How are females represented in Disney films?
Despite the change of female roles in society, Walt Disney films have still remained consistent in their conventional representation of women. The idea of women being passive and obedient is still prevalent in many films as they frequently depict the archaic 'damsel in distress' scenario. Throughout time, it has always been women who have been seen to be the demise of mankind. Going back to biblical times, it was a woman cut off Sampson's locks, it was Lot's wife who looked back and turned into a pillar of salt and it was Eve who ate the apple; thus echoing this idea that women have played the fundamental role in corrupting society. The Disney classic princesses such as Snow White, Cinderella and Jasmine are parallel representations of this common discernment. With time this illustration of gender roles has not changed as viewed in recent Disney movies Tangled and The Princess and the Frog. However movies such Mulan and Pocahontas have made a great breakthrough in the realm of Disney, as the female protagonists in these movies negate the idea of a women being inferior to a man.
The Disney Company has been around since the 1920s and has grown from being this small studio airing cartoons to taking the animation world by storm becoming a well-known powerhouse with interests and holdings in media and entertainment, manufacturing and much more. The public has, for the most part, positively received the films, toys that the Disney Company produces; however, it is not without its critics. Many individuals feel that Disney has introduced negative effects on society, such as societal manipulation, materialism and of course, gender identities.
Within the domain of Disney animation there is a world of eternal happiness, perfect men and rainbows, in reality there are angry parents and feminists who think Disney are teaching young children gender identities in society. Many of them promise to not only spark debate but aid parents in empowering their daughters. The out-dated attributes of femininity and masculinity derived from Disney characters define not just the roles future generations will lay in life but also their potential as Disney advocates, as writer M. Keith Booker states, 'for accepting one's natural role in life'. Disney perpetually uses stereotypes of women being subservient and obedient whilst the men are dominant and heroic. It is rare to see men and women equal in Disney; whether that be financially, socially, or morally. This is supported by psychologist Carol Gilligan who says that men and women's morality is different but is essentially equal and any differences are due to differences in socialisation. Cited by Virginia Held's book The Ethics of Care: Personal, Political, and Global, she writes Carol Gilligan said that "'a morality of rights and non-interference may appear frightening to women in its potential justification of indifference and unconcern".
Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs - 1936
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was produced in 1936, a time when The Great Depression was at its peak. The girl who took pleasure in undertaking house work, faced challenges put by a stepmother, and would meet her prince really was the antithesis of the harsh realities for women in the 1930's. It was a time when most women were not working but staying at home whilst taking care of their family as these were values that had been emphasised.
Like most of the Disney characters such as Cinderella and Belle, Snow White is just another young princess with white skin, petite body, and a beautiful face. Even the mirror describes her as the girl with "lips red as the rose, hair black as ebony, and skin white as snow" Disney often recycles the same plot and type of characters in each story. The same scenario repeats itself constantly: a young girl who is or becomes a princess waiting eagerly for her prince charming to come to her rescue and marry her. According to feminist and author Kathi Maio "Disney's first animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), set a standard for full-length animation and established a pattern for later Disney heroines to follow." Indeed after Snow White, many of the female characters in Disney were portrayed to be the epitome of innocence.
Margaret Hobb's book about gender and women's studies says "Disney girls are incomplete without a man", which illustrates the dependency they have upon a male figure who needs to constantly rescue them from their miserable state and provide them with security. The idea of females being incapable to live without a male figure in their lives may affect many young girls as it portrays women to be weak rather than illustrating the multifaceted nature of women as being powerful and independent. Every princess in Disney ends up marrying the love of their dreams however this is not always generalisable to real life as not all women marry the ones they truly love and not all women end up even getting married. Snow White longs for her prince to find her as at the start of the film she sings "I'm wishing for the one I love to find me". Throughout the entire film she persistently thinks of her handsome prince whom she will marry one day despite his elusiveness.
