Disney Princesses Face Hidden Health Risks

Although Disney princesses seem to live happily ever after, they face serious real-world health hazards, warn experts in the Christmas issue of The British Medical Journal.

Sanne van Dijk and colleagues call on Disney to consider strategies such as mindfulness and personal protection measures to improve princesses' well-being and help them start living healthily ever after.

Snow White is the "fairest princess of all" yet as a scullery maid for her wicked stepmother, opportunities for social interaction are extremely limited, putting her at risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, anxiety, and early death, explain the authors.

Fortunately, Snow White meets the Seven Dwarfs, who protect her from the dangers of solitude, but then she eats a poisoned apple, highlighting that, for Snow White, the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" fails spectacularly.

Princess Jasmine from Aladdin is also at risk of the health effects of loneliness as she grows up within the walls of her palace with no friends at all, note the authors. Meanwhile, her pet tiger Rajah not only poses a risk of zoonotic infection, its natural instincts could lead to a dangerous and potentially fatal situation.

In Beauty and the Beast, close contact with the Beast also exposes Belle to many potentially life-threatening infectious diseases, such as brucellosis or rabies.

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