Feminism in Modern Disney Era

The Disney Princess Franchise

The Disney Princess franchise is a collection of female protagonists created and owned by The Walt Disney Company. From their appearances in several Disney animated features, there are currently eleven Disney Princesses that are included in this franchise: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida.

The franchise has manufactured and marketed a wide range of consumer products such as dolls, clothing, furniture, toys, and books. In 2012, The Licensing Letter reported, based on 2011 retail sales, that the Disney Princess franchise made $3 billion globally and was at the top of the list of best-selling entertainment products.

Feminism in Disney Films

The films which feature the Disney Princesses tell stories purposed to teach young viewers specific lessons, especially in regards to their cultural environment. Through embodying these ideas through royal princess or prince figures, children are encouraged to imitate their behaviors, thus learning these social cues. A major thematical aspect of these films is the power and importance of women in society in their respective time periods.

Classic Disney Era & First Wave Feminism

Feminist discourse is generally categorized into four waves throughout history. The first wave of feminism lasted from the late 19th century through the early 20th century and was focused on women’s suffrage and political rights.

Disney began the Princess phenomenon with the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). Mid 20th century, they added two more Princess tales Cinderella (1950) and Sleeping Beauty (1950).The three original Disney princesses, Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora, are all characters that reflected societal expectations of women at this time which were to be domesticated homemakers that submit to a male-superior.

Disney Renaissance Era and Second/Third Wave Feminism

The second wave of feminism was set off in the 1960s and focused primarily on women's legal and social equality through the abandonment of sexism and misogyny. Throughout this period, women fought against the constructs of a patriarchal society and rejected the traditional stereotyping of the female as solely a homemaker or a child-bearer. The third wave of feminism came about in the 1990s that carried on the efforts of the second wave, but also confronted the issues of race and class. This wave also redefined feminity, beauty, and self-identity that was separate from the oppression of patriarchy.

This transition of feminist ideology was reflected in the next generation of Disney films. The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995) and Mulan (1998) presented a new batch of Princesses who all demonstrated more progressive attitudes and character development than in the Classic Disney Era.

Disney Revival Era & Fourth Wave Feminism

After Mulan, the next Disney Princess movie was not released until The Princess and the Frog in 2009. During this gap, the age of social media brought rise to the fourth wave of feminism that continues the battle for gender fairness through online debates on issues such as workplace discrimination, sexual assault, and slut-shaming. The three most recent Disney Princess Films released during this time were Tangled (2010), Brave (2012), and Frozen (2013)

The Princess and the Frog (2009) and Tangled (2010)

Tiana is a princess from 1912 New Orleans and is Disney’s first African-American princess who aspires to open her own restaurant. Her character sets the tone for this new Disney era and its interpretation of the contemporary woman who is determined and hardworking. Nonetheless, her success is dependant on her marriage to Prince Naveen.

Rapunzel is a princess who no longer wishes to be imprisoned in a tower and longs to experience the outside world, especially to see the lights of Corona. Once she is out of her tower, she relies on the help of Flynn Rider to lead her to her desired destination. What sets Rapunzel apart from the previous seven princesses is that she makes the heroic choice to save Flynn by saving him through the life restoring power in her tears . Although, saving a life through crying can be perceived as a sign of weakness and as a result minimizes Rapunzel’s depiction as a strong hero. .

Brave (2012) and Frozen (2013)

Merida is a princess who completely opposes the idea of marrying a prince and constantly expresses her willingness to fight “for her own hand” in marriage. Merida instead focuses her priorities in mending her troublesome relationship with her mother and embarks on a personal discovery to learn the importance of respecting family. Finally, through Merida, Disney has imagined and portrayed a headstrong female character who is entirely her own hero and has left behind the characteristics of a dependent female counterpart that has dominated Disney Princess films up until this point.

Although Princess Anna and Queen Elsa are not officially considered in the Disney Princess franchise , their narratives have made a major contribution to the feminist representation shift in Disney films by breaking down previous gender roles. Frozen emphasizes this shift through incorporating two strong female leads through Princess Anna and Queen Elsa and makes their sisterhood the most significant aspect of the film. While Princess Anna travels with a few male companions, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, she proves her independence and loyalty to her sister when she chooses to sacrifice herself to save Elsa rather than to kiss Kristoff and save herself. This moment redefines the Disney's traditional heroic trope of "an act of true love" by reimagining it into stories focused on the bond of a family rather than a heterosexual relationship.

Social Impact

Concept of the Female Body and Beauty

Body Objectification and the Male Gaze

In the Classic Disney Era, the beauty of the princesses was considered to be their sole defining characteristics. In each film, their princes fall in love and save the princess for the sake of their appearances. The male gaze is a theory that explains the depiction of women in film as being manipulated for the purpose of male pleasure. This objectification of women's bodies through the male gaze reduces female empowerment where the female is rendered a powerless object and the male is an empowering subject.

In the Renaissance and Modern Revival Eras, the Princess characters begin to express more dynamic personalities and are loved for more than their beauty. These films begin to reverse the gaze from the male to the female. In Brave (2012), Merida judges her unwanted suitors, playing with the same type of judgment that men engaged in when depicting women in films.

Gender Roles in Patriarchal Society

Since the very beginning, Disney has been known for recreating stories and tales in a way that makes men more prevalent and by doing this, they engage in a patriarchal agenda Although, Disney Princess films in the Modern Revival Era have begun to challenge the patriarchal norms of gender roles and marriage. In The Princess and the Frog (2009), Tiana's apathy is present towards marriage and her determination to become a successful restaurant owner. Frozen (2013) also makes a departure from Disney depictions of gendered roles through focusing the value of familial bonds above heteronormative values, where Princess Anna and Queen Elsa's reconciled sisterhood not only saves the kingdom from disaster but saves each other.