My best friend has a one year old son. He’s absolutely adorable, and a complete and utter handful. Often while babysitting him I’ll pop a film on TV; mainly to keep him out of my handbag and away from my iPhone, but also because I enjoy reliving my childhood memories through the films I used to watch in my younger more 
vulnerable years. Halfway through yet another Disney Classic I suddenly realised why so many people get up in arms about children’s films and TV shows; some of the life lessons are appalling.
If You’re a Girl, You Need to Find a Husband
Generally the main focus of every Disney film, the Princess must find a husband. Little girls are being told from a very impressionable stage in their lives that without a man in their life they will have no chance at happiness; and the scary thing is little boys are learning this too. Although Disney Princesses are generally plucky and strong, they can’t function without men.
Jasmine ventured out of the palace grounds and survived for roughly ten minutes before Aladdin had to save her. Ariel (the little mermaid) abandoned her family and changed her body irreversibly just so that she could be with a man she’d glimpsed for five minutes and never had a conversation with. Belle was held captive by a hideous beast in his castle, but eventually she fell in love with him because it was either that or a life of celibacy. The scariest part is that all of the girls in these films are meant to be sixteen. If you’re not married by the time you hit twenty in Disney’s world, you’re basically an old maid.
If You’re Ugly, You’re Probably Evil…
In children’s films, the baddies are almost exclusively always ugly and misshapen. In fact let’s forget hormones, this is probably why teenagers are so confused and angry all the time; in teen movies, the ugly characters are usually good (and simply in need of a makeover) and the bad characters are usually the prettiest ones. There are likely be examples of this in old and new DVD releases alike.
…Or You’re Just Misunderstood
On the flipside of the the previous point, some children’s films do tell children no to judge a book by it’s cover and feature strange reclusive characters who may look strange from the outside but are actually very nice on the inside. This can be seen in Home Alone, Big Fish, and Toy Story. Although this may sometimes be true (and a good way to get children to stop crying when they see their Aunt Bertha) it is also dangerous. You don’t want your child to talk to strangers, particularly not the strange reclusive ones who own windowless vans.
Kids Can Outsmart Burglars
As a child I enjoyed watching films such as Home Alone and Baby’s Day Out, where children constantly outsmarted violent criminals. However as an adult I find the premise terrifying. In the case of Home Alone, an eight year old being left alone in a house for a week is simply dangerous. Rather than notifying the police or going to his neighbour’s house, Kevin fends for himself and fights off would be burglars. In the real world, this would probably end badly for the child. Then again, any parent who leaves their child unattended should be reported to social services.
The Whole World is in a Conspiracy Against You
This may sound pretty drastic, and I’m surprised this hasn’t had more of an impact on society. If you think about every Christmas film aimed at children, they all have one common theme; Santa is Real. Parents tell their children this every year at Christmas, too. So the two main spheres of a child’s influence; their family and Hollywood, are constantly drumming it into their head that Santa Claus is real. When they inevitably discover the truth, imagine how it must feel to realise that not only your parents but your favourite Christmas films have been lying to you your whole life.
Jennifer is a part of the digital blogging team at getyourblogsout.com who work with a growing number of entertainment brands. For more information about me, or to keep up to date with the latest in entertainment news, check out my posts at getyourblogsout.com or visit my Twitter account, @BlogsOut