From a very early age, one of the main factors that contributes to the construction of a person’s perception of gender and their gender roles is the media, specifically animated films. One of the biggest corporations that produces this kind of cultural artifacts is Disney Studios. Based on the assumption that there are two generations of the so called Disney “princesses”, it can be said that these female characters perform different roles in the narrative, evolving from the “damsel in distress” trope to a more active role. This shift of portrayal coincides with different moments in history, specifically with the emergence of the third wave of feminism. Our interest is to explore, within the theoretical framework of gender studies, the impact these contrasting portrayals had on the construction of womanhood in the generations of women exposed to these movies. In order to analyse such impact we will carry out a survey among a number of women that belong to different age groups and we will compare and contrast our findings to see whether there is a correspondence between the shift of portrayal and a change in women’s perception of their role in society.