“They lived happily ever after…” Forget fairy tale happy endings. A study published in the British Medical Journal takes a humorous look at Disney princesses and their lifestyle. The diagnosis is clear: from Snow White to Rapunzel, these heroines combine risky behavior and health dangers.
The Christmas edition of British Medical Journal reserves its share of surprising and amusing studies each year. In the 2024 edition, one of them traveled to the wonderful world of Disney princesses. Princesses who, if they lived in the real world, would have a lot to worry about about their health.
Take Snow White for example. Behind her peach complexion hides a princess in danger. Confined by her mother-in-law, she is exposed to depression and cardiovascular diseases due to social isolation. Not to mention that famous apple incident.which seriously calls into question the adage that an apple a day keeps the doctor away“, joke the researchers from the University of Twente in the Netherlands.
Let’s continue to turn the pages of these fairy tales… The situation is not much rosier in the Kingdom of Agrabah, at Aladdin’s, where Jasmine lives secluded in her golden palace. “His only friend is a tiger“, emphasize the researchers, “which raises not only the question of zoonoses, but also that of survival in the face of a natural predator“.
Rage, accident…. And consent
Belle is not left out. Her roommate with the Beast exposes her to a cocktail of life-threatening illnesses, from brucellosis to rabies.
For Cinderella, the authors suggest that continued exposure to dust threatens her lung health. But they go further. They say the massive amounts of magic glitter (which researchers say is nothing more than microplastics coated in aluminum) can penetrate the princess’s lung tissue. Rather than a prince, they suggest that Cinderella turns to ongoing respiratory therapy to live happily.
Pocahontas? His plunge from a 252m high cliff “should have ended in a symphony of fractures rather than a harmony with nature.”
As for Aurore, Sleeping Beauty, her prolonged nap should have exposed her to the risk of stroke and bedsores. Not to mention the question of consent during the “saving kiss”…
And the others? Same thing. Mulan suffers from family pressure linked to honor; Rapunzel should have developed traction alopecia, in other words, she should have lost her hair by using it as a rope…
“Disney should consider interventions to overcome these health problems, such as meditation and psychotherapy, training for cohabitation with animals, and personal protection measures against infectious agents and toxic particles.“, the authors joke.”Only then can Disney princesses begin to live healthy and happily ever after.“
