Frozen Stereotypes

In Cold Blood, a book written by Truman Capote, details about a murder case in 1959 in Holcomb. The four victims in this book where apart of the Christian church which in their community, which was very ethnically diverse, Christianity was the most popular religion.

The early films followed the traditional standards of the early twentieth-century, where the female heroine needed rescuing by her true love (Yerby, Baron, Lee). Snow White being the first animated film produced by Disney helped create the template that would be used for later movies but more importantly the role that the females would play. Snow White as described by Maio is "young, virginal, and pretty, sweet natured and obedient" qualities that all Disney princess seem to posses, but are more evident among the early princesses. Domestic work is also one of the many virtues exhibited by the early heroines, in the first three movies. All three princesses are often shown cleaning in various scenes with a smile on their faces, often sing along while they perform the task at hand, depicting an image of the happy homemaker. Neither one of them ever complains or questions their status in the world, always being very compliant, depicting the proper gender roles of the time. Even though this early heroines are more assertive when compared to their prince, they only assert their authority

Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain challenges the gender roles and stereotypes through independent, strong-minded females such as Ada and Rudy, while also having kind-hearted, tender males like Inman. The setting of the novel is 1864, near the end of the Civil War, which means that gender roles were very significant and followed by society. Women were viewed as traditional, household mothers who tended to the needs of her children and husbands, whereas men were the strong, dominant figures of household with dim-witted minds and handiness abilities. However Frazier’s protagonists break these stereotypes throughout the entirety of Cold Mountain. Therefore the functions of gender roles apply greatly to this reading because it enhances the unique qualities of the characters.

Typically, men are the action heroes who save the women and vulnerable victims. Women are usually the fair maidens in distress that need to be rescued by a man. A story about girl-power and a woman saving the day is fairly unexpected particularly during ancient times. The story of Mulan is an ancient Chinese story of a woman going against tradition. In a strict and respectful culture as the Chinese, women were expected by society and their families to always be delicate, quiet, and obedient. This impressionable story was also depicted by the American Walt Disney creation and production of Mulan. Disney brought Mulan in the world stage using its own classic style of storytelling and fairytales. This western company misinterpreted some areas of the story and offended some Chinese viewers due to their inaccuracy. According to critics, the revisions of Mulan and Disney’s transformation the story of Mulan were as

Just like what John Musker says, “We thought it would be very appealing to do a female empowerment story that didn’t center on any sort of romance” (Berman 2016). The hearts of their stories focused less on finding true love and more on journeys, selflessness, and self-discovery. The first thing to point is that nobody of these leads’ – except for naïve Anna – core story aims was to fall in love. Tiana (The Princess and the Frog 2009) driven hard to become an effective business holder, Rapunzel (Tangled 2010) desired to discover the outside world, Merida (Brave 2012) wished to evade being married off in the name of practice, and Anna and Elsa (Frozen 2013) were looking to save each other, reconstruct their relationship and keep their empire from being overhauled by an outside threat. This period in Disney cinematography also took the time to highpoint relations between women for the first time. Just like in Brave, the chief bond is revolving between daughter and mother. There are plenty Disney movies to have explored love, but this one stands out and is experienced by most teenagers – the altering scene of the mother–daughter bond. Similarly, Frozen mainly focuses on the sisterly bond between Anna and Elsa. Jennifer Lee states that “She wanted to create characters they both could relate to, and felt the bond between sisters would be more accessible to a young girl than the lure of romantic love” (The Columbian 2014). Again, Disney took steps to discover something foreign to its earlier movies. By representing firm women and the inner workings of their relations, the last few Disney animated films showed a more precise reflection of the world. Based on the past of Disney Princesses above, we are sighted stronger role models creating their way into children’s

The idea of feminism has not always been common. The term “feminism” wasn’t introduced until the 1970s. This shows how society didn’t allow anything that had to due with everyone being equal because of the standards that society constructed. In all the versions of Mulan, I think that Disney’s Mulan was the most strict on her having Ancient China’s role of being a woman. This would be having kids, helping clean around the house and not working for money, but working for her husband and kids. In Disney’s Mulan, her family is more hard on her to be a lady and for her to be the proper role of a women. This is because they went to a “matchmaker” to find her husband, and after saving everyone several times, she was still looked down upon because she was a woman.

