Children's Birthday Parties Now Include Makeup and Photo Shoots

Would You Give Your Daughter a Pretty Princess Party?

August 31, 2010

Princess-themed birthdays have gotten fancier than ever, with makeup, hairstyling, and glamour shots for children as young as 3. Princess stuff is nothing new; kids love playing dress-up, but these parties are taking the glamour to another level. If you were (or are!) a mom, would you go for it?

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7 Comments

Girl Jen 2 years

I'd throw a princess dress-up party, with princess dresses bought the day after Halloween (hooray for clearance!) and no make-up. I would emphasize the pretending and storytelling aspects of it, not the beauty aspect. Princesses, for all their faults, tear my daughter's imagination right open!

2 years

Imaginative play is important for kids--it's not like if she dresses up as a princess it will undermine everything you taught her about being independent. Anything that is too toddlers&tiaras-ish could be a problem though. I don't think that princess dress-up needs to involve makeup. No one will ever put lipstick on my toddler and take pictures of her.

ClassicalTorture 2 years

amandachalyn, I get what you're saying. There are a lot of good things about the more recent Disney Princesses, but why does there have to be romance. Isn't saving a kingdom even better? I just really don't like the whole "a woman must be pretty and have a man" belief that's being instilled so young. (And for what it's worth, I hate Sex and the City for the same reason.)

amandachalynn 2 years

I wouldn't go to a studio to have glamor shots done, but I'd set up a tri-pod in the living room. Why not? And just to play devils advocate, most Disney princesses are feisty, independent young women. Belle fighting the tough guy in town for her father, Ariel and Jasmine running away from a life of luxury to find true happiness, Pocahontas fighting to save her people, etc. They just so happen to fall in love with a charming handsome prince, but then even Sex and the City is full of romance ;-). On the same token, I'd let my daughter have a baseball party if she wanted one. My son wants a cheese tasting party this year (weird for a 5 year old, but that's how he rolls) so that's what we're doing!

WarEagleNurse 2 years

Yes

WarEagleNurse 2 years

Yes

ClassicalTorture 2 years

I loved dress-up as a kid but almost never played "princess", and I hate how it's enforced in today's younger female generations. I don't want my daughters thinking it's great to aspire to be a spoiled, helpless brat.

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7 Comments