Princess culture is less about a princess lifestyle, and more about great-depth of character, serving as a beautiful reminder of worth—whether a girl is a princess or not. In Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess, Sara Crewe survived her many tragedies and hardships by remembering "I am a princess. All girls are… even if they aren't pretty, or smart, or young. They are still princesses. " Whether child or adult, all can benefit from the belief that no matter their circumstances, they always have value—that true self-worth goes beyond appearance or environment and is found deep within. No matter how difficult our circumstances are, princesses encourage us to remember our worth.
Spend much time with a four-year-old girl in the U. S and you will likely see some sort of princess play, whether it is dressing up, acting out stories, or playing with princess-themed toys. This particular type of pretend play is very important to children. Lindsey and Colwell found that children who regularly engage(参与)in pretend play have more positive emotions with peers(同龄人), score higher on emotional understanding, and are better at emotional regulation one year later. Research suggests that princess play specifically can lead to rich experiences for children as they expand on the stories of familiar characters.
Princesses also provide examples of "women who rule", showing women and girls that they can be accepted as the heroines of their own stories and lead with wisdom and maturity( 成熟). In other words, princesses inspire potential.
Adults often think of princesses in a negative way someone who is too proud or crazy about their appearance. But in children's imagination, the word "princess" allows them to think about what they can become. Maybe they won't save the world, but they will defend their values. Maybe they won't have the perfect figure, but they can develop the confidence to move beyond appearance.
