Introduction
Disney Princess movies have been an integral part of children’s entertainment for generations, and they have formed the perspectives and assessments of viewers from all around the world. By all means, the vivid animation and catchy tunes in hidden neurons of the gender roles and power relationships are worthwhile to observe closely. In this essay, I will explore the Critical Cultural Theory in order to analyze how traditional gender roles and the system of power are portrayed and reinforced in the common Disney Princesses movies. Through the examination of these movies’ stories, characters, and implications, the aim of this paper is to investigate the impact these films have on children’s perception of gender roles in our society.
Literature Review
Disney Princess movies have long been a catalyst for researchers to question and analyze the representation of gender in children’s media through rigorous, in-depth studies. Critical cultural theory is a model that is very useful in analyzing how narratives in media reflect and set norms and values in society. Scholars have significantly contributed to this discourse and deepened our understanding of how gender identities are complexly constructed and power relationships still exist within popular culture today. By application of the previous research about Disney Princess movies, the subjection of gender stereotypes and patriarchal ideas also comes to light. On the same line, Linando (2023) affirms that the movies portray females as a submissive group whose main agenda is to have romantic relationships, which finally result in marriage. One can see a mirror image where women’s value is assessed based on their ability to find a man as such. Additionally, Cadiz (2023) addresses Disney’s conceptualization of masculinity, arguing that male heroes are common practice throughout the stories, and female characters are usually pushed to the background. Hereby, analyses prove that almost everywhere, the manifestation of the patriarchal norm and the power system is in the fabric of Disney princess movies.
Disney princess movies within children’s entertainment are under the microscope as academics seek to evaluate gender representation in media. Through the use of the Critical Cultural Theory perspective, one can disentangle the complex patterns through which media products interact with the cultural context that they reflect and reiterate. Researchers have provided various perspectives on the issue, expounding the intricacies of how gender identities are informed and power dynamics shape the popular culture. Disney Princess movies do not fail to portray certain gender stereotypes, such as the persistence of traditional gender and patriarchal thinking in certain aspects of the movies. Likewise, these movies, according to Muir (2023), often represent women as enfeebled and compliant, foregrounding their quest for love or wedding over everything else. This portrayal reconfirms a widely held social belief that a woman is a person of low worth unless she has a male lover. Likewise, Gessler (2023) criticizes Disney’s depiction of masculinity in that the male characters are usually portrayed as heroes and power domains while sometimes overshadowing their female colleagues. The conduct of these analyses proves the generalized effect of traditional gender and power emblems constructed within Disney Princess stories.
Text Analysis
“Cinderella” presents a typical figure of the female gender – faithful and meek, which is more likely to be the prey of the circle it is in. All that she has to rely on is her beauty and the “help” of a prince to save her from this very imprisoned situation that she is in. The movie, however, spreads the myth of a quiet woman, almost suggesting that her liberation from a man is through him understanding her (Al, 2023). With this representation, a woman’s value is still being perceived as tied to her desirability by male beings as jugged from traditional gender role concepts. Cinderella’s storyline expresses the attitude that a woman must follow and gives a signal about romantic fulfilment as a central issue for the female characters, which, in the process, lends weight to the gender roles in the film and the broader cultural discourse.
In “Beauty and the Beast,” Belle is an independent and intellectually strong protagonist at first, but ultimately, she goes against the popular gender stereotypes that she faces. Yet, her actual happiness is inherently linked to the transformation of the Beast into an enchanting prince. This trajectory of the narrative moves rather skillfully to subtly suggest that the power of a woman is overrun by men and their choices – so was the strongest and independent part of the story undermined (Hardman, 2021). In addition, the film keeps on telling the familiar tale of “beauty and the beast”, in which the woman’s love has the power to change and heal a man. This process intensifies and consolidates the traditional gender roles and the image of feminine self-sacrifice in the narrative. A woman’s journey in Beauty and the Beast proves the film’s intention of perpetuating the values of a male-dominated society as it depicts how the needs and desires of the male character shape the entire story and continue to fuel the gendered power dynamics within the film and the whole culture.
