Gender Stereotypes In Disney Films

To prove the claim that Disney only portrays characters that follow heteronormative norms, I have conducted my research that included watching two Disney movies from two different time periods – an older movie from the 1960’s to late 1990’s, and a newer movie from 2010 and later. The purpose of watching two movies from two different time periods is to check and prove my claim that Disney

Disney has been notorious for perpetuating gender stereotypes for women through their movies, and since the

5. Are the behaviors, attitudes, and characteristics of male and female characters strongly gender stereotyped?

Since 1937, Disney has been creating several animation movies for children, as well as adults, to enjoy. From Snow White to Cinderella to Tangled, Disney has produced household names and characters for children to look up to. Without disregarding the happiness Disney has brought to billions of children, it has also enforced multiple societal norms that are otherwise alarming. At first glance the typical Disney fairytale seems entertaining, but when examining closer they have portrayed patriarchy, unrealistic body images and racial stereotypes. For years Disney has portrayed woman as tall, beautiful and thin.

One may object to this and claim that the ideas presented to a child through a movie will not cause him or her to think of themselves negatively. In truth, if a child is conveyed ideas via film expressing sexist ideology, he or she is likely to believe it and change their opinions based on what they see. From the same LSE study, the film Toy Story 3 was analyzed. “Jesse is represented through her emotional state and in her first scene; she has some mood swings that give in to the stereotype of the woman being weak and overly emotional,” (Dutt 24). This is just one example of gender stereotypes in children’s films. If a little girl were to view this movie, she may begin to think that she is simply a weak, overly emotional female. For the little girl watching Cinderella, she too may begin that her only destiny is cooking and cleaning, as well as chasing after the love of her life. Boys who watch these movies may begin to degrade the females around them, believing their role in life is far superior to that of women. To stop all children from believing negative ideas based on their gender, sexist stereotypes should be eliminated from

The typical paradigm of a princess is to be gentle, nurturing, beautiful, and dependent upon somebody else to guide their fate and to also find their “one true love or prince charming.” Examples include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and Sleeping Beauty. According to Orenstein (2011), she reinforces this model that “the first thing that culture told her about being a girl [was] not that she was competent, strong, creative, or smart but that every little girl wants – or should want – to be the Fairest of Them All” (p. 3). It was not until recently when the standards of social or gender norms have been challenged by modern princesses where the princesses wield a trait or some traits that exemplify strong attributes. Being a strong princess would be defined as a princess that controls her own actions and controls her own life, regardless of what is dictated by social or gender norms.

Walt Disney is one of the most influential media companies in America. Its media ranges from TV, cartoons, radio programs, and the well known animated movies. Medias originated from Walt Disney are broadcasted around the world and their audience is mostly young children. However, throughout the years Disney fairytale movies depict gender stereotypes concerning males and females roles. In this essay I will analysis the women sterotypes depicted in the following animated movies: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves(1937), Cinderella( 1950), The Little Mermaid(1989), and Mulan(1998).

People grow up conditioned to believe heavily in gender roles. One of the major contributors to our way of thinking is the media. Many young children watch Disney movies, through which, they learn how certain actions affect how they are seen; even material goods like clothes becoming symbolic of not only gender roles but status. At that age, people are easily influenced by the information that is presented in front of them. What little girl didn’t dream of being a Disney Princess? What little boy didn’t want to be a brave saviour? Girls are taught to want to be damsels in distress, waiting for their princes to come and rescue them. They are taught to be feminine and use their body in an exclusively seductive (and arguably, provocative) way.

For decades now, Disney Corporation has been providing us with countless films made to delight and amuse children and adults alike. But not all Disney films seem particularly appropriate for their target audience. Many of these films portray violence, gender inequality, and skewed views of leadership roles that seem altogether inappropriate for impressionable young children. Better and more contemporary heroines need to be added to Disney’s wall of princesses in order to counteract years of sexism.

In the newer Disney princess movies, the princesses are presented as more independent than the princesses in earlier. There is a greater focus on their skills instead of their appearance which had been the tendency earlier – Sleeping Beauty is an example of that. In a study on Disney’s princess movies, Carmen Fought and Karen Eisenhauer found that male characters speak more than the female characters, and this is both in older and newer Disney movies (Guo). So even though the newer Disney princess movies, like “Brave” and “Frozen” have more focus on the female characters, the percent of words spoken is higher for men than for women. In all the Disney princess movies that were made between 1989-1998, men have more words than women.

There is a lot of pressure from all sides to conform to what society thinks is right. The media influences each one of us how to look and act a certain way. One thing that many people might not realize that influences us is Disney animated films. Disney animated movies are what many people grew up watching. But looking further into the popular animated movies, there is a lot to be said about the stereotypes found in them. The purpose of this research is to explain and analyze the stereotypes found in Disney animated films. Common stereotypes shown in Disney movies are the gender roles and appearance of the characters.

In the last few decades the daily lives of Americans is revolving around about what the entertainment media has displayed for them. Society has been influenced by the media with movies, advertisements and news that are constantly bombarding us. Entertainment media has given Americans a taste of the films that display a traditional housewife woman and heroic male figures. However, today’s media has offered a new perspective on how a woman or man can act. These stereotypes have been making a difference for woman and men by allowing them to be able to express their individuality. In many Disney movies, gender stereotypes have been changing from the typical idea of what a woman’s image should be. The twentieth century

In Bazzini et al. study, the researchers assessed whether children can be influenced by a single exposure to animated Disney films that are either stereotypical in its portrayal of characters or non-stereotypical in its portrayal of the physical attractiveness stereotype, and if the physical

It only takes a second to attach a strong feeling or idea to a character in a movie, advertisement, or video game. Many characterization used are based on the assumed stereotypes, and are usually one-dimensional characters. Typically, these characterizations usually come from inherited family values, education, and the media. While stereotypes existed long before mass media, the media machine certainly helped to accelerate the cultural growth of all kinds of stereotypes. It is beyond this paper to answer why magazines employ these gender stereotypes, instead this research is designed to analyze

Most people feel pressure to conform to certain stereotypes without really understanding what they are and even without being aware of their influence on our perception. Gender roles are the qualities and characteristics that are considered inherently feminine or masculine. So for example, according to gender stereotypes a women’s place is in the home while the man’s place is to provide for the family. Many people are also concerned with the portrayal of women and the questionable behavior in the Disney cartoons and comics. Typically women are shown in the position of princess, queen or