In The Lion King, Simba the lion cub "just can't wait to be king."
In real life, girls just can't wait to be a princess. According to the Los Angeles Times, over $2 billion dollars of princess merchandise was sold last year up 90 percent in just 2 years. Princess costumes, along with the necessary shoes, scepters, and crowns are selling like crazy at toy stores everywhere.
But it's not just girls and tweens who are determined to be royal--Adult women have been seen on the streets of New York wearing tiaras and t-shirts that "proclaim" their royal status.
So, why do so many girls of all ages want to be princesses? Well, the classic fairy tales feature young, beautiful princesses.
But fairy tales are also wish-fulfillment stories. Right now, you might be a normal, powerless girl plagued by mean friends and nagging parents. But any moment, you'll discover you're really a princess, with the power and independence to do whatever you want.
And no matter how old you are, who wouldn't want to be transformed from an unloved, uncool person into an incredibly popular princess, with the power to change the world for the better.
So, if girls want to be a princess, does that mean boys want to be princes? No way! Boys want to be superheroes. We know that because in a poll of boys under age 15, 80 percent said they'd rather get superpowers instead of getting the girl. They also prefer toys with super-strengths, like Spiderman and the Power Rangers. But just like the princess, a true superhero is a nerdy, mild-mannered, average Joe until it's time to whip out the cape and protect the world from evil.
And it's actually a good thing that boys don't want to be the prince. Because today's "real life" princess is really only interested in the clothes, the crown and the castle. They consider the prince just another accessory and an unnecessary one at that!
But it's not just girls and tweens who are determined to be royal--Adult women have been seen on the streets of New York wearing tiaras and t-shirts that "proclaim" their royal status.
So, why do so many girls of all ages want to be princesses? Well, the classic fairy tales feature young, beautiful princesses.
But fairy tales are also wish-fulfillment stories. Right now, you might be a normal, powerless girl plagued by mean friends and nagging parents. But any moment, you'll discover you're really a princess, with the power and independence to do whatever you want.
And no matter how old you are, who wouldn't want to be transformed from an unloved, uncool person into an incredibly popular princess, with the power to change the world for the better.
So, if girls want to be a princess, does that mean boys want to be princes? No way! Boys want to be superheroes. We know that because in a poll of boys under age 15, 80 percent said they'd rather get superpowers instead of getting the girl. They also prefer toys with super-strengths, like Spiderman and the Power Rangers. But just like the princess, a true superhero is a nerdy, mild-mannered, average Joe until it's time to whip out the cape and protect the world from evil.
And it's actually a good thing that boys don't want to be the prince. Because today's "real life" princess is really only interested in the clothes, the crown and the castle. They consider the prince just another accessory and an unnecessary one at that!
