Comments about Disney princesses

For over ninety years, Disney film productions have been characterized by the creation, dissemination and promotion of a conservative content. In his films can be seen stereotypes that do not favor in any way the role women who should play certain determined role in society. We can say without doubt that Disney movies are aimed at highlighting the role of submission and obedience of women to the men. It also aims to completely annihilate any sign of independence or taking decisions for herself. In Disney movies, the role of women is seen as a person incapable of taking charge of their own destiny.

Disney Company

In Disney movies all the time is exalted the maternal role that all women should be able to inspire like part of his nature and this characteristic is emphasized in almost all the movies. Another element is the importance of physical beauty, because without physical beauty will be practically  impossible to get the love of her life, because to get the love and acceptance of one man women must comply some requirements, as certain standards of beauty socially established. For getting the love of a man, the woman only should think in her ultimate goal of all her life that is to get married with the man of her dreams to achieve happiness although it means also forget about herself only to please others.

Disney Movies

To illustrate some of the aspects mentioned above it is only going to include a whole analysis of the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, without forgetting that there are many more in the great Disney film catalog and some other movies that show the above features are Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Brave and Aladdin between others, but these are not going to analyze here because each analysis would be very huge.

Some of the Disney Movies

Disney films can be analyzed generally from 4 planes[1] such as:

1. The plot of the film. What is the theme or main themes found in the films of Disney Princesses.

2. Physical and psychological characterization of the main characters.  Some of the features associated with beauty and behavior patterns of the princesses of Disney movies.

3. Sexism in language. Sexist comments made by characters from the films of the Disney Princesses.

4. Situational Sexism. It was considered necessary to include a section on "situational sexism" in which situations that seem educative, are but rather, to indoctrinate at the spectator, this in the sense of "how the ladies must behave " it is an interesting topic to be analyzed inside this article.

Only some examples about the four planes of analysis that were found in the Disney princess movies will be mentioned, however, it is clear that we only will explain in general, because of the purpose of this article it is not a completed vision neither a comprehensive analysis of the subject because it would require a longer examination for each film separately and neither we have the time for it.

---

[1] These categories were resumed research "Female Stereotypes in Disney: towards a non-sexist story" Working Final Degree in Translation and Interpreting Marina Escandell Bozada.http://repositori.uvic.cat/bitstream/handle/10854/2454/trealu_a2013_escandell_marina_estereotipos.pdf?sequence=1 Retrieved March 4, 2015 at 11:08 pm

As regards the argument we can say that in Snow White she exercises the role of mother of the dwarfs, the role of housewife and a woman that is waiting for her prince charming, because as we can see in the movie, the dwarfs do not have good habits, neither order, and less cleaning or personal hygiene, so that Snow White served as mother, homemaker and wife. The great importance given to beauty it is an aspect that worth to be mentioned, as Snow White's conflicts with his stepmother, and thus in the movie it is exalted the envy and no other educational values within the film. 

Snow White with her prince,  doing housework and her stepmother.          

As for the physical and psychological aspects that have Snow White we can say for example as her name it is simply an implication of the ideal of beauty of ancient Greece: whitish complexion, perfectly harmonious body in their proportions. She has the vision of order, the behavior of being a mother, of being the good woman that is waiting for her charming prince.                                                                                                                                              

 Snow White's beauty.

Sexism in language. The grumpy dwarf does misogynistic comments. For example: When Snow White Dwarfs are stretched in their beds, one of them says: "It seems an angel!". So the grumpy dwarf replies: “Angel, hah! She’s a female! And all females are poison! They’re full of wicked wiles.”  Also said: “Hah! Women! A fine kettle of fish”.

Situational Sexism is when Snow White is characterized by his innocence and due to the lack of male supervision, this causes passing through difficult situations. Among its virtues know how to clean and has a sense of order. We said that brings order to the house of the dwarfs rather than teaching them how they should be done housework because she is a woman so that this is her obligation to do this. The role of servant in the film is exalted. The role of maternal also, the sense to care for the dwarfs, and she tells them some stories, she feeds them and she helps them in whatever they need it.

Snow White giving food to the Dwarfs

The Dwarfs are unable to do anything for themselves that is why they received the Snow White with open arms and therefore they will have their maternal figure and she passed to be their maid to help them with housework, and then this is what girls want to be after seeing the movie Disney.

Thus, we see that the traditional role of the mother was confined to breed, raise children and pursue their education. Back to the gender role is that women deal with the housework and men work outside the home, these roles appear all the time.

In the film the following sentences are outstanding: "I know! We'll clean the house and surprise them. Then maybe they let me stay. 

She does the dirty work (cleaning house), she helps those men, provided that they give their permission so that to let her stay in the house. The logic would be that if the house is the dwarfs, so, the dwarfs should clean or not?

In English: "And if you let me stay, I'll keep house for you. I'll wash and sew and sweep and cook.

The Dwarfs allow Snow White to stay at home, but not because of her bad situation being experienced it, if not that they will have free maid.

According to the Royal Spanish Academy of Language, sexism is "Discrimination of persons of one sex considered inferior to the other."  From here, we understand the situational sexism as actions (no verbal language) marking an individual, making it looks inferior or superior to another.

"A picture is worth a thousand words" and there are some in the film we found important to mention.

For example:  sold here then a picture of weak, resigned woman, without aspirations in life (well, it does have one: find your prince!) , and we found an interesting comment: Why is interested to sell Disney Snow White with the characteristics described above, Why Snow White, instead of resigned to what sends her stepmother, not rebels? Why not sold a picture of feisty, brave, enterprising woman ...?

Princesses with their boyfriends.

We can say that at another point, Snow White asked for the wishing well that she can find the true love that is their only aspiration in life, as we have said before. This movie  come back to sell the image of a woman unable to live her own life by herself, without a male beside that also both carry the burden of the relationship (because she expected to find her prince character. It would be unthinkable to come out it get it!). His wish comes true, but as she is not arranged for the occasion (because ladies always must be perfect for your man), Snow White flees to the inside the palace embarrassed. The physical image has a great burden in this film and this character, because when escapes into the forest to find the Dwarfs house before knocking on the door, the Snow White aligned her physique to impress the dwarfs.

Finally, there is some questions about of  whether the Disney Princesses would cause the same effect of admiration and desire in his audience, if they were not physically attractive, where his physical appearance was that of ordinary people or even more if they not met the stereotypes of beauty, such as to be extremely thin and finally, for example in the case of the Brave movie, Princess Merida did not get married because she did not find a handsome and good looking man as usually be always the candidates of Disney princes. 

Pricesses Faces

Merida the main character in the Brave Movie

Merida's wooers


At the end of this article, please check a link about a video that reviews precisely the traditional vision of the Disney Princesses, the video has been viewed on YouTube and social networks, and criticises that the woman not need a man to be happy.

Check the following link to watch an interesting video about the princessese:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtyOC6ayKoU