Respond: Stephanie Hanes, Little Girls or Little Women? The Disney Princess Effect

Respond: Stephanie Hanes, Little Girls or Little Women? The Disney Princess Effect

RESPOND •

Question 23.36

1. As Hanes represents the “Disney Princess Effect,” what is it, and why does it matter? What other cultural trends is it related to? According to Hanes’s characterization of the situation, who or what might be responsible for the increasing sexualization of little girls?

Question 23.37

2. In its online form, the original article included a link to an online photo gallery: http://bit.ly/t8qkxP. Examine these photos and their captions. Do they merely illustrate the article, or are they providing particular kinds of support for the claims it makes? Which photo(s) and caption(s) do you find most effective? Why? (Chapter 14, which discusses visual arguments, may help you think systematically about these questions.)

Question 23.38

3. Hanes uses statistics along with other kinds of evidence in interesting ways to support her claims. (Often arguments about this topic in the media rely primarily on personal experience or analyses of a few cases.) Find three or four statistics Hanes cites that gave you pause — that surprised you a bit — and be prepared to share these, to talk about your response, and to explain the value of using statistics effectively when discussing topics that are often discussed only in terms of personal experience.

Question 23.39

4. Visit Mary Finucane’s blog, Disney Princess Recovery: Bringing Sexy Back for a Full Refund: http://disneyprincessrecovery.blogspot.com/. Pay special attention to the “Welcome” information on the right-hand side of the page. How accurately has Hanes characterized and represented Finucane’s stance or position toward sexualization? What evidence can you provide for your evaluation?

Question 23.40

5. Another especially interesting aspect of this article is the process by which Hanes defines the notion of sexualization. Rather than giving a single definition at the first mention of the term, she builds up a definition across the course of the article. Skim the article again, noting every place that she provides or more indirectly suggests a definition for sexualization. Once you have collected and listed these instances of definition, write a formal definition of the sort you might use in a paper on this topic. Then create an operational definition of the term. Finally, give a definition by example. (See Chapter 9 for information on kinds of definitions. To complete this assignment, you may decide that you need to consult other sources; if you do, be sure to credit them properly, using information provided in Chapter 22.)

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