I hope even if your readers disagree with that aspect of it (which is their prerogative, obviously) that they give the rest of the book a chance.

My book is about so much more than Disney and the Princesses. But are they part of selling that culture to our daughters? Unfortunately, as they are marketed now, the answer to that, from my perspective, is yes. Are Disney Princesses the cause of that, responsible for that? That would be simplistic. It's the whole culture that is putting girls in this pink box that defines girlhood as makeovers and spa birthday parties at age 4, and princesses and being the fairest (and ultimately the hottest) of them all. But what I see are not only the Disney Princess accessories (the 21-piece mega cosmetic sets, the $180 Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique makeovers) but the other things: the T-shirts that have a crown and say 'Give me the credit card and no one gets hurt' or the make-your-own-messenger bag kit that my daughter got for her birthday that included iron-on transfers with phrases like 'Spoiled' 'Brat' and 'Pampered Princess'. You know, if it was just a movie, just a dress, whatever - goodness knows I availed myself of my mom's cast-off tiara now and again.

How the Princesses are currently marketed plays into that flume ride. And the ways that they learn to see their femininity, sexuality, and identity from the outside in rather from the inside out. But what I am exploring is the unprecedented marketing to girls at ever-earlier ages that encourages them to define themselves through appearance and play sexiness. Anyone who is saying that sort of thing clearly hasn't read the book. And it would be ridiculous to say that a+b=c, that if you wave a magic wand you will suddenly need a prince to save you. Princess phase so much more harmful than the many other phases that children pass through? PEGGY: I'm a mom, so I first came to this from that perspective - feeling surprised and curious about why my pre-school daughter suddenly knew all the gown colors and names of all the Disney Princesses when I had never even heard of the concept. She moved on to Disney fairies, another phase, and now prefers outdoor sports. For my daughter Allie, though, the Disney princess 'trap' was a phase through which she passed without noticeable damage. In your book, Cinderella Ate My Daughter, you argue that Disney harms impressionable young girls through its marketing of an unattainable 'princess ideal'.

Cinderella ate my daughter