Gender Stereotypes

In the study that makes up a good part of the article by England, Descartes and Collier-Meek, we are shown a numerical conversion of masculine and feminine characteristics exhibited by both the princesses and the princes in the Disney princess movies. The feminine characteristics included things like tends to physical appearance, described as physically attractive, submissive and collapses crying, while the male characteristics included physically strong, assertive, unemotional and brave. They examined each movie individually and found that “The five most common attributes and behaviors portrayed by the princesses [were…]: affectionate, assertive, fearful, troublesome, and athletic.” (560) Three of these behaviors are specifically feminine and typically the assertiveness (a masculine behavior) of the princesses was associated with animals instead of people. Obviously the creators of these movies knew what they were doing when writing the screenplays and giving these characters these reoccurring behaviors. By doing this, they are reinforcing to young girls that this is how girls are supposed to behave. This study also showed that the Disney movies and their gender role portrayals are becoming “more egalitarian over time” (561). The first three princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora) participated in many more feminine behaviors than masculine ones. However,  “the ratio of feminine characteristics exhibited by the princesses decreased over time, with 86% of the princesses’ behavior in the early films coded as feminine, reducing to 58% in the middle movies, and 53% in the most current film” (562). There seems to be a conscious effort being made to make the Disney princesses into more androgynous beings as time goes on; to make them more socially accepted and better role models for young children. This is a respectable change being made but is it too little too late? The gender stereotypes that took center stage in the earlier movies are still included in them and children still watch these movies as much as the newer princess movies. They are still exposed to the injustices that Disney created from the very beginning and see them working in the newer movies as well (just not as extremely as earlier films). Women have been and are still being subjugated by the Disney princess franchise. I’m not sure if the gender stereotypes will ever be completely put to rest by a Disney princess film—if we will ever get a movie about an independent, brave, strong and assertive princess that does not need a prince to maintain her happiness. I can only hope that that is where we are heading for my sake and for my future children as well.

In The End...

How do these movies impact the young children that grow up watching them? I find that this is a question that did not even occur to me until recently—these movies played such an important part in my own childhood that it made me wonder how they could affect children’s perceptions of love and women. The resolutions of all of these movies are strongly gendered and help to “reinforce the desirability of traditional gender conformity” (England, Descartes, and Collier-Meek 565). The princesses always end up winning over the prince by the end of the film, regardless of what happened previously with them in the movie. This is so unrealistic, especially in some of the settings that the princesses encounter. I’m not saying that a happy ending is completely out of the question, but the way that it is presented by Disney is often improbable. This is especially obvious when you look at how the princesses and princes fall in love with each other: “at first sight (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty), against all odds (Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, The Princess and the Frog), or both (Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Pocahontas)” (565). As the years have gone on the time frame in which they fell in love has become more realistic (going from one day to a developed friendship then love interest) but it still troubles me that this is the resolution that Disney always chooses. Pocahontas is the only princess that does not go with her prince but she is still linked to him romantically at the end of her story. These stories tell little children from a very young age that love and/or marriage are the only ways to end a story; that independence and happiness  are not two things that go together (according to Disney standards). This completely degrades women because it makes them seem like they are completely codependent on their men and cannot lead a “happily ever after” kind of life without a man by their side.

Tiana

The most complicated and controversial princess of them all is Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog (2009). She is the first African-American princess in the Disney franchise and her being the first, her movie has created a lot of buzz and speculation from critics and viewers alike. The biggest difference between Tiana and the other Disney princesses is that Tiana is not a princess until the very end of the movie, when she marries Prince Naveen. She grew up working her way through life, working multiple jobs to support herself and her mother and to open the restaurant of her dreams. This is so unlike all of the other princesses—her father was not present in her life (as he died early on) and her mother was her main source of support and she wasn’t given everything whenever she asked for it. Neal A. Lester points out in his article that “Tiana is her parents’ hope for familial and racial uplift as evidenced by her dreams of entrepreneurship and of economic independence” (Lester 302). Tiana is the first princess to have dreams and ambitions and to not be searching for love at all. She is not fazed by the prince as first—“Tiana’s eloquence and wisdom beyond her years is evidenced in her retort to the flirting suitor Naveen that she does not want to be treated like a princess but rather that she wants to be treated with respect and dignity” (Lester 302). I think this is a big step in the right direction for Disney movies—they’re starting to break the typical mold in that respect and in the racial aspect. But, the feminist issues in this movie are about the same. No one expects Tiana to do well and to succeed with her restaurant because that’s not what women do in their society. It is set in the 1920s in New Orleans, which I think is very interesting because Disney is trying to be so progressive with an African-American main character but they chose a setting that actually regresses in the aspect of women’s rights. After analyzing these movies, I can confidently say that this is one of the few that I would happily show to my future children because of the central message—that if you work hard to accomplish your dreams, you can do that and so much more.

