Write a peer conversation post to the following discussion to look at Disney as an example of the more general messages that pervade our culture and instruct girls and women (and boys and men) about normative gender.
Including one direct quote from the reading attached.
Disney plays a major part of setting standards for children, due to their high popularity. The stories told in movies are commonly known among most children. This gives Disney the responsibility and power to teach children the standards of society. Although Disney gives positive messages in their movies, it subtly sets sexist gender standards.
Most Disney princess movies follow the same storyline: a young girl is in a situation in which she is misunderstood, she sees a handsome prince and falls in love with him, she sacrifices major aspects of her life in order to be with him, and she ends up happily with him, and leaves her life behind. Although Disney princesses share positive messages such as being kind, courageous, etc., it tells young girls that they are unable to live a happy life until they are rescued by their prince. This often comes with major sacrifices.
When Ariel in The Little Mermaid sees Prince Eric, she sacrifices her voice to the evil queen, Ursula in exchange for a pair of legs. This allows her to live on land, Prince Erics world, and make him fall in love with her. It is quite suspicious that Eric was able to fall in love with Ariel, despite her lack of ability to communicate with him. This may suggest that men will fall in love with women with no voice, not literally. Men want a woman who does not voice their opinion, or fight against them, but instead silence themselves in a masculinist society (Umble & Smith 407).
However, there are positive messages for young girls in The Little Mermaid. Ariels father, Triton, is famously known to be overprotective of Ariel and sets rules that prevent her from being her true self. But, Ariel disobeys these rules in order to find her own identity. Ariel, unlike her sisters, is curious and adventure seeking. She wants a life of her own, and is determined to achieve it.
Overall, Ariel remained relatively submissive to the patriarchy throughout the whole movie. Ariel chooses to actively turn her life around once she sees Prince Eric, and sacrifices her voice and mutilates her body. At the end of the movie, Ariel seeks permission from her dad to live her life with Prince Eric. The control over Ariels life passes over from Triton to Prince Eric, because she goes off to live in his world.
Next, Disney creates heteronormativity of appearance standards for both male and female characters. This sets the idea for young children of how they should look when they are older. Female characters often have cleavage, bare stomachs, and bare legs, and male characters are often depicted without their shirts. (Martin & Kazyak 329). This oversexualizes these characters, although most Disney princesses are often still young teenagers. The sexualization of women of color is also very popular. They set women of color such as Jasmine from Aladdin, with an hourglass figure and a sensual personality.
https://medium.com/@nerdypoc/the-flower-and-the-jewel-disneys-sexualisation-of-brown-women-3266233bfbf2 (Links to an external site.)
Creating such oversexualized characters creates the notion of what is desired in society, whether it is desired in ones self or in another person. Those that do not fit the standards that these characters set may not be seen as attractive or desired. This can lead to many self esteem issues.
The heteronormativity of the patriarchy and oversexualized characters is socialized within Disney movies. Disneys popularity and power is able to construct the notions of what femininity is. This is dangerous because children are taught that these standards are normal, and grow up thinking it is okay. Although these movies are fiction, children apply it to their own life. For example, a study shows that when young girls were talking about their future, they aspired to have a similar fairytale-like life: the girls viewed Cinderellas experience as one that might someday happen to them (Baker-Sperry 722). This shows how Disneys impact on childrens lives and aspirations.
Gender roles have evolved throughout time, and it can be seen throughout Disney princess movies. In Snow White (1938), the first Disney princess, Snow White reflects the standards of a woman during that time period. She cleans, cooks, and takes care of the seven dwarves- essentially a housewife, and is of course saved by a prince. New princesses from the past decade reign on their own, are outspoken, adventurous, and self dependent. In Moana (2016), one of the newest princesses, Moana does not have a love interest. She saves the entire island on her own, and reigns as queen- without a king. Disney is also making an effort to empower young girls of color after criticism of being a mostly eurocentric princess franchise. The new, live action The Little Mermaid, movie will be played by an African-American actress. This is a breakthrough for black women, because they have been severely underrepresented in the Disney franchise.
