Gender Representation in Disney Films
Disney movies form a huge part of America’s entertainment industry. They are loved by people throughout the world and across all ages. Having been around for close to a century, they have influenced people, mostly children, in many ways, among them clothing, gender perception, games, and violence.
Throughout the time they have been in existence, Disney movies have played a huge role in how society displays different roles played by different genders. Despite the popularity of Disney movies, they are surrounded by controversy over the way they portray the gender roles of their characters. Violence has also been a major controversy in these movies. As times change, Disney has also shown changes in how it displays its characters as far as gender roles and violence are concerned. In this essay, our main focus will be on how gender and violence are portrayed in Disney movies (England et al., 2011).
To begin with, Disney displays a great difference in the gender roles between males and females. Males are presented as the superior and strong gender, while females are portrayed as the dependent gender; they are shown to be inferior and weak. These differences in how different genders are portrayed in these movies inaccurately teach children and youth that there are societal expectations and behaviors for different genders. Over time, this has led to gender stereotypes in society.
Princess Narratives and Stereotypes of Masculinity
The princesses in Disney movies are shown to become happy after marrying their princes, who are shown as their saviors from dismay and distress. This portrays women as weak and unable to save themselves from distress, suggesting that only a man’s intervention can save them. Among the characteristics attributed to women are that they are fragile, emotional, tentative, ever complaining, and cause more trouble than their male counterparts. Their lives are portrayed as horrible until they find men who come to save them from their troubles. Good examples of these female characters are Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Portraying women as weak and helpless can be detrimental to society; girls may become disillusioned into believing that they cannot overcome the obstacles they face in their lives and that only a man’s intervention can bail them out of their problems.
Further, in movies where animal characters are involved, for instance, “The Lion King,” the lionesses are displayed as weak and can only wait for the lion to save them. The message this conveys is that the lionesses, which in this scenario represent women, are unable to do anything for themselves and are fully dependent on the lions, who, in this case, are men. Women are also portrayed as troublesome as their male counterparts. Powerful women are portrayed as evil. Even if they gain power, they are not shown to be powerful in a positive way that can show their independence and assertiveness.
Men have also been viewed stereotypically in Disney movies. They are portrayed as self-reliant, full of courage, strong, protective, and heroic. For instance, in the movie “Aladdin,” Aladdin is portrayed as fearless and one who is able to use his wits. In the movie, he is shown as a fighter who fights the “bad guys.” He also wears a vest that is revealing to show his masculinity. Gender roles in Disney movies portray assumptions about the behaviors and expectations of different genders. This can lead to societal problems such as sexual biases.
Screen Violence and the Need for Responsible Representation
Violence in movies is another great challenge facing society; Disney movies are no exception. Some of the scenes in these movies are scary, dreadful, and disturbing, especially when the audience consists of children. In the movies, there are always stereotypical characters who, in their lives, represent evil and tend to die a terrible death. A good example of how Disney movies portray violence is the movie “Beauty and the Beast.” The movie suggests that a woman can change an abusive man into a gentle and kind man if she is sweet-natured and pretty. This shows that it is a woman’s fault that her man is abusive to her, which tends to promote violence against women who are not sweet and pretty (United Nations, 1979).
Further, most Disney movies feature blood and injury; this is evident in movies like “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid.” The scenes of violent acts negatively impact society, especially children, who may grow up viewing killing the evil ones in society as normal. In these movies, there are also scenes where some characters attack others. For instance, in the movie “Tangled,” there is a scene where Flynn goes up the tower to save Rapunzel, but upon reaching the top, he is stabbed by Mother Gothel. Such a scene depicts violence and may have a negative impact by promoting moral vices such as violence in our communities.
In conclusion, it is of great importance for Disney movie producers to improve the way they portray gender roles in their movies. They should avoid stereotypes that portray different genders according to certain assumptions of behavior and expectations. They should try to portray gender balance in their movies; this will help in solving some social problems facing our society today, such as sexual biases. They should stop portraying women as the inferior gender who are helpless; this will instill confidence in girls. Also, violence should not be displayed in these movies because it has a negative impact on society. Children who watch the violent acts in these movies tend to become more violent, which is a detrimental characteristic in society. To ensure a morally upright society, Disney movies and other players in the entertainment industry should be at the forefront of promoting gender balance and a violence-free society through the way they portray their characters.
References
England, D. E., Descartes, L., & Collier-Meek, M. A. (2011). Gender role portrayal and the Disney princesses. Sex Roles, 64, 555–567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-9930-7
United Nations. (1979). Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-elimination-all-forms-discrimination-against-women
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