Disney’s new line of “Princess” wedding gowns now make it possible for adult women to outwardly indulge in their old childhood fantasies of romance and “happily ever after.”
An Orlando Sentinel article interviews the designer’s publicist about the gowns: “‘They will be high-fashion and very modern,’ said Paulette Cleghorn, president of Designer Loft Productions, a New York public-relations firm representing Kelly. ‘We are modernizing the princess concept. There is a difference between a girl who is inspired by Snow White and one who wants to dress like Snow White.’”
In fact, more than just “modernizing the princess concept,” the Princess gowns are part of a greater Disney plan to reach a market of 20 and 30 year-olds: people who are in-between being children and having children. For their “Year of a Million Dreams” ad campaign for Disney theme parks, stars like Scarlett Johansson (as Cinderella above), Beyonce (as Alice not pictured), and David Beckham (as Prince Philip below) are photographed (by Annie Liebowitz) as classic Disney characters to bring people who have potentially outgrown the fairytales back to Disney.
But back to the wedding gowns. What does Cleghorn imagine the difference is exactly between “a girl who is inspired by Snow White and one who wants to dress like [her]“? To me, they are remarkably similar. What does it mean to be “inspired” by Snow White? Perhaps one can be inspired by her fashion and sense of style, but within the fairytale realm, those things are inextricably tied to her moral character, beauty, and charm. It seems that Cleghorn could be taking the idea literally, claiming that little girls dress in identical Snow White Costumes, whereas grown women dress in “Snow White-inspired” gowns. Basically, the gowns are “inspired” because they are not an exact replica of the Snow White costume. I would argue, however, that despite the variations to make the dress modern and couture, the wedding gown modeled after Snow White will still effectively embody her characteristics and thus the themes of the Snow White story. I can’t help but jump to the conclusion that the woman who chooses to dress in a Snow White-inspired wedding gown is also the woman who sang “Someday My Prince Will Come” (or metaphorically sang it) and is now celebrating his arrival.
In this article from BusinessWeek, Douglas MacMillan quotes Marc Gobe’s Brandjam: Humanizing Brands Through Emotional Design (Allworth) when he captures one of the messages Disney sends with “The Fairy Tale Collection”: “‘We aren’t only an entertainment company, … we can help you bring that dream into your life.’” That is what Disney does; it promises to fulfill your dreams, to find new ways of bringing the magic into reality. Currently, girls aged 3-6 are the main consumers of Disney’s $3.5 billion Princess “merchandising market.” Is the market for Princess products extendable to older age-groups? Disney thinks so, and sales will probably confirm their analysis when “The Fairy Tale Collection” is completed. Not only does the Princess story fulfill certain romantic fantasies, but there is also a comfort in the proposed continuation of the Disney brand throughout life. It is consistent and brings with it a certain amount of nostalgia, not to mention classic ideas of romance, chivalry, and happiness. Women like it. Women also know that it isn’t real; do we really imagine that all girls who grow up emulating Princesses end up abandoning all attempts at independence and individual success waiting around for a Prince? Can we really judge whether the Princess fantasy is good or bad for women if they are doctors and teachers and generally complete and fulfilled people who happen to enjoy dressing in a Princess gown for their weddings? Or does the very idea of female passivity inherent in many Princess tales harmfully permeate the lives of these girls and women? On some level do they believe marriage is the happy solution to all life’s problems?
And just in case you’re interested, from this article: “Kristie Kelly says Cinderella is “classic glamour,” Snow White has “sweet elegance,” Ariel from The Little Mermaid has a “sultry allure” and is “comfortable showing her body,” and Jasmine from Aladdin is “bohemian chic.”" Solutions Bridal in Winter Park, Central Florida will carry the line and gowns will sell for $1000 to $3000.
2 Comments
April 19, 2007 at 1:36 am
You might find this video interesting:
April 19, 2007 at 5:50 pm
[...] issues of Disney’s Wedding Dress collection are comprehensively discussed in the post “Disney Princess Wedding Gowns.” While surfing the web this afternoon I came across this article from today’s issue [...]