I find it odd to say this, but yes, especially for young children. The Disney girls generally are kind, hard-working, generous and brave. As simple tales to children, they're fine. The more recent ones have relied a bit less on some male hero (a la Cinderella, Snow White) to rescue them from their plight. They're all pretty simple, formulaic tales. They put a bit too much emphasis on beauty as a criteria for success, but so do all media.

Criticisms point out that the princesses "traffic in stereotypes" (1) , and there is certainly truth to that. On the other hand, the stories are populated by singing teapots and fish as close friends. It's pretty easy to separate fantasy from reality. The marketing campaign and resultant drain on your pocketbook is harder to manage, but that part is ultimately in control of the adult.

That said, I would not rely on Disney to portray accuracy in history (Pocahontas? Please!). When she gets older, exposing her to the story of a real princess or queen - maybe Grace of Monaco, Diana of England, or Noor of Egypt - may be a nice transition from complete fantasy to reality, and that a princess is in a powerful position to do great things.

Disney supplies a generous menu of princesses from which to choose. It's conversational currency among her peers. Loving princesses is a stage that many little girls pass through, and probably more harmless than Barbie. I've added a link with additional insight (see 1 below) from an author more irritated with the Princesses than I am for additional perspective.

Enjoy your little princess while she's still little!

Well for that age i think it's Ok... Because it is good to have our children learn the values of being humble, patient, hardworking, loving, caring and just be generally nice to all creatures and people from all walks of life...

There are many to choose from so if you have issues with one you can always choose another=)...

Personally i like Belle from Beauty and the Beast because she was brave and strong to face and try make friends with the Beast even he was a really bitter and grumpy monster-like creature, she didn't judge based on the outer appearance but saw good from within... one character people these days don't have=)... generally she stood by what she believed in and in the end was rewarded greatly - found a prince charming and lived happily ever after....(",)

Actually here's a few strong and smart princesses - Princess Jasmine, Mulan and Pocahontas...

Let's just give these little children the chance to feel like a princess while they are young and reserve the irony of reality when they grow old...

As far as character traits I would think it's okay to be nice and kind and friendly like a princess. But of course physically it's as unrealistic as Spongebob Squarepants being a role model.

And besides, they're cartoons. There are real life female role models for when girls get older. There isn't anything wrong with wanting to be a princess at 2 (any of them). Maybe if she's 13 and wants to be Sleeping Beauty it might be an issue.

No. Disney princesses offer skewed versions of women, where women are depicted as weak (must be saved by the prince), always have to be beautiful and slim. It is the first step to encourage her to judge people by the unreachable Disney ideal of beautiful women.

If your daughter must have a Disney female character as her idol, I suggest Mulan, as she is portrayed as a strong smart woman.