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Disney princesses such as Elsa from Frozen do not damage young girls' self-esteem and 'may be a powerful force for good', according to new research.
US academics studied more than 300 girls and boys and their parents to discover how 'princess culture' affected attitudes over time towards gender stereotypes, body esteem and masculinity.
Previous research had suggested the fictional characters beloved by generations of cinemagoers and TV viewers promoted negative female stereotypes by indoctrinating little girls at a young age.
The new study's author Sarah Coyne, of Utah's Brigham Young University, questioned nursery-age children and their parents about their interest in films and toys featuring current Disney princesses such as Elsa, Rapunzel and Moana.
Disney princesses such as Elsa from Frozen do not damage young girls' self-esteem and 'may be a powerful force for good', according to new research (file photo)
They were then asked to fill in questionnaires five years later to allow the research team to measure the effect of 'princess culture' on attitudes between pre-school and early adolescence.
Children were asked to rate how strongly they agreed with statements such as 'I am
