Research for Topic Question

To attempt to answer the research question concerning Disney fairytales and girls’ views of their role in society, I examined four articles concerning the topic. First, I read the scholarly article “‘Are you guys girls?’: Boys, identity texts, and Disney Princess play.” In the paper, the author Karen Wohlwend examines how boys and girls doll play can develop their ideas of gender roles. According to Wohlwend, young boys and girls perceive their gender identities through Disney storylines, images and products that result from these works. Girls are told to be like Disney Princess while boys are encouraged to act like superheroes or “manly” men. These ideas then become how young children interact in play. The girls take up the Disney princess dolls and act accordingly, playing the female role while boys, most of the of time, act the role of the male. Though Wohlwend tended to focus more on the male aspect of doll play, her observations on girls appears to support the idea that Disney is a factor in girl’s gender roles. I was not particularly surprised that due to Disney’s marketing and selling of Princess dolls they are perpetuating the ideas of how a girl should act. It appears that Disney suggesting that girls embrace their femininity and reinforcing their ideas through children’s play.  

In the article “Beauty and the belles: Discourses of feminism and femininity in Disneyland” the authors examine how Disney’s portrayal of the princess Belle. While previous retellings of the fairytale have focused on different aspects of the main heroine, Disney presents Belle as a feisty, eager to be educated, and a feminist. In their paper, the authors go into more depth of how the new Disney portrayal of Belle is different from that of past versions. In this text it appears that Disney is promoting feminism and actually attempting to break down the helpless princess stereotype. As one of the more modern of the Disney Princesses, this tale, I believe shows that Disney has progress over the years. Certain newer princesses, like Belle, influence younger girl to be more empowered and help themselves.

The scholarly article “Images of Gender, Race, Age, and Sexual Orientation in Disney Feature-Length Animated Films,” also looked at Disney fairytales and their portrayal of women. The authors of the work identify four major themes about girls and/or women. The first was that a woman’s appearance is appearance is more highly valued than her intelligence citing movies such as Cinderella and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Secondly, women need the help of males as seen in the figures of Ariel in The Little Mermaid and Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. Another theme is that women should be domesticated and will likely marry a common occurrence in most Disney Princess movies. Finally, the article suggests that a final theme surrounding women is that those who are overweight are mean, unattractive, and not married such as stepmothers or evil witches. I found these results interesting and very accurate. Examining each movie, one can see that such stereotypes exist and can be influencing younger girls. From this article, evidence is given that suggests that Disney fairytales can suggest to adolescent women that they should value attractiveness, seek the aid of males, become married, and avoid excess weight.

Lastly, “A royal juggernaut: The Disney princesses and other commercialized threats to creative play and the path to self-realization for young girls,” by Susan Linn explores how Disney has impacted how girl’s view who they should be as women. According to Linn, Disney and their marketing of their princesses has negatively impacted young girls. Not only has the company promoted very unhealthy body images but has solidified in the minds of children that princesses are rich, white, and domesticated. Again, I am not particularly surprised by Linn’s findings. Since most Disney fairytales include white princesses who usually get married and live luxuriously, it