Feminism in Disney Movies
Introduction
The Walt Disney Company, more commonly known as Disney, has become a mass media influencer starting October 16, 1923 to present day. The majority of their target audience remains to be children, however their scale is at an international level. As more and more parents trust Disney with the content they are exposing their children to, the company has a lot of power over the young minds of the next generation. Thus, it is important for Disney to incorporate feminism in their films to reflect the changing mindset of society today, as well as evaluate how it has changed over time.
History and Influence
Disney’s first feature film was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, and it became one of the top grossing films in history. After 60 years of creating animated films, Disney is still making box office history. At first, the films were released every eight years. This process would allow them to deliver a new message to each generation. While some may question the influence of animated films, other believe that it is underestimated. Animators have the ability to manipulate every single image in the film and thus constructing a very specific message. A combination of the popularity, availability, format, and overall experience of the films allow children to grasp the message more effectively when compared to more mainstream mediums.
Presence of Feminism
Gender Roles in the Past
When considering the timeline of Disney movies it is easy to see the changing views on the roles of women in society reflected through the animated characters. For example, in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Cinderella (1950), and Sleeping Beauty (1959), each princess waits for their prince to come and save them. In that time period it was socially acceptable for women to work only in the household and bare children, as well as have soft, submissive personalities.
Gender Roles in the Present
Reception
References
http://www.ubc.eblib.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=1109590
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/stable/j.ctt16gzbqk
http://muse.jhu.edu.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/chapter/272263
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walt_Disney_Company
http://www.american.edu/soc/film/upload/gender-roles-in-disney.pdf