So there I was at Disney's Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique paying way too much money to have my beautiful 2-year-old daughter transformed into a princess. She's never even had a haircut, yet there she was with her fairy godmother brushing and glittering up her hair like she was a seasoned salon-goer.
I had to keep pushing scenes from Toddlers & Tiaras from my brain and reminding myself that it was just for fun. I believe girls can be princesses and powerful too, though I did put my foot down at the makeup. And hey, we were just doing it for fun; there was no crown at stake. Well, they did give her a crown that they affixed to her head with about 22 million bobby pins, but I didn't make her dance on stage or do any bikini competition to get it, so I felt okay about it … sort of.
The truth is we went because we had good friends in town with a daughter a year older than mine who really wanted to go. I knew my princess-loving daughter would have a blast and happily agreed to go with them. I'm not passionately anti-princess by any means; we have plenty of evidence of that strewn about our home. I do worry, however, about little girls growing up too fast and finding value only in their looks. I don't think one day at the princess spa is going to do any long-term damage when the right messages are being sent at home, but I can't say I didn't feel a bit conflicted and a bit defensive when it came to the whole experience.
The Good
It was well done, and they treated the girls like princesses. From a personalized invitation/menu of services for each when we arrived to happy, spirited, and incredibly gentle with the tangles fairy godmothers who transformed them, it was all one big page out of a story book.
The girls were so excited, and just hearing 2- and 3-year-olds say, "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique" was almost worth the price.
They were very agreeable when I requested no makeup and even sent the cute little case of it home with us, which we're going to use on Halloween only.
All the oos and awwws they got afterward — everywhere we went, "Hello beautiful princesses" was heard around every corner. They felt really special.
The Bad
They were so much prettier before the transformation. I hate even introducing the idea that all this "stuff" makes them more beautiful, and then having that reinforced by the aforementioned oos and awwws they received.
The price — for the simplest package, which we got, it was more than $50, plus tip. Packages go up to about $190!
It's located right smack in the middle of a huge toy store with tons of princess paraphernalia, so you're likely to be conned into buying even more stuff.
Those 22 million bobby pins that kept the crown in place were no small chore to remove from the head of a sleeping princess at the end of a very long day.
She keeps asking when she gets to go back again.
The Glitter
Whatever that glitter spray is made of, it works. Her bun could have withstood hurricane-force winds for sure.
I still see sprinklings of it in her hair almost two weeks later and shining on most surfaces of our house.
Overall, we had a great time, made some memories, and got some fun pictures. As long as I don't over-analyze it and accept it for the fun little foray it was, then I feel like it and all the other princess stuff we have and do are just fine. But then I hear my daughter telling me the outfit I've picked out for her to wear to preschool just "isn't beautiful enough," and I cringe a little.
Have you been to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique? Would you take your daughter?
Image via Julie Ryan Evans
