A few months ago, Disney Parks launched anifty new feature as part of "Star Wars Weekends" that allowed guests to have their faces digitally captured and then transformed onto real life, three-dimensional Han Solo action figures "frozen" in carbonite and ready for purchase. Now, Disneyland is using the same technology to let girls "live out their princess dreams" by placing their adorable little faces on 7-inch Disney Princess figurines! So they'll never forget what they're supposed to turn into when they grow up: a pretty pretty princess in a pretty pretty ballgown, ready for a Happily Ever After that begins and ends with marriage, male approval, and a disconcertingly tiny waist.
"Carbon Freeze Me" was targeted towards adult Star Wars fans, but this endeavor is a little different. Only "princesses in waiting" ages 3-12 are allowed to choose between Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and Tiana. Hair, skin and eye color are customized, and a princess silver link necklace with colored gem charm is also included. That's big of them, considering that each seven-inch Princess figurine is $99.95 plus $15.95 shipping. Hey, no one said being a princess was cheap!
Maybe I'm overreacting to this "exciting interactive experience" because I was never a big Disney princess fan. I always preferred the villains, who had a whole lot more going on in terms of ambition and intellect. I was so obsessed with Maleficent as a four-year-old that I refused to answer to "Katie" for months, preferring to go by the name of the Sleeping Beauty antagonist instead. My preschool teachers told my parents that I was "experimenting with my bad side" in a safe way, but I think I was just more interested in her motivations than sleeping forever and marrying a boring dude. Why push girls into emulating princesses by literally putting their faces onto theirs? Buy your daughter/niece/cousin a Maleficent mask instead (I still have mine at home somewhere) or, you know, buy her a book.
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