Why do girls dream of being princesses and not queens?

[Vincent Butler]

Did you ever wonder why little girls (speaking from experience mainly with my nieces) always dream of being princesses but never queens? Speaking of which, I bet Queen Maxima of the Netherlands's parents never dreamed that their daughter would be a queen. Same for Mary of (is it) Denmark?

[Fragony]

Queen Maximal$$$, she proably dreamed of becomming a footbal-wife but found something better in silly-Willy. Her family knows some things abput the royal family, being Argentinian *cough* nazi's and flights to Argentina *cough*. They didn't just meet and fall in love.

Maybe they should explain to these girls that if they want to be treated like a princes they are going to be married with a fat Baron

[Crandar]

In the cartoons and books they watch and read, the heroines with whom they identify ate usually princesses. Young and innocent, they destroy everything on their path towards the perfect husband. Queens are usually absent (only a naive king exists, with a supportive, mainly comical role) or serve as the evil antagonist. There is no reason for little girls to prefer queens to princesses.

[Vincent Butler]

Maybe they should explain to these girls that if they want to be treated like a princes they are going to be married with a fat Baron

A friend sent me a meme that shows a knight in armour, with the caption "My girlfriend told me I should treat her like a princess, so I married her off to a stranger to strengthen the alliance with France."

Young and innocent, they destroy everything on their path towards the perfect husband

I think the key is "young". Queens are old, and there is nothing romantic about them. There is a king associated with a queen. There is no pursuit of Prince Charming, so therefore no romance. That was a good point you made.

[Husar]

Good question, as a follow-up:

Why do boys never dream of being a king but of being a fire fighter, train driver, Amerindian or game designer?

[Fragony]

Who really wants such responsibity? I most certainly wouldn't.

[spmetla]

Good question, as a follow-up:

Why do boys never dream of being a king but of being a fire fighter, train driver, Amerindian or game designer?

Cooler toys and there's challenge or danger involved. If Kings operated chain saws, or had sirens on their cars instead of just wearing fancy clothes and signing things it might look appealing. Boys try to be doers and leaders not managers. Danger and adventure of a sort is usually a plus. The best gifts for my nephews are always tools or machines, they like pretending to do important *Man* things. If I'm fixing something they are happy to be right there and hand me tools while I explain what I'm doing. Also a good way to trick them into working for me: "here's the water hose, now you're job is to spray off all the soap on the car, okay bud?"

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Cooler toys and there's challenge or danger involved. If Kings operated chain saws, or had sirens on their cars instead of just wearing fancy clothes and signing things it might look appealing. Boys try to be doers and leaders not managers. Danger and adventure of a sort is usually a plus. The best gifts for my nephews are always tools or machines, they like pretending to do important *Man* things. If I'm fixing something they are happy to be right there and hand me tools while I explain what I'm doing. Also a good way to trick them into working for me: "here's the water hose, now you're job is to spray off all the soap on the car, okay bud?"

And you've got all sorts of neat trinkets and a doubly white-washed fence, eh Tom?

[Vincent Butler]

Good question, as a follow-up:

Why do boys never dream of being a king but of being a fire fighter, train driver, Amerindian or game designer?

Pursuit of glory. If you are a king, you are not trying to achieve fame. Where the little girls go for the romance of the princess, the boys go for the adventure involved, and the potential for glory, of being a hero or specialist. The Amerindians, I think, are because of the glory of fighting against a technologically superior foe.

[Husar]

Pursuit of glory. If you are a king, you are not trying to achieve fame. Where the little girls go for the romance of the princess, the boys go for the adventure involved, and the potential for glory, of being a hero or specialist. The Amerindians, I think, are because of the glory of fighting against a technologically superior foe.

I don't know how you define glory in the US, but I've seen more statues of "kings" (or similar leaders) in the streets than of firefighters or other heroes. Isn't the glory of a king (which is almost inherent unless he screws up royally, pun appreciated) something one would pursue in the pursuit of glory?

[Vincent Butler]

I don't know how you define glory in the US, but I've seen more statues of "kings" (or similar leaders) in the streets than of firefighters or other heroes. Isn't the glory of a king (which is almost inherent unless he screws up royally, pun appreciated) something one would pursue in the pursuit of glory?

Thinking as an adult, yes. A child will not appreciate that glory. Also, I don't know that it is the glory he is seeking as the adventure involved in gaining that glory. As an adult, you appreciate the glory more, see Henry V, Act IV, Scene III. And to a boy, as @spmetla pointed out, they see the boredoms of office and don't like it. They also seem to forget that many kings were conquerors as well.

Here in America, though, it is more generals that you see statues of, and not many of Presidents. I have lived in Europe (Netherlands till I was 4 ) and Germany (on a US military base) from age 10-12), and got to visit Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Denmark, and of course back to the Netherlands as I still have family there. You are right, there are fewer statues of military men, other than national heroes. That may have to do with the long establishment of many European nations. Look at the Netherlands, the city I was born in was established around AD 50. Now, obviously, the Netherlands was not a nation at the time, but that shows the longevity of communities in Europe.