My five-year-old daughter has a Disney princess mirror. Inevitably, it is pink and plastic and emblazoned with a Disney crown. It is an interactive toy and, provided I keep changing the batteries, it coos to her about what a beautiful princess she is and how nice she looks.

While I loathe the princess mirror, my daughter loves it. It is her most treasured possession – she even sleeps with it under her pillow.

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