In Snow White the prince appears only twice: at the start of the film and at the end. It creates several questions to be considered like: where was he during the film and what was he doing if he was not looking for Snow White? The prince is portrayed to be attractive, wealthy and tall. Once again, he is the typical charming prince who appears in most Disney films like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Another point that can be made about Snow White is the fact that she has a very soft voice and is continuously singing whether she is sad or working. Her lyrics are often about her waiting for her prince to come and save her so she can live happily ever after, in a castle. "Someday my prince will come, someday we'll meet again". Similarly, this is also found in Cinderella who sings whilst doing her domesticated chores. Associating women with house-hold chores is prevalent theme in Disney, this is why Snow White criticises the tidiness and cleanliness of the house she comes across when walking in the forest. She takes it as her duty to clean the house despite not knowing who lives in it. As Maio says "Domestic drudgery doesn't faze her since she is sure that a handsome owning-class chap will, someday soon, come and save her." Cleaning is represented as an enjoyable activity as we see Snow White singing and smiling whilst she completes her duties. The dwarfs even agree on accommodating Snow as long as she is their housekeeper. These gendered messages, for example the emphasis put on the domesticated roles women take can influence girls` expectations and ideas of what is "normal" behaviour for their gender and what is not.
Within Snow White, one of the main yet elusive characters is the wicked witch who offers Snow White a poisoned apple, which acted as the catalyst for disaster. The scene of the witch offering Snow White an apple is symbolic and parallel to the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Eve was tempted by Satan to feed into her desires despite being clear instructions not to. Thus this scenario echoes the idea that women are easily manipulated and naive in their sense of judgement. The apple in Snow White has additional symbolism in its creation by the wicked witch. On the surface it is beautiful, glossy and red, but as she creates it, we can see the evil things that it is really made of, like a deceptive wolf in sheep`s clothing. "Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart". Matthew 7:15. The wicked witch is one of the most vicious villains to be screened by Disney and it is no coincidence she happens to be a woman. She is a reincarnation of the devil himself, signifying his exact schemes, in addition to providing a summary of his work and ultimate loss.
Cinderella - 1950
Cinderella, the pretty unfortunate girl is hated by her step mother and sisters because she is beautiful and they are not. Thus we realise that beauty plays a major role in Disney films. All Cinderella wanted was to attend the grand ball because once she attains the attention of the rich prince her misery will simply be remembered as nothing more than "once upon a time."Over the decades, Cinderella has been recognised as one of the most well-known Disney films as this is seen by the numerous versions different directors have taken to produce it. In many ways, Cinderella epitomises the idea of being a stereotypical woman. She is a beautiful young woman who is given domesticated role as she is constantly bombarded by household chores. Additionally, she falls in love with a man of much higher status, a Prince, who notices her once she is prim and proper thanks to the help of her fairy Godmother. Up till meeting Prince Charming, Cinderella's life is unfortunate and dim, however once he enters her life she becomes joyful and looks to the future as being prosperous. Is it merely a coincidence that the minute a man enters Cinderella's life that she changes or is it because society teaches her that men are individuals who help bring stability into her life?
Psychologist John B Watson focuses on the idea of nurture and says behaviour is acquired from environmental influences. He states "Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I`ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select __ doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors." Thus highlighting how the environment provides experiences that govern learning, in this case young girls watching Disney films.
Disney teaches gender appropriate behaviour which can be linked to the social learning theory- learning through observation and imitations pioneered by psychologist Albert Bandura. Young girls will watch Disney films and observe behaviour that is modelled by a role model, such as Cinderella, this is someone they can identify with. The role model may be positively reinforced and seeing them reinforced and desiring the same rewards is called vicarious reinforcement. This is supported by studies made by Bandura, Ross and Ross 1961 where they investigated whether aggression could be acquired through modelling and observation using children aged between three and six. In the case of Disney, young children, particularly girls, may look at characters such as Snow White and Cinderella and identify certain traits they have for example being dependent upon a male figure.
When looking at the female characters within Cinderella, we notice there are five main ones; the two step sisters, the evil step mother, the fairy Godmother and Cinderella. Immediately, we realise that these characters reinforce the fact that women had been linked to two completely differing personalities. On one hand, women were deemed to be the stereotypical faithful obedient woman like Cinderella. Conversely, we have characters such as the step mother and sisters who are portrayed to be ugly and evil. Once again, like the wicked witch in Snow White, the "older women are the enemy, especially if they seek power". However, the character of the fairy Godmother is interesting as she is portrayed to be the silver lining in a grey situation; she helps transform Cinderella into a beautiful woman with her sparkling dress, glass shoes and elegant carriage. Portraying women as saviours was foreign during the 1950's as awareness for women's rights was dormant. However, with closer analysis we discover that the fairy Godmother's powers are limited, much like the control women had in society at the time, as she tells Cinderella that she must be back at home by twelve o'clock midnight. Disney has sanitised the idea of fairies and represented them as being benevolent wish-granters however in actual folklore Fairies are terrifying. They were associated more with crimes such as murders than pixie dust.