Pocahontas and Mulan

The third group of Disney princess movies were Pocahontas (1995) and Mulan (1998). These two princesses showed the biggest change in the characterization of the Disney princesses. Instead of being overtly feminine and sensitive, they are quite the opposite—even exhibiting many behaviors typically reserved for male characters. But, their male counterparts are that much more masculine to make up for the masculinity of the female princesses. Pocahontas is the daughter of a Native American chief, making her like royalty and also making her into a resourceful and intelligent character. This lifestyle of hunting, gathering and constant canoeing turns her into a strong and athletic woman unlike the white women that John Smith encounters before meeting her. I like Pocahontas—she has family values, drive and determination and a good head on her shoulders. She doesn’t give in to the overwhelming influence of the white settlers. Mulan is also a “princess” that must tap into her masculinity to overcome adversity. She is being primed to be the perfect housewife but chooses to take her father’s place in the Chinese army to save his life. She is selfless and gives up her femininity completely and dresses like a man for the most part of the movie. While cross-dressing is a strange concept to be featured in a Disney movie for young kids, it shows a woman that is not afraid of becoming a dirty, unclean soldier (so far from the typical appearance obsessed other princesses). These movies are also significant because they were the beginnings of movies about clearly ethnically diverse princesses. I will discuss race in more detail in a later blog, but I thought that it was significant to mention here that the most masculine Disney princesses were the ones that were not of Caucasian heritage. I think that this is an almost racist generalization made by Disney studios. These princesses are much different from the last five, but not necessarily in an attractive way.

Ariel, Belle and Jasmine

The second group of Disney princess movies were: The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), and Aladdin (1992). These princesses (Ariel, Belle and Jasmine) were the beginning of the challenging of traditional gender roles. This cluster of movies starts to incorporate the changing times and the different issues present for women after the 30 year gap between Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid. Ariel was the first Disney princess to show a genuine interest in exploring outside her immediate environment. This curiosity was a new concept for Disney and for film viewers. It allowed young girls to imagine all the possibilities that the world has to offer. But, it also reinforced the feminine traits of fearfulness and affection, showing that women will always fall prey to typical feminine behaviors. Belle was the first princess that showed any interest in any intellectual activity; she was the town librarian and read books quite frequently. Though, she was separated from her community because of this interest, making her an independent and brave character. These traits are overshadowed by her nurturing side when it comes to the Beast-triumphing as an overwhelmingly feminine behavior. This overshadowing causes conflict in the eyes of the viewer, confusing whether it is more important to be intellectually stimulated and separate from society or to be sensitive and nurturing of to those around you. Jasmine is an interesting princess in the Disney movies. She is not the main character in the movie and is actually secondary to Aladdin. The biggest issue that I have with Jasmine is the overly sexual nature of her character. She uses her body and her good looks to seduce people into doing as she tells them. This is not an appropriate message for children at all. Most of the princesses show increased obsession with their looks but none of them use their looks to get things or to do things. Even though her exploitation of her looks was to free Aladdin, it should not be showcased in a children’s movie—it’s just inappropriate. 

Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora

The first three Disney princess movies were: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Cinderella (1950) and Sleeping Beauty (1959). These three princesses were the typical helpless princesses. They are all relatively submissive to their male counterparts and don’t see anything wrong with that. Their assertiveness was shown to animals and to children, but not to their male suitors. This sends the wrong message to young girls. It tells them that they can let their voices be heard but that the only people that will listen to them and be affected by their assertiveness are small children and animals that cannot choose for themselves who they listen to. Snow White and Cinderella had very similar story features—both have an evil stepmother and the princes are absent for the majority of the movie. The female characters that they had in their lives were quite the opposite of what a mother figure should be, obviously not giving these girls much to aspire to themselves. Aurora was always my least favorite princess. What good is a princess that sleeps throughout her entire story? She does not assert herself in any special way and just lays around waiting for a man to come and kiss her to wake her and save her life. So unnecessary. While she actually had a mother to look up to, she was unable to do that because she was just sleeping. These three movies also highlight women doing housework quite frequently. That seems to be the one productive thing that they do for themselves and others, which makes me question if that is supposed to be some kind of subliminal messaging taking into account the timeframe in which they were put out (1937-1959), when housekeeper was a socially acceptable role for women to hold. However, now that it’s 2011, these things are more of an issue—these movies show social injustices against women, supported by the timeframe they were produced.

My Princess Experience

Some of my earliest memories include watching Disney movies, especially the princess movies. We had every movie on tape and they were used and abused quite frequently between my little sister and me. I never realized how truly sexist these movies are. I understand they’re fairy tales (or versions of them) and that they’re not meant to be based on real events but they are so fantasized that it’s almost unbelievable. Because these movies are such an integral part of many children’s lives I think it’s important to analyze some of the generalizations that Disney makes about women and how they can potentially influence the lives of their viewers. In this blog, I will focus on issues of race, marriage and gender roles in the Disney princess movies. The princesses that will be part of this blog will be Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan and Tiana. We all had our favorite princesses growing up, mine was Belle. We could all relate to their individual stories and wanted to be just like them when we grew up. But, in retrospect, I can’t help but to question how much these stories have idealized life to us starting at a young age and how much watching these movies have influenced how little girls picture the perfect life. Was Disney really that sexist at the beginning? Or were they just a product of their time, as the movies are becoming more and more accepting of strong female characters as time goes on? These are questions that we were unaware of as children, we probably didn’t even realize the injustices playing out before our eyes, but this blog will address the more adult issues at hand in these children’s movies.

Scholarly Sources:

England, Dawn Elizabeth, Lara Descartes, and Melissa A. Collier-Meek. "Gender Role Portrayal and the

     Disney Princesses." Sex Roles 64 (2011): 555-67. Web. 4 Jun 2011.

Lester, Neal A. "Disney’s The Princess and The Frog: The Pride, the Pressure, and the Politics of Being a

     First." Journal of American Culture 33.4 (2010): 294-308. Web. 4 Jun 2011.