new movie from Disney/Pixar, Brave, due out this summer, about a skilled archer, Merida, who defies an age-old custom, unleasing chaos in her kingdom.

If you agree that it’s about time – please join us!  The Girl’s Guide to Swagger and Rebecca Hains media studies professor and author have created a petition on Change.org telling Disney and Dreamworks to send a princess to college. You can sign the petition at:  http://www.change.org/petitions/disney-and-dreamworks-send-a-princess-to-college.