The legend of Mulan, the Chinese woman warrior, was first presented in an annonomous poem called “the Ballad of Mulan” which dated back the 6th sentury Tang Dynansty. The poem was written in five segments; each one represents Mulan’s origin, experience in the battlefield, and also sense of obedience to her family. The legend lives on as it is passed from one generation to other generation through diverse versions such as storytelling, poem, and movies. Ultimately, the ballad takes on a new form when it was adapted into a 1998 Disney animated feature. This is the first time Disney has drawn on an Asian

Merida (Kelly Macdonald) does not want to be married off and wants to have the choice for herself. Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) attempts to be married off to give honor to her family and fails, but later on she decides to be with Shang (BD Wong). In this case, Merida (Kelly Macdonald) breaks the stereotype of needing a love interest and Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) supports it. Both princesses refute a stereotype by knowing how to use weapons and are seen in combat within their films. Merida (Kelly Macdonald) knows how to use a bow and is seen protecting her mother from her own father. Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) is in an actual war and single handedly fights Shan Yu (Miguel Ferrer). Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) actually portrays herself as a man to be in the war, which I would say refutes the stereotype that women can’t hold similar traits to men like being strategic, strong, and capable to defend themselves or others. Neither are put in the stereotype of being a damsel in distress that must be saved by a male figure. Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) does have help from her friends and Shang (BD Wong), but she aids them as well. Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) does have two animal helpers, which is a typical Disney princess stereotype. Also, both princesses are outspoken and speak up for themselves. Merida (Kelly Macdonald) throughout the film is outspoken, but an important scene is when she decides to fight for her own hand in

For young age children, Disney movies has always played a big part in their childhood. For many people when watching movies such as Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Cinderella. They tend to only see it as family films with the same message, which is the princess getting her happy ending by marrying her prince charming who helped her in distress. These movies basically convey the message that women are not strong enough and have the courage to overcome certain obstacles within their lives without a man. But, the movie Mulan breaks this gender stereotype as it portrays a woman with a more masculine personality, opposes feminine stereotypes, and challenges the idea of men being more intellectual than women.

“They told stories with daring female protagonists, such as Mulan, Belle and Ariel. They also told stories of very diverse cultures and people, from taking on Middle Eastern culture with Aladdin, to China with Mulan, and even painting out the African safari with The Lion King” (Nique 4). They included a diversity of cultures and strong women that set them apart from everyone else. In doing so, Disney was able to attract a wider audience that could relate to each movie while making them enjoyable for children and

Aurora, Snow White, Ariel, Belle; these are a few beloved protagonist from Disney movies made pre-2010. Many children fell in love with the happily ever afters of these characters without realizing the true meaning behind their stories. Family films produced by Disney focus on gender roles and social constructs dictating what is or is not desirable in females. In the article, “The Shame of Family Films: Why Family Films Are So Sexist” by Julia Baird claims that there aren’t many female characters in family films, and when there are, they are portrayed as inferior or as sexy. The problem is that this hurts the way that girls and boys think about girls and this is cycle in Hollywood. The storylines of nearly every film follow the same pattern;

Disney directly exposes the idea that young girls should make their main goal in life to find their prince charming, fall madly in love, and live happily ever after. Making young girls’ aspiration in life revolve around finding a man of their dreams “transfix[es the] audience and divert[s] their potential utopian dreams and hopes through the false promises of the images [Disney] cast[s] upon the screen” (22). Disney tells the audience that women need a man to be happy. Disney presents the idea that women are dependent on me. Just like in The Little Mermaid, Ariel goes as far as surrendering her voice, to a witch named Ursula, and abandoning her family in order to be with her prince. Ariel also trades in her life as a mermaid, drastically changes her body, and sacrifices her greatest talent all in order to win her prince. Disney sends the message that girls need to give up their talents and lives in order to be with a man. Disney suggests that a woman’s main priority is her lover, no one or nothing else. Disney effectively portrays women in a negative way, depicting them as weak and needy. No attempt to break the stereotypical gender roles of women are evident however, these stereotypes are growing as Disney instills this image of women in the minds of viewers.

I conceal my face with layers of makeup hoping that half a bottle of BB cream will be enough to make me as flawless as Kylie Jenner look on the cover of Seventeen magazine. I use innumerous acne medications, aspiring to be as unblemished as the girls in the Clean and Clear commercials. I reject bags of M&Ms and fudge brownies thinking that my sacrifices will make me “love my body” as much as the emaciated Victoria Secret models love theirs (see appendix A). I routinely shave my legs and armpits and pluck my eyebrows with fear of becoming the hairy woman the media deems horrendous. I do everything, yet feel like I am nothing. Nothing compared to the beautiful women pictured on television, magazines, and

Also, this film being a Disney movie, it affects the world’s view of these concepts. First, the movie Mulan portrays femininity in many different ways that can affect our perception of a woman. When Mulan is first introduces, a great value is given to her feminine image.

Once an experience tests your understanding of what reality is, you question how you ever got by without the knowledge of what you know now. As an eighteen-year-old girl, raised in a small town in Northern Michigan, I was unknowingly shielded from the inevitable truth. I was raised to be fair, hardworking, and compassionate. I naively assumed that everyone else was raised this way. My neighbors in Glen Arbor were genuine, friendly, and loving people. I had no way of knowing that this reality, my reality, would be tested through the melting pot of backgrounds and personalities I came across when I moved to Atlanta.