Disney and Gender Identity Essay

Founded by Groves in 1999, the Cultivation Theory came into existence (Graves, 1999). The theory states that exposure to television develops social behavior and norms. At a young age, we are only just entering the stage in their lives where we are beginning to think for ourselves and develop our own personal beliefs and values. Our minds are gullible and can be easily manipulated. This particular empirical study analyzes the effects due to media, specifically Disney princess movies, on gender stereotyping. Gender stereotyping can be defined as common generalizations used to describe gender roles in society, specific attributes associated with each gender, and the differences between each. Many a time, gender stereotypes are

Gender coding is not a natural or biological characteristic. People are born with different physical and biological characteristics, but make sense of their gender roles through cultural influences. “Stereotypes are amazingly powerful, and we may not realize the degree to which our thoughts, beliefs, and actions are shaped by them” (Silverman, Rader, 2010). Boys and girls are labeled as masculine or feminine, which is considered the “norm” for society. Children are not born masculine or feminine, they learn these roles from parents, peers, media, and even religion. Concepts of gender identity are sometimes placed on children even before their birth, such as with the selection of paint colors for the nursery.” Children begin to form concepts of gender beginning around the age of 2, and most children know if they are a boy or girl by age of 3” (Martin & Ruble, 2004). From an early age, children are encouraged to identify with gender coding. Gender is formed at birth, but self-identification as being male or female is imbedded into their minds by parents and society. A child learns to understand their gender role and their identity by what is taught and expressed to them by others. Yet as a child grows, gender coding can cause cultural confusion, and insecurity issues throughout the course of their life.

Disney princesses are fun for all ages, but their target audience is young children and “as children grow and develop, they can be easily influenced by what they see and hear”. Therefore, what they see and hear in Disney movies leaves an impression on them. The first princess, Snow White, was created in a time where each gender and race had a specific role in society. Recently, many believe that Disney has come a long way in regards to gender and race since Snow White, as several multi-cultural protagonists have been introduced subsequently, and gender roles do not appear to be as stereotypical as they once were. However, many of the apparent innocent messages about race and gender in these movies, can be exposed as otherwise. Despite

Gender role expectations are inescapable in our society as we naturally tend to sort humans into categories, the easiest one being gender. Upon first meeting a person, most people automatically classify the other’s gender. With this classification come the inevitable gender role expectations. Even for those who consciously try their hardest not to cloud their perceptions of others based on “traditional” gender role expectations, it is almost impossible not to subconsciously succumb to these expectations that are ingrained in our minds virtually since the day we are born. These expectations often influence how one interacts with another. This is especially important when taking into consideration the effects that gender socialization of children through gendered toys, media, and parental affects child development.

Sociologist Dalton Conley wrote his book, You May Ask Yourself, addressing how “gender is a social construction” that is so normal for society to think how a man or woman should act towards the public. Society often categorizes roles that females and males are suppose to play in, but not only are they categorized they are also being taught what their gender role is suppose to do. The beginning of gender socialization can start with a child who is not born yet by simply having the parents purchase items that are all pink if its expected to be a girl, but if its expected to be a boy then everything they purchase will be blue. Conley states that gender roles are “sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany ones’ status as male or female” (Conley [2008] 2013:134). So even when a child is growing into their infant years, toys are made specifically for their gender. By examining how social construction places gender in categories it becomes apparent that males and females get differentiated a lot which emphasizes inequality between them.

A common concept in most Disney movies is the dependency the female characters have on the men. In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, without the dwarfs it is likely Snow White would have died in the woods. The dwarfs tell her that she should not open the door to anyone, but she goes against their wishes and falls into the witches trap. This can imply that she is not capable of looking after herself and needs to be constantly watched by the dwarfs, men, to ensure harm does not come to her. It can also make the dwarfs appear smarter than her, suggesting men are smarter than women.

