The most important thing about a successful woman is not be the color of her lipstick. Or at least, it shouldn’t be. But according to what Politico terms “the Princess Effect” it too often is. The Princess Effect describes the tendency of the media to constantly comment on women’s appearances, whether in the form of a descriptive lead-in to a profile, or an offhand comment in the middle of an article.
It’s not that these remarks are always meant to insult; they are often neutral or positive statements. But that doesn’t change the fact that dedicating precious space in an article to details on hair or clothing implies that these things are important, maybe even as important as a woman’s achievements or ideas – the features that make her worth writing about to begin with.
It’s easy to blame the media for this phenomenon, but that is really only half of the problem. Reporters add in those little details about the color of a hair or eyeliner because their readers are interested in those things. Do we know who makes the ties President Obama wears to Inaugural Balls? No, chances are, we don’t care. But do we care about who makes the First Lady’s heels for the same nights? So much so that her outfit is the next day’s news. The Princess Effect is not only a product of appearance-conscious journalists, but also an appearance-obsessed society. It is a self-perpetuating cycle; society considers a woman’s appearance one of her most interesting characteristics, so the media treats it as such, which then validates the public’s belief.
But the media does not have to settle for indulging readers in this banal way. In fact, the media often plays a key role in changing cultural perceptions, and it could easily use its power for good in this instance. Either society or the media needs to step in and break this Princess Cycle. Society is too large and splintered to collectively embrace such a fundamental change in thinking; we know this because feminists have already tried their hand at solving this problem. The media, on the other hand, is uniquely positioned to change the current portrayal of women, and in doing so, change how they are perceived. It has the access, respect, and credibility that people unfortunately sometimes lose when they associate themselves with the feminist movement.
It’s hard to say that the media has a moral obligation to stop the Princess Effect. But if they are doing harm without any apparent benefit, it just makes sense. Storied women are not princesses starring in fairytales. Theirs are success stories, and they deserve to be treated and portrayed as such.