If you asked a little girl what she wanted to be fifty years ago, what would be her response? A princess. If you ask a little girl today what she wants to be, what will she probably say? A princess. Wow, we’ve come so far.

Honestly, the “glorified princess era” should have ended decades ago. But, it hasn’t. My younger sister still watches Disney Channel. Lately, they have been promoting their “I Am a Princess” campaign. Supposedly, it’s intended to convince young girls that, because of their own traits (strength, loyalty, etc.), they themselves are princesses. Really? Is Disney actually trying to promote female leadership and equality? Imagine the same advertisement, sans “princess”. What is wrong with a little girl being able to say proudly “I am strong” or “I am loyal”. Why must people continue to justify female strengths by adding the princess element? By refusing to let go of their beloved princess marketing campaign, Disney teaches young girls that they should all aspire to be princesses—that being a princess is the highest honor a woman can ever receive.

Princesses were role models back when society had few female leaders. Though, at least in medieval times, few noble women actually did rule their own kingdoms, they did, in theory, hold positions of power. So, justifiably, princesses and queens served as role models. However, modern society is extraordinarily different. We have thousands of female leaders today. Though feminism is still a work in progress, women have advanced greatly in the past century. So, my question is: why are we still living in the past? The roles have changed. Little girls still think that becoming a princess is the most wonderful thing in the world; it is not. Yes, Queen Elizabeth has pretty jewels, but J. K. Rowling could buy them all if she wanted, and have a few million left to spare. On top of that, Rowling didn’t have to inherit her wealth. I admit there are a few powerful and successful modern royals. Nonetheless, increasingly common are powerful and successful working women.

Some people argue that, from a marketing standpoint, companies must continue to promote princesses. They claim that non-royals’ lives do not provide the feeling of glamour and magic that princesses’ lives do. This is complete rubbish. With a little bit of work, society could completely do away with the princess ideal. The problem is, it would require a little bit of work; companies would rather veer on the side of safety than take a risk with something new—no matter what the potential success could be. Most of today’s female CEOs and leaders do not parade around in crowns every day, but their lives are just as, if not more, thrilling, exciting, and adventurous as those of princesses. Modern female leaders attend The Oscars and The Met Gala. They sit at State Dinners and hold high-stakes meetings. They build business empires and help the needy. In short, female leaders’ lives have plenty of beauty and allure. That is not the problem. People are just afraid to test anything new.

It is commonly accepted that children’s opinions are molded by everything they see and experience. We need to start teaching today’s girls, from the start, that though crowns are nice, independence is truly what they should strive for.