In the case of “The Little Mermaid”, where Ariel trades off her voice and identity so as to reach ‘love’ comes as a reinforcement of the thinking that women must make uncalled-for sacrifices to meet the requirements of men. This narrative element emphasizes the traditional gender roles of the movie in that female empowerment is conditioned by conforming to patriarchal ideas. Therefore, women need to act according to society’s gender expectations in order to be empowered. The manifestation of the two contrary images, which depict Ariel’s independent character versus Aurora’s passive, obedient nature, reflects the option that women have between pursuing their own will and meeting society’s expectations. By portraying Ariel’s sacrifice as a way to get her to be happy with a prince, the movie is making the statement that women’s desires should be male’s desires and autonomy should be ignored. As a result, “The Little Mermaid” tendencies led to Disney Princess tales based on the gender stratification mode; thus, they further enhanced traditional views about being fully submissive and feminine as the rest of society.
Argument/Application
Through Disney Princess films, the portrayal of gender and power imbalance serves as the reflection and reinforcement of broader societal norms and prospects. The contrast established between women portrayed as passive and submissive and men, heroic and dominant, reinforces stereotypes and elucidates the patriarchal mindset. It is the portrayal that sends out to the young audiences a very clear understanding of what gender roles are all about and who they are expected to be, thus helping to maintain the normalcy of such gender dynamics in society. Additionally, by revolving the stories around finding romantic love and marriage as a goal, Disney princess movies subconsciously show the viewers that a woman’s self-worth depends on her ability to find a partner where love and marriage are the focal points (Gessler, 2023). This maintaining the character that the female counterpart is the true meaning of happiness becomes a reinforcement of gender expectations and the upward trajectory of the heterosexual relationship as the paramount objective.
Moreover, the deficit in the representation and diversity of Disney princess movies is one of the reasons why these values get reinforced through the persistent depiction of a limited form of beauty whereby the main characters are white, and the respective beauties, which demonstrate the marginalization of women who do not satisfy such ideals. The result is that society will not only observe the social beauty standards but also witness power and privilege systems that uphold those identities and value fewer if any, others. This lack of inclusion also impacts the fair representation involving things such as racial groups and LGBT+ individuals. By casting non-diverse characters and leaving problematic issues untouched in the movies, Disney Princesses movies continue the cycles of existing power systems that end up creating exclusion and marginalization.
Conclusion
In essence, Disney Princess movies tremendously impact children’s ideas about gender and social power. Reinforcing the traditional gender stereotypes and patriarchy, these films continue the norms of female passivity and male dominance. Furthermore, by focusing on the narratives around romantic love and marriage, they hinder the freedom and power of females. Moving along, it becomes critical to scrutinize and overthrow these images, both within media texts and in larger cultural conversations, so that there can be a better and fairer representation of gender and power. By using critical cultural theory as a tool, one can start to uncover those narratives and move towards a fairer and more balanced society.
References
Linando, S. I. (2023, July). Disney Portrayal of Gender Roles in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast, and Frozen. In IMOVICCON: International Moving Image Cultures Conference (Vol. 2).
Cadiz, C. I. (2023). Womanization of Masculinity” in Disney’s “Moana” and “Brave. REIMAGINING THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE, 68.
Muir, R. (2023). The Disney Princess Phenomenon: A Feminist Analysis. Policy Press.
Gessler, E. C. (2023). The Hidden Figures in Happily Ever After: A Qualitative Analysis of Sidekick Characters in the Disney Princess Films (Doctoral dissertation, Indiana University of Pennsylvania).
Al, A. L. W. S. Y. (2023). The Fairy Tales and Anne Sexton’s Transformation with Reference to Female Protagonists in Cinderella. lark, 15(4), 715-695.
Hardman, C. (2021). Tale As Old As… Feminism? The (re) making Of Beauty And The Beast (Doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University).
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