Preview

Disney

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1003 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Disney
Respond paper to “ Construction of the Female Self: Feminist Readings of the Disney Heroine”
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, and Pocahontas are five Disney stories in which the female self is embedded. The feminist standpoint theory discus the idea of the “perfect girl” and its consequences on the female’s power, relationships, selfhood, and voice. The paper we have in hand discusses the dilemma that the females face between the “perfect girl” ideology and what their experience taught them. Based on what is listed above, this responds paper is designed to highlight gender roles and gender identities through the five Disney movies listed above.
A tension is noted between the feminist and Disney enterprise since the beginning of the movies of Disney in 1937. This tension gives the parents the freedom to selectively choose what their kids watch since this tension highlight the essence of Disney movies and the hidden message between the scenes of the fairy tales. The representation of women in Disney films is in a way based on Walt Disney’s experience and feelings about life. He inserted his personal experience of life in the movies, which reflects the patriarchal cultural thoughts about the roles of women in the society. This way he is transforming his experience into culture that changes the kids psychologically.
The main source of conflict in the Disney films is that they show standards for young girls on how they must behave to grow up into a perfect woman that lives happily ever after with what she always wanted. From Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, Disney is being blamed for the image of the perfect girl these movies represent. That girl must be skinny, beautiful, obedient, and do housewife duties perfectly in order to reach the happy ending. Whereas feminists see that these films must show a more strong and independent figure of the woman. But Disney has progressed through the movies and started to represent the woman

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Disney has taught us so much through his cartoons and films. The way he makes real world problems relatable in his animations is still amazing and admirable. What really speaks is the way he portrayed women in films back then and even now. In a world…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Princess Culture

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The twenty-first century has transformed from traditional customs to more liberal ideas. One example is the view of Cinderella and how she may be detrimental to young females or how she can be molded to society’s view and become empowered. Critic from Time magazine and author of “The Princess Paradox,” James Poniewozik discusses how the idea of princesses can be powerful or harmful to the adolescent women of today. He emphasizes Hollywood’s version of Cinderella in real life portrayals and suggests that there are quite a few princesses in existence who are strong and self-determined and not weak and helpless. Like Poniewozik, Peggy Orenstein examines roles of princesses; however, she does so in a different light. Self-proclaimed feminist and author of “Cinderella and Princess Culture,” Orenstein describes how as a mother of the Grranimals era she is struggling with her daughter growing up in the princess world (671). The author points out many different aspects of the princess culture that she fears may be more than a craze, such as Club Libby Lu, the princess franchise, and animated movies of Disney princesses. Although both authors agree that princesses may be just a phase, Orenstein fears from a mothers’ perspective that princesses are a negative role model, whereas Poniewozik describes from a critic’s point of view that princess could potentially do no harm.…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Snow White Gender Analysis

    • 1334 Words
    • 6 Pages

    For generations, Walt Disney films have been a “must watch” by parents, children and their families. However, these people may not see the hidden meanings behind Disney films. Currently, children are constantly exposed to media and opinions inherently presented within television, films, radio, books and more. Disney films are no exception. The films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty all reinforce traditional gender roles, and the idea that lightness is supreme and will help when it comes to goodness conquering evil.…

    • 1334 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “We don’t think of it as a traditional Princess Movie.”, from the producer of Frozen. In fact, Disney Animation Studio hasn’t produced traditional Princess Movie for a long time. After the rise of Pixar and DreamWorks, Disney is always finding its own differences from other animation studios, that what is its unique and simple. They understand more clear that they must “keep moving forward”, not only on the prince & princess story plot, but also on the development of the internal thesis. When politics talk about Disney Princess, they may concern a lot with the feminism, that women has taken half parts of the role on the Earth. Through reviewing different Princess Movies from different eras in the history, audience may notice the influence of…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Journal

    • 302 Words
    • 1 Page

    Also, Stefan Babich’s article throws more light to the devastating issue of gender gap. She considers the role of female protagonists in animated children’s films. Using Disney and Pixar as a case study, she fairly criticizes Disney films for being sexist and mentions that “A pretty big percentage of the female leads in Disney musicals seem to have only one goal- to get…

