London, July 22 (IANS): Love watching Disney romantic movies? You may be suffering from “Disney complexes” that may eventually mar your romantic life.
According to a study, Disney princess movies and sitcoms such as “Twilight” send a message that if women try hard and ignore warning signs, they can “fix” even an otherwise abusive and painful relationship.
“(Women) have been socialised into believing in an ideal of romantic love that tells them if they are nice enough and kind enough they can make their partner change, they persist in trying to bring this about,” explained researchers from Queensland University of Technology.
"Romanticising abusive relationships can disturb mental health and may lead women towards facing domestic violence," lead researcher Sharon Hayes was quoted as saying in a Daily Telegraph report.
In real life, an abusive partner could initially seem charming like a Disney prince but the experience may change later, researchers added.
For example, in the Disney movie “Beauty and The Beast”, Belle is captured by the Beast who is mean and nasty to her, which only makes her love him more after she manages to turn him into a “nice fellow”.
“In 'Twilight', the main character Bella falls for a vampire who treats her badly and begs him to kill her so she can stay with him forever,” Hayes noted.