Dichotomy In Film

Not only do Disney princesses result in bad self esteem, they also encourage passiveness and reliance on others. The feminine and vulnerable side of these princesses, reflect the reliance on their hero and true love. The Disney princess stereotype insinuates that girls should be sweet and submissive, and should fully rely on a male-counterpart. Conversely, new characters, such as Elsa (Frozen), Rapunzel (Tangled), and Merida (Brave), do not express this passive characteristic. At the same time, these princesses continue to need assistance to reach the desired solution. For instance, Princess Rapunzel still needed hero Flynn Rider, in order to navigate her to her parents throughout the movie. None of these princesses independently found a solution to the main conflict in any of these Disney films.

Apart from the stereotypes, recent Disney princesses have been counteracting the stereotypical images of a Disney princess. They are no longer waiting around for their prince to come and be with them. Instead, they are using their intelligence to achieve their dreams and aspirations. Also, they can be independent and that they don’t always need a man (Bowser n.p.). The portrayal of love in these films are different from the others. The characters are not focused in waiting for their prince. Rather, they were trying to achieve their dreams. In "The Princess and the Frog", Tiana pursues her dream in becoming a restaurant owner. She didn't need a male counterpart to be able to feel happy but only wanted to fulfill her dream to feel happiness.

The portrayal of Feminine aspects within Disney movies has been widely criticized, however the way masculinity is portrayed in films is also very controversial but infrequently discussed. My goal for this research paper is to look at two Disney films through a feminist lens and queer lens to decipher any stereotypical aspects of masculinity that are shown within the main characters. I am hopeful to find a film that breaks the norm of having a masculine main character that is hyper masculine like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast or Jaffar from Aladdin. I would also like to analyze the damsel in distress situations in films where the male role seems to always be the heroic figure even when they aren’t the main character in the story. Even though

The Frontline film Separate and Unequal discussed about creating a new school system; however, there are opposition by others who wants to maintain the current school system. If we look at the perspectives of the two groups, it is understandable in why there is support and opposition from the people of the city. The supporters of the new system wants a system that can provide better opportunities for their children without any violence. As the film claimed “the school was not teaching and were only babysitting the children”, which was likely a reason why there was a need for a new school system. With the chaotic and uncontrollable situation in the current system, many supporters have push forward the idea of a new system in a new city. From

Disney princesses have always been seen in the public eye as dependent on their prince charming. When thinking about the very first princesses Disney put on the screen, such as Snow white, Cinderella, sleeping beauty and so on, they have never been thought of as very strong or independent women. In most of the early Disney princess movies, the underlying theme is that the princess is always in search of or waiting to be rescued by the male character. With, this is one of the most prominent reasons why Orenstein did not want her daughter listening to the snow-white tale. She did not want to expose her daughter to thinking that the traits or characteristics that the princesses display were how women should act or be represented.

In today's age, gender norms have become a topic of conversation. It is clear that society has made some progress throughout the years when it comes to the irregularity of them and thankfully it is starting to show in mainstream media. It's no secret that the most successful of movies that involve superheroes revolve around a male protagonist. It is because of this, that most assume only men are capable of such roles and therefore gain the title of being labeled as stronger and superior. However that is not always the case.

According to amother, her child stated “Mommy, mommy, the hyenas, the hyenas”, and she looked up and saidthere was a group of black children on the carousel and playing (Maloney; Mickey MouseMonopoly, 27). The social roles presented by Disney media embody the gendered stereotypes,which negatively affect how children learn and eventually perform gender (Heather Gutekunst,106). Disney films specifically have been shown to portray some stereotypical depictions ofgender (England, Descartes, Collier-Meek, 92)EvaluationLet’s face it, the Disney Princess movies and product line are completely surrounded bythe idea of gender roles because they want to create a fairytale where boys and girls act the waythey are meant to act. According to a current study on the gender-roles in Disney Princess films,it was expected that the princesses would show more traditionally feminine than masculinecharacteristics, and the princes would show more traditionally masculine than femininecharacteristics (England, Descartes, Collier-Meek, 93). Gendered stereotypes and roles aredesignated by Disney as limited rules of traditional femininity that is reiterated through andmirrored after popular culture (Gutekunst, 105). A quote by Carmen Faught written in theWashington post stated, “We don’t believe that little girls naturally play a certain way or speak acertain way, they’re not born liking a pink dress. At some point we teach them. So a big questionis where girls get their ideas about being girls” (Guo, 121). In Beauty & the Beast, you haveLumiere, the candlestick, and the broom, the feminine broom, acting out these male/femalethemes, where he’s the aggressive and she’s saying ‘oh, no, no, no’ and then by golly, he sweepsher off her feet after she said no, no, no, no (Carolyn Newberger; Mickey Mouse Monopoly,