    • 302 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the author's article he presents the idea that girls should follow a more independent manner rather than the stereotype of princess who needs saving in modern films. With evidence from movies like Ella Enchanted where the princess is escaping the binds of having to marry her prince, rather than wait to be saved by her prince it is clear the author supports more feminist themes for modern fairytales.…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Disney Princesses

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Cited: Do Rozario, Rebecca-Anne C. "The Princess and the Magic Kingdom: Beyond Nostalgia, the Function of the Disney Princess." Women 's Studies in Communication. Vol. 27. 34-59. Print.…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Content analysis will be used to see the portrayal of gender role in Disney princess films.The coding procedure that will used for this study is based on (England, Descartes, & Collier-Meek, 2011). In addition, comparative analysis will also be done to observe any differences that are present in the Disney princess films with respect to their color.…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Gender and the Early Years

    • 1475 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In an excerpt from Peggy Orenstein’s Cinderella Ate My Daughter, Orenstein sheds light on a major product from the multi-billion dollar company of Walt Disney that is cashing in on gender roles: the Disney Princesses and their doll merchandise.…

    • 1475 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Disney films are not for childrenWe were a generation that grew up with the Disney films. The Lion King, Snow White, Mulan, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and we could recall more of these famous stories without a second of hesitation. We enjoyed them, loved them, and most of us repeated our favourites like we could never grow tired of them. We loved their adventures, the world Disney films created for us. We adored the romance between the hero and the heroine and they were popular subjects to talk among friends. Yet despite all the fun Disney films brought us, hidden messages embedded in the films also came along at the same time.…

    • 702 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This author, Peggy Orenstein talks about and argues that the isolation of boys and girls are pretty relevant through the commercialization of Disney films and toys when all is said in done. Disney and toy organizations are promoting gender roles as a hidden topic in the matter of what boys and girls ought to partake and be. The view of Disney films creates what girls and boys should and shouldn't make strive toward in the public eye. Orenstein demonstrates that gender roles are made through the utilization of Disney motion pictures. The one point I might want to grow and remark on is the commercialization of the Disney princesses Orenstein discusses with her friends.…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mickey Mouse Monopoly

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The film first touches on the sociological idea of gender, and how Disney implements gender roles in the minds of children at an early age based on stereotypical controlling images in their films. The idea of women being “sirens of seduction” is a common theme in Disney movies. A particular instance of this is found in the example of “The Jungle Book.” Mogeley -- the seven or eight year-old main character, blatantly states he wants to live in the jungle with the animals not the humans. At the end of the film, Mogeley is lead out of the jungle by a siren, a young temptress girl of seven or eight who seductively shakes her hips and sings entrancing him and making him choose sex over his true desire to stay in the jungle. The idea of women as seductresses can even be seen in movies where women are portrayed in animal form such as “Fantasia.” These stereotypes are so influential that when performing the “mirror test,” young girls were dancing and caressing their bodies as the girls from the films had done.…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As Peggy Orenstein’s three year-old daughter entered the “princess phase,” Orenstein became increasingly frustrated. As a feminist, she worried about the negative effects the princess obsession would have on her daughter and other young girls in their futures. In “Cinderella and Princess Culture,” Orenstein sets out to discuss these effects. She discovers that although it seems as if this princess craze is creating negative gender stereotypes at an early age, maybe princess enthusiasts are really benefitting from their obsession.…

    • 665 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Little Girls or Little Women? The Disney Princess Effect” is an article by Stephanie Hanes which touches on the princess phenomenon many young girls are obsessed with. Stephanie Hanes concludes that the Disney Princess craze is linked to self-objectification and the growing sexualization of young girls. Although she provided numerous facts the argument was unsuccessful because it was weak and confusing. Her own personal opinion on why she blamed the Disney Empire for sexualization amongst young girls was rarely voiced. Lastly the main idea of the article gets masked by controversial expert claims that are not linked to the topic.…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Racism in Disney Movies

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The contributors treat a range of topics at issue in contemporary cultural studies: the performance of gender, race, and class; the engendered images of science, nature, technology, family, and business. The compilation of voices in From Mouse to Mermaid creates a persuasive cultural critique of Disney's ideology.…

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays