October post - Hobby Aljohar

Watching this documentary awakened so many feelings for me. The issue presented in this documentary is so, very complicated. It is a well-known fact that Walt Disney was both a racist as well as a misogynist. His early movies reflect both his personal beliefs as well as the times that they were made in.

In addition to his early movies being made in the early-mid 1900s, many of his earlier movies are based on even older fairy tales. These facts alone are going to create an outcome that represents sexism and racism. But is watching Disney movies detrimental to children or even adults?

I don’t know. On the one hand, one has to admit that what we are exposed to shapes us, who we are, what we think. Of course our parents, other adult figures and maybe our religion shapes a lot of who we are; but the majority of the world, the media we churn out, advertisements, television programs, even toys we create for children, enforce sexist and racist stereotypes, and promote heteronormative, misogynistic, and racist ways of thinking.

While logically I understand this to be true, part of me also feels that to a certain extent, it is okay to watch a few princess movies, to see girls sewing, and boys slaying monsters. While early Disney movies present a very narrow view of how girls and boys should act, Disney movies are not the only place children are learning from. Yes, society enforces these negative ideas and tropes, but hopefully good parents can provide some counter influence.

In addition, an interesting juxtaposition to the documentary, I read a really interesting paper written by; Isabell Gill. The paper is called, “Feminist Figures Or Damsels In Distress: The Media’s Gendered Misrepresentation of Disney Princesses”.

In this paper Gill explores the idea that while Disney is problematic at times, there is some good in Disney movies to be had, especially in the newer Disney movies, made after feminism caught on. Gill presents the case that Disney princesses are actually rebels, sometimes feminists, and at times, strong women worthy of looking up to. Mulan joins the Chinese army, saves her father’s life, brings honor on her family, and SAVES ALL OF CHINA. Pocahontas keeps an open mind throughout her entire movie, keeps her tribe and the Englishmen from warring, saves the life of John Smith, and stays true to herself, keeping those close to her on track and open minded as well. Belle in “Beauty and the Beast” helps the beast to become human, releases the entire castle from an evil spell, and is a proud intelligent bookworm. The list really goes on, but the media doesn’t want us to see that.

For some odd reason, the media sexualizes the princesses and refuses to use empowering language when describing any of the movies, even the later Disney movies with genuine heroines.

“While Disney is often criticized for producing stereotypical female heroines who do not embody the concept of strong feminist role models, my own research on film reviews paired with existing scholarship on entertainment media through film reviews, rather than that movies themselves, might primarily create and contribute to this perception. By including traditionally feminist vocabulary, degrading physical descriptions, and inaccuracies about the films, film review emphasize stereotypically female attributes of the characters and ignore their more masculine strengths. Additionally, even when acknowledging the princesses’ talents or empowered nature, film reviews include syntax and critiques that serve to trivialize any accomplishments and suggest he characters are not fully empowered. (Gill, P. 98)

Both of these sources; “Feminist Figures Or Damsels In Distress: The Media’s Gendered Misrepresentation of Disney Princesses”, and “Mickey Mouse Monopoly” are both credible, and come from an educated point of view, as well, both present juxtaposing cases very well.

In the end, I feel that Disney movies are not perfect, in moderation are okay, that the media seems to compliment all of the worst aspects of Disney movies, and that as individual adults as well as parents, and as a society, we need to do our part to educate our boys and girls, to help them grow into powerful adults and promote equality.

Works Cited

GILL, Isabelle. Feminist Figures or Damsels in Distress? The Media’s Gendered Misrepresentation of Disney Princesses. Young Scholars In Writing, [S.l.], v. 13, p. 96-111, apr. 2016. ISSN 2152-6524. Available at: <https://arc.lib.montana.edu/ojs/index.php/Young-Scholars-In-Writing/article/view/330/239>. Date accessed: 27 Oct. 2016.

Greig, Alex. "Walt Disney WAS a Racist and a Misogynist Just as Meryl Streep Claims, Admits His Grandniece." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2016. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2541292/Walt-Disney-grandniece-Meryl-Streep-right-Disney-racist-misogynistic.html>.

Http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9KGIhmWMEYIKXEsmUkRtsw. "Mickey Mouse Monopoly." YouTube. YouTube, 22 Apr. 2016. Web. 27 Oct. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYMoo1BYDVs>.