'Disney and mid-century Feminine Stereotypes' or 'Daisy Duck used to be Pink'

Recently, whilst combing throughout the vast labyrinth of imagery on tumblr, I came across an image of Daisy that struck me as both odd and awesome. It was a still from a 1954 short called Donald's Diary that chronicles Daisy and Donald's courtship and subsequent marriage. Unfortunately the short revolves around somewhat unsavory stereotypes related to women and dating. In the cartoon, Daisy is seen spraying on scents labeled Bothered, Bewitched, and Bewildered, reading a book called How to Catch a Man, and it is insinuated that she let herself go after she and Donald got hitched.

After watching the short, it struck me that the cartoon might be offensive to some. For me, not so much. I accept that different periods of time will produce art, media, music and culture, and that popular perception of those things will change across history. No, what struck me about this image had nothing to do with my somewhat latent feminist self…

It had to do with the fact that Daisy Duck was PINK!:

WHAT? And she is clearly pink. Check out this image of her and Donald, who is clearly white:

I generally enjoy things more when they are pink, and ducks are no exception. Paired with those killer bangs and little red number, I think I may have found a new style icon. I'll take this Daisy over the current iteration any day.

Gorgeous Princess Toile at Johann's Fabric

First off, I want to apologize for being somewhat light in the posting area over the past week. I've been in the middle of moving and starting a new job, so things have been somewhat hectic. Hopefully the craziness has subsided somewhat and I can settle back into a routine :)

As a creative person, I find myself drawn to pattern. Repetition is curiously alluring, both when it is discernible and (even more so) when it is not. I was once told that if anything is repeated enough times, it will become beautiful.

Thus, I relish the experience of browsing for fabric! This week I found myself in Johann's Fabrics, shopping for work, and couldn't help but check out the Disney section (I mean, duh). Normally, I am disappointed by generic and somewhat tacky options, but this trip left me pleasantly surprised!

Although there were several attractive designs, the one that stood out to me was this gorgeous pink princess toile!:

The pattern features four of the princesses, Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, and Aurora, each depicted in front of their unique castles:

Toile, which often depicts floral or pastoral scenery, first saw popularity in mid-18th century Europe. For most, this pattern style elicits mental associations with European countries, thus the choice of princesses is spot on (I'm glad they didn't try to shoehorn in Jasmine or Elsa). It is so authentic-looking at first glance that you could almost miss that it is a Disney print! Clearly, I'm obsessed and need a cooking apron out of this immediately :)

There were some other winners which I will share in a future post, and check out this old post I did on vintage Disney Parks Fabrics!

Have you come across any Disney patterns that you just love? Let me know in the comments section or on the Facebook page!

Film Friday: Pardon our Pixie Dust!

Today's Film Friday is an instax close-up of a construction wall in the Paradise Pier area of Disney's California Adventure. Although I don't love that the construction in Disney Parks seems to be ongoing, I love the graphics printed on them. I thought this one especially charming :)

Film Friday: Cinderella Fountain

If there's one thing this girl loves, it's a high-detail water feature.  The Cinderella fountain is one the loveliest:

This particular exposure was taken with Instax 'Pandora' film, and by chance had a cute little carousel doodle at the bottom.  So pretty.

Birthday Cake Castle!

There are lots of things that Disney fans love, but near the top of the list is speaking, thinking, writing, and generally obsessing about moments in Disney history they may have, but probably did not, experience.  Given that I have been Disney-obsessed for a relatively short period of time, I do this ALL THE TIME.  I have started compiling a list (Disney fans also love making lists) of attractions, shows, events, etc. that I would visit were I to procure a time machine.

At the top of that list is Walt Disney World's 25th anniversary, specifically this:

Don't get me wrong, I understand why this pink monstrosity may not have been popular with people who were coming down for their once in a lifetime whatever, but it's sooooo amazing.  I don't have many Disney memories from my young life (we only took a couple day trips), but I DO remember being captivated by commercials.  Imagineering would never do something so bold now… it's kind of sad in a way.  Screw the haters, I'm in love.

The up-side is that we live in a world where online auctions allow you to purchase limited merchandise to feed the aforementioned obsessions.  I found this glass for cheap on Ebay:

It was a part of a set of four released by McDonalds (remember when they did stuff like that? Weird…), and is surprisingly cute.  I bought the others in the set but I will save those for another day :)

What attraction/event/celebration would you visit with your imaginary time machine? Let me know in the comments!  Also, babygirl finally got an iPhone, so follow me on twitter… @thedizfizz!