Disney plays a major part of setting standards for children, due to their high popularity. The stories told in movies are commonly known among most children. This gives Disney the responsibility and power to teach children the standards of society. Although Disney gives positive messages in their movies, it subtly sets sexist gender standards.
Most Disney princess movies follow the same storyline: a young girl is in a situation in which she is misunderstood, she sees a handsome prince and falls in love with him, she sacrifices major aspects of her life in order to be with him, and she ends up happily with him, and leaves her life behind. Although Disney princesses share positive messages such as being kind, courageous, etc., it tells young girls that they are unable to live a happy life until they are rescued by their prince. This often comes with major sacrifices.
When Ariel in The Little Mermaid sees Prince Eric, she sacrifices her voice to the evil queen, Ursula in exchange for a pair of legs. This allows her to live on land, Prince Erics world, and make him fall in love with her. It is quite suspicious that Eric was able to fall in love with Ariel, despite her lack of ability to communicate with him. This may suggest that men will fall in love with women with no voice, not literally. Men want a woman who does not voice their opinion, or fight against them, but instead silence themselves in a masculinist society (Umble & Smith 407).
However, there are positive messages for young girls in The Little Mermaid. Ariels father, Triton, is famously known to be overprotective of Ariel and sets rules that prevent her from being her true self. But, Ariel disobeys these rules in order to find her own identity. Ariel, unlike her sisters, is curious and adventure seeking. She wants a life of her own, and is determined to achieve it.
Overall, Ariel remained relatively submissive to the patriarchy throughout the whole movie. Ariel chooses to actively turn her life around once she sees Prince Eric, and sacrifices her voice and mutilates her body. At the end of the movie, Ariel seeks permission from her dad to live her life with Prince Eric. The control over Ariels life passes over from Triton to Prince Eric, because she goes off to live in his world.
Next, Disney creates heteronormativity of appearance standards for both male and female characters. This sets the idea for young children of how they should look when they are older. Female characters often have cleavage, bare stomachs, and bare legs, and male characters are often depicted without their shirts. (Martin & Kazyak 329). This oversexualizes these characters, although most Disney princesses are often still young teenagers. The sexualization of women of color is also very popular. They set women of color such as Jasmine from Aladdin, with an hourglass figure and a sensual personality.
https://medium.com/@nerdypoc/the-flower-and-the-jewel-disneys-sexualisation-of-brown-women-3266233bfbf2 (Links to an external site.)
Creating such oversexualized characters creates the notion of what is desired in society, whether it is desired in ones self or in another person. Those that do not fit the standards that these characters set may not be seen as attractive or desired. This can lead to many self esteem issues.
The heteronormativity of the patriarchy and oversexualized characters is socialized within Disney movies. Disneys popularity and power is able to construct the notions of what femininity is. This is dangerous because children are taught that these standards are normal, and grow up thinking it is okay. Although these movies are fiction, children apply it to their own life. For example, a study shows that when young girls were talking about their future, they aspired to have a similar fairytale-like life: the girls viewed Cinderellas experience as one that might someday happen to them (Baker-Sperry 722). This shows how Disneys impact on childrens lives and aspirations.
Gender roles have evolved throughout time, and it can be seen throughout Disney princess movies. In Snow White (1938), the first Disney princess, Snow White reflects the standards of a woman during that time period. She cleans, cooks, and takes care of the seven dwarves- essentially a housewife, and is of course saved by a prince. New princesses from the past decade reign on their own, are outspoken, adventurous, and self dependent. In Moana (2016), one of the newest princesses, Moana does not have a love interest. She saves the entire island on her own, and reigns as queen- without a king. Disney is also making an effort to empower young girls of color after criticism of being a mostly eurocentric princess franchise. The new, live action The Little Mermaid, movie will be played by an African-American actress. This is a breakthrough for black women, because they have been severely underrepresented in the Disney franchise.
