The danger of the popular 'princess diet': how aesthetic pressure affects girls

Disney 's consumers are little girls, so the new viral trend of the "princess diet" uses their model bodies to inspire a diet that brings them closer to being princesses , to be flattered for their beauty and, indirectly—or very directly—to be told that thinness makes them protagonists, loved and worthy of success. On the other hand, Disney villains are overweight, like Ursula or the Queen of Hearts , and have less desirable personality characteristics: they are authoritarian and capricious. Villains tend to be heavier and represent morally negative behaviors.

In this study, which analyzed 31 children's films, it was found that more than 84% of them portrayed negative stereotypes associated with overweight or obese characters: associated with laziness, low intelligence, or negative traits in general. These patterns not only seek to discipline the body, but also continue to reinforce the stereotypes and stigma associated with weight. They do this to save time: from early childhood, a thorough indoctrination dressed in magic and fantasy, like a fairy tale, but based on real events.

In case you were lucky enough not to know about this macabre plan, these are diets that feature Disney princesses and don't involve an intake of more than 600 kcal. Yes, you read that right: 600 kcal. A ridiculous amount of calories for girls who are in the midst of growing. But the goal isn't to promote their development and health; the goal is to promote slimness . So suggesting they eat a 600-kcal diet might seem generous on their part.

This diet promises to help you lose 10 kilos in two weeks and has found a lightning-fast spread on TikTok. This platform promotes weight-loss strategies and forums like the old Pro-Ana and Pro-Mia : communities, tricks, and dangerous strategies typical of anorexia and bulimia.

Snow White, for example, only eats five apples a day. A clean, beautiful, perfect fruit, closely associated with satiety, with much literature on eating disorders. Ariel , since she lives by the sea, fasts completely. She can only drink water. Very considerate of her; this way the girls don't get dehydrated.

And Sleeping Beauty ... well, you can imagine how she spends her day: sleeping. And this also teaches us that sleeping can be a strategy to avoid calorie intake. If I'm sleeping, I'm not eating. Another common behavior in eating disorders: using sleep as a way to restrict food.

The effects of this type of diet on girls are far-reaching and serious. Due to the low calorie intake, it causes fatigue, dizziness, irritability, loss of muscle mass, hair loss, digestive problems, and delayed pubertal development.

In adolescents, in addition to all the above, it can cause missed periods if the restriction is prolonged, causing amenorrhea and hormonal problems derived from the low calorie intake and the stress the body is subjected to. This, in turn, affects bone growth, damaging them and altering the immune system.

In both cases, in girls and adolescents, it can trigger or reinforce problematic behaviors related to food, sports, and body image. These clearly pose a risk factor for the development of eating disorders.

They put pressure on girls and adolescents regarding their physical appearance. They reinforce all the demands of aesthetic pressure, and girls learn to be validated based on their body size. They forget that their body is their home, where they live, and they learn to showcase it in the face of beauty mandates and stereotypes.

It sounds like a joke, but it's not. These kinds of ideas—sometimes disguised as games or fantasy—are part of the discourse that permeates childhood. Values such as restriction, control, and guilt about eating are transmitted. And behaviors are normalized that, in many cases, are the same as those found in eating disorders.

Because it's not just a story. It's diet culture.

And they tell us this since we were little girls.

NOURISH WITH SCIENCE This is a section on nutrition based on scientific evidence and the knowledge verified by specialists. Eating is much more than a pleasure and a necessity: diet and eating habits are currently the public health factor that can most help us prevent numerous diseases, from many types of cancer to diabetes. A team of dietitians and nutritionists will help us better understand the importance of nutrition and, thanks to science, debunk the myths that lead us to eat poorly.