It's easy to understand why children love Disney princesses. Princesses are best friends with cute animals. They sing and wear beautiful dresses. There is magic and adventure and talking snowmen.

Many adults are worried about Disney princesses, especially because they tend to be unrealistically thin. The last thing parents want is for their children to feel their bodies are bad because the movies they watch showcase impossibly thin role models.

As a researcher who studies the effects of media use on children's development, I'm interested in what the data have to say. Research suggests that parents' fears may be somewhat overblown. Here are three insights from my research that can help put people's concerns into context.

Read the remaining article on The Society for Personality and Social Psychology.