GRSJ224/Feminism in Disney

Feminism is a common topic of discussion when it comes to Disney. In Disney movies, it has historically been the norm for male characters to fit into one mould and female characters to fit into another mould with little to no crossover. There has also been little to no representation of the LGBTQ+ community. Exposing children to these stereotypes may be fuelling their expectations of gender norms. Over time there has been speculation as to if Disney is improving with the level of equality in Disney films, or if they are still presenting ideas to children as to how females and males should act. Specifically in the "Disney Princess" Films is where we have seen the most gender stereotyping.

Disney's History of Portraying of Female Characters

Classic Disney Princesses

The classic portrayal of Disney Princesses in the Walt Disney days was dictated by a gender normative patriarchal idea of femininity [2]. They were illustrated as passive, quiet, longing for love, helpless humans being who are not allowed to do any wrong [1] [2].Princesses were rarely illustrated as assertive with other people, but surprisingly were assertive with animals [5]. Presenting them this way just made them seem even more timid and submissive. Princesses in popular Disney Movies such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White all exhibit traits common with these gender norms, making the women out to be weak and "in need of saving."

Disney "Renaissance" Princesses (1989-1999)

The "Renaissance" period of Disney was aimed at trying to focus on sexuality, social equality, and "girl power"[1]. In this era, there was a push to try to escape from the classic formula of Disney Princess movies and creators tried to paint women with a persona of personal strength, willpower, and determination [2].

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid was a significant moment in Disney history because it was said to be the "first example of drastic change in Disney's construction of gender" [2]. The Little Mermaid's story of body transformations in order to attract the man she is interested in, but her voice is taken away as a sacrifice to live as a human; therefore, her expression of identity and femininity is expressed internally as opposed to externally [2].

The Body Image Issue

A clear issue that has been pointed out countless issues having to do with how unrealistic Disney Princesses look. Their body type is comparable to a barbie doll [2] where they have tiny waists, delicate limbs, and big busts [5]. What is also commonly portrayed in Disney is that villains are often the exact opposite. They are usually considerably overweight [2]. This is important to note because not only does it create unobtainable body goals for young children, but it also creates this idea that "fat is bad".

Disney's History of Portraying Male Characters

Historically in the Disney franchise, specifically Disney Princess movies, male characters are portrayed as the superior saviours of their female co-stars. They have historically been illustrated as stronger, braver, and even more clever than their animated female costars [5]. Not only is this true, but male characters in the Disney Princess films have been found to even speak more than females; speaking between 68% and 77% of the time [4]. Males were also always illustrated as the workers and "breadwinners", if you will. Princes have always been portrayed as the stoic characters. This being so, the activities of crying, showing feelings of loss of power or hopelessness would be considered "not permissable" [5].

Progress?

Frozen

Disney’s Frozen can be an example of the small amount of progress Disney has made. In Frozen, there is still the stereotypical quest for love that Anna is on- however, it is a bit of a different story than the others. The Prince actually falls for Anna’s personality more than for her looks [3] (which is not the case in the historical Disney Princess movie formula). In Elsa’s Case, she is painted as strong and powerful, wanting to break free of being the “perfect girl” that her dad wanted her to be [3]. Both princesses are illustrated as women with real problems (not just in search of love) capable of assertiveness and rebelliousness [3].

What still needs to improve

Although Disney has made a few improvements in how women are represented in regards to being just as powerful and strong as men, there definitely still is room for improvement for equality across the board. With the exception of Brave, the main female character is always fit into this unrealistic body type. In Frozen, both princesses grow up to have the same unrealistic body types that are portrayed in the classic Disney days [3] Additionally, there has been very little androgyny displayed amongst both male and female characters. On top of this, there has yet to be any straying from the heteronormative storyline that has always taken place.

References

[1]Johnson, M. (2016). She's beauty and she's grace(less): The mercurial femininity of the modern disney princess. Congress on Research in Dance Conference Proceedings, 2016, 229-234. doi:10.1017/cor.2016.31

[2]Frasl, B. (2018). Bright young women, sick of swimmin’, ready to … consume? the construction of postfeminist femininity in Disney’s the little mermaid. European Journal of Women's Studies, , 135050681876770. doi:10.1177/1350506818767709

[3]Rudloff, M. (2016). (post)feminist paradoxes: The sensibilities of gender representation in disney's frozen. Outskirts, 35, 1.

[4]Griffin, M., Harding, N., & Learmonth, M. (2017). Whistle while you work? disney animation, organizational readiness and gendered subjugation. Organization Studies, 38(7), 869-894. 

[5]England, D. E., Descartes, L., & Collier-Meek, M. A. (2011). Gender role portrayal and the disney princesses. Sex Roles, 64(7), 555-567. doi:10.1007/s11199-011-9930-7