“True love’s kiss”, “Prince Charming”,
and “happily ever after”: what do all three of these phrases have in common?
They hold false promise and unattainable standards for society’s youth.
The movies many of us idolize and cherish from childhood could actually be
an example of gendering (Lorber, para 6). Media outlets like films and
television programs are largely responsible for gender performativity and shaping
the expectations of both men and women. For instance, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella
reinforce our patriarchal society by demonstrating that men are saviors and
essential to survival. Aurora is saved from her deep sleep and Cinderella
is saved from her stepmother and stepsisters by "true love’s kiss". The
female protagonists are victims of the society they live in, and it is men who
rescue them and give them their “happily ever after.” Young girls live their
lives thinking that they will find happiness when they find love rather than
understanding that true happiness must come from within before one can share or
fathom the meaning of love. These movies and those like them also begin
to establish gender roles in the eyes of adolescents: women must be dainty,
thin, beautiful, and soft spoken to be the epitome of femininity; men must be
strong, heroic, and macho to fill the expectations of masculinity. Sadly,
true love’s kiss will not save the day and thus, these expectations set by
these classics instill false hopes and unattainable expectations that lead to
disappointment. Disney’s Frozen
holds the same entertainment factor and creation of a fantasy world; however,
it presents a new concept that is seemingly untouched by most childhood
classics: women don’t need men to rescue them but rather can rescue themselves. The concept is absolutely refreshing; it is about time that a movie depicts the
strength of the individual.
I loved the movie Frozen and I love this blog post! I found the plot of Frozen to be refreshing, progressive, and all around it left me feeling good about where our world is headed. The message of female empowerment that is woven throughout this film makes me giddy. Because I loved the movie so much, it is difficult for me to critique it. However, I think it is very important to point out the extremely unrealistic female body image that is portrayed in Frozen, as well as every other Disney princess film. At the end of my response I'll include the link of a great article I found on this subject, but I think this quote from the article pretty much sums it up: "The snag is, both Elsa and Anna have the kind of proportions that would make Barbie look chunky: tiny nipped-in waists, no hips, long legs, skinny arms, pert breasts, small feet and eyes three times the size of the male characters'." Disney perpetuating this insane body image can be marginalizing and tells little girls that to be a princess, this is the way you have to look. Like I said, I LOVED Frozen. I am so proud of Disney for taking steps forward; maybe for now we can be satisfied with baby steps, but I think we still have a long way to go.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/28/frozen-disney-female-body-image