The phrase “Disney Adult” gets thrown around a lot to describe, well, adults that are big fans of Disney. Specifically the theme parks. It’s frequently used as a pejorative phrase, implying that there’s something wrong with adults who are into Disney, but one TikToker has decided to embrace the term. They also pointed out that really, you can treat any way that adults spend their time and money the same.
On TikTok Tinker_Kory posted a video as a response to the people who call him a Disney Adult, pointing out that you can make anything you’re into sound “weird” if you treat it the same way that most people on the outside treat the concept of the Disney Adult. Check it out.
@tinker_kory ♬ original sound - Kory Burch
And certainly, he’s not wrong. If you’re a big fan of the NFL then you probably spend a lot of money to go to games and a not-insignificant amount on merchandise. Disney Adults ultimately do the same thing, they just prefer going on rides to watching games. And the cost of food at theme parks and stadiums is equally ridiculous.
The fact is lots of people make their primary hobby a big part of their personal identity. Fans of Disney certainly do, but as the video points out there are lots of other things people do that they love so much you’re likely to see them dedicate a big part of their free time to it. And people can also spend a lot of money on these things they love. So while there's no argument that going to Disney Parks can be really expensive, it's not necessarily that much more expensive than some of these other experiences.
Of course, the issue at hand is that many of the activities he references here are seen as socially acceptable for adults to engage in, and Disney Parks are not seen that way. It honestly doesn’t make a lot of sense why this would be. From its inception, the entire idea behind Disneyland was that it would be a place that kids and adults would both enjoy, so the fact that adults do love Disney Parks, even without kids, shouldn’t be that strange.
At this point, people who are “Disney Adults” whether they use that term or not, are probably used to the way people react to them and are fine with whatever that reaction is. We enjoy what we enjoy, and if other people don’t get it, that’s fine. The fact is I don’t really understand people who get worked up over most sports, but it’s totally fine that they do. Whatever makes you happy in this crazy world we live in is fine, we all need that.