There are some stories, in my opinion, such as Beauty and the Beast or Hansel and Gretel, in which female protagonists not only are totally independent, but rescue, the father in the first story and the brother in the second, from death with their own

From the minute one is born the division between genders is placed. The phrases “act like a lady” or “be a man” become everyday practices and lifelong slogans. Fairy tales are always focused on women who play the beautiful damsel in distress persona and on men who play the handsome knight coming in to save them. Whether you are female or male, it is important to remember that these fixed characteristics placed on genders are never to be reinforced. In a world full of gender stereotypes, the Disney movie Mulan challenges the societal construct of masculinity and femininity by proving that gender roles are not fixed traits, but socially constructed views that can be changed.

The Disney film “The Lion King” is a great example of how females are seen as subordinate to males. Giroux states, “All of the rulers of the kingdom are men, reinforcing the assumption that independence and leadership are tied to patriarchal entitlement and high social standing” (Greene 582). This is the case for most Disney films that the male characters have power over the female characters. The female characters are depicted as weak and dependent on the male characters. This can give young girls the wrong idea of what type of roles they should take on. If they keep seeing female characters being portrayed as weak and dependent on males they may think that they should be the same way. However, not all of the female characters in these movies are portrayed the same way.

Maleficent becomes attached to Aurora as she is her own, and acting as a mother figure, taking care of her and her health, and Maleficent’s emotions towards Aurora are exhibited more in Maleficent (2014), exhibiting sensitivity and even crying when she feels as if Aurora will never arouse from the imprecation she placed on her in the commencement but endeavored to invert, representing that Maleficent portrays both characteristics of femininity and

Disney does not really have Disney princes who they glorify. The other main character is the evil mom, which is a pretty common role for women in these types of movies. The kingdom’s most wanted criminal, Flynn Rider, takes Rapunzel to a pub called The Snuggly Duckling and every single character in there is a man. They are all represented as mean and guilty. The gender roles portrayed in the movie are best fit with the cultural and social constructionist perspective.

Beginning at a very young age in our lives, the film industry influences the way in which each individual interprets the actions that are taken by a character in a film. The constant portrayal of what characteristics would best fit with defining what it is to be a hero, seem to focus mainly on masculine traits. The desirable traits that are illustrated in the majority of the films are being independent, strong, and most importantly a male. However, the film Maleficent (2014), contradicts this idea. This film tells the story of Maleficent (Angelina Jolie), a young woman that has been fooled into believing in true love. When the person she believed was her true love, removes her most precious weapon she is left with great agony and a thirst for

Growing up, all I ever did was watch Disney movies and the Disney channel. Now as I’m older, I can’t help but realize that all the movies are exactly the same. The princess is stuck in a dilemma and then a perfect prince comes along and saves her and then they marry in the end. Other than a similar plot, all the movies have very similar character traits. England, Descartes, and Collier-Meek in Gender Role Portrayal and the Disney Princesses explain the characters, “traditionally masculine (e.g., athletic, brave) and traditionally feminine (e.g., helpful, nurturing) characteristics exhibited by the prince and princess characters through

Filmmakers use traditional gender stereotypes to produce characters audiences can easily identify with by portraying conventional images of a person with identifiable characteristics. In previous years, the dominant representation of a women in film has been the passive, subjugated protagonist. However, through the development of female empowerment and added feminist representations of film, the female heroine transformed to become strong and independent women in her own right, as an individual character.