So I grew up watching Disney movies. You know, the usual- Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast. I wasn't a crazy fan or anything, but I watched them sometimes. I've always liked Disney- their movies are entertaining and good for kids OR SO I THOUGHT!My view of Disney has been forever changed. Let me explain... we read two articles for class that put Disney movies in a totally different light. Basically, the articles explored the ideas presented in the movies and how they reinforce a lot of stereotypes particularly female stereotypes. For example, women are almost always shown as princesses who are ultra feminine and beautiful and need to be rescued by a man- usually a handsome prince. Think about this- Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty. Even Belle in Beauty and the Beast plays the role of being super feminine and takes on the role of taming the wild beast- teaching him how to be a gentleman and have manners. Marcia K. Lieberman discusses the role of women in fairy tales in the article "'Some Day My Prince Will Come': Female Acculturation through the Fairy Tale". She writes, "Girls win the prize if they are the fairest of them all; boys win if they are bold, active, and lucky... The immediate and predictable result of being beautiful is being chosen... Since the heroines are chosen for their beauty, not for anything they do, they seem to exist passively until they are seen by the hero, or described to him. They wait, are chosen, and are rewarded" (188, 189). Hmmmm. I think Lieberman has a really good point. Most fairy tales follow this pattern and so do Disney movies.
Now, you may be thinking of one particular movie that broke this norm (I know I thought of it when I first began pondering this)- Mulan. Ah ha! Look a movie with a strong woman! Maybe Disney isn't so bad afterall....
But wait. Mulan is the story of a woman who joins the military and in order to be part of it has to pretend she's a man. Wait a minute... so really she is just conforming to gender norms. Oh man. (Ha. No pun intended.)
Here is a quote from an article about Mulan by Katherine E. Bartnett "Although Mulan is a tale about a woman who risks her life for her family and her country, her actions originate from the predicaments of men." Since she doesn't have any brothers and her father is ill, she takes her father's place in the army. "Rather than acting out her own dreams and ambitions, therefore, she is reacting to a situation that revolved around a man" (187, 188). My personal opinion is that Bartnett is a little extreme in this article and at times is grasping at straws, but she makes some good points mentioning that in many Disney movies much value is placed on a woman's appearance and if she is physically attractive.
In no way am I trying to bash all Disney movies. I just think this critique of the representations in their movies is a good thing since I think that Disney is usually portrayed in a positive light. Since most parents are ok with their kids watching Disney movies, I think this is a good idea to ponder. What are you teaching your kids? This just goes to show that we as consumers and parents as well, (not that I am a parent, but I probably will be someday) need to be critical of the media we consume and show our children. We can't just blindly trust a company. Even Disney.
.jpg)