Coltrane and Adams argue images of others and we are largely developed by gender stereotypes, which provide a baseline for cultural differences between men and women. It has also been argued that early cognition about gender is influenced more by the overall delegation of gender in society rather than the gender portrayal occurring within individual families said by O’Brien. Researchers remain interested in the topic of gender largely because of its pervasive influence on social attitudes and behavior of an individual, as well as evidence that children's perceptions of gender limits their options open to them.

Disney is a large manufacturing company of family films. Disney and feminists have been arguing with each other since the very beginning. They have made progress and are not quite so argumentative now. Feminists tend to pick apart Disney’s films and complain about what they see. Disney films reflect the progression of cultural feminism through the personalities and actions of the princesses.

In the past, there had been segregation of sexes in some animation studios like Disney, much like most other places during those times in the 1940s. Women would have been given more of the lesser and least creative jobs to do, like tracing the characters and inking and colouring the frames. Over time, the treatment of women in the industry would have improved due to a change in societies views, where women have even directed animated films like Jennifer Lee who directed Disney’s Frozen (2013). Even with this, the significance of female roles in the industry is still somewhat lacking compared to males working in the industry, and this could be contributed to how in the past they haven’t been credited as much. Like the animator Lillian Friedman,

Gender socialization often begins early once parents are shown the sex of their child; from then on, baby showers are planned according to gender “appropriate” colors, which are often pink for girls and blue for boys. Even differences in how children are spoke to can be picked up easily in Western cultures. Girls are called pretty and sweet, whereas boys are handsome and strong. Ultimately, the way children learn to identify with their gender culture is in part due to not only family and friends, media, schools, and religion, but also from the toys that may inexplicitly advertise gender expectations. Gender-typed toys may be bought for children as a way for parents to encourage and reinforce gender-appropriate behaviors. However, recent debates have engulfed toy manufacturers and major retailers, which has brought about changes in toy design and marketing in an effort to make reflect more realistic and gender neutral options.

Even before a child is born, we have already labeled that child as either a boy or a girl. Then as they grow up we subject them to gender socialization, which is the process in which cultures communicate their expectations about gender to the child (Arnett, 135). I grew up in a small town; however, it was not like the stereotypical, very conservative, small town that is often portrayed in movies. My experience in Western culture, which is immensely different than that of other cultures, is that gender socialization was prevalent during childhood, but became more relaxed during adolescents and emerging adulthood.

The two biggest components of a child’s cognitive development are the individual and their environment. So it is little surprise that by the ages of 5 and 7 children already internalise and express knowledge of gender roles displayed in society by way of unpaid (ie. household) and paid labour division. Previous research has supplied evidence of this claim (Durkin & Nugent 1998, Martin & Ruble, 1998), however it is found that after the age of 7, children’s thoughts surrounding gender roles become more fluid in interpretation. Furthermore, it is discovered that there is a positive association between parental gender ideas and their children’s attitudes towards gender roles (Epstein & Ward, 2011, Fulcher, 2010). Fulcher (2010) found that when mothers held more traditional (women more likely to have an ‘at home’ role) idea of their gender stereotype,

In our society, the standard idea of a woman arises greatly by Disney movies , but does it also influence gender identity within a female? In Disney films females get portrayed as fragile, pretty, dependent, emotional, and loving. Disney movies including Cinderella, Snow White come and Sleeping Beauty, create the image were males stay above women and go on the norm of patriarchy which misleads the idea of how females should feel in society. Disney's traditional viewpoint on gender roles shapes girls to achieve their expectation of feminine. In society females don’t hold capacity of finding their true gender identity, and they don't know what they want.

Hello, my FOA is about how the language and plot that showed gender stereotypes in Disney princess movies have changed according to change in culture over time.

Disney movies, especially those with a female protagonist, have been influencing the idea of femininity and beauty ever since the first Disney Movie “Snow White And the Seven Dwarfs” debuted in 1937. The depiction of female characters has been depended on the social and cultural expectations and stereotypes of the contemporary society. Therefore, the representation of female characters has been undergoing constant changes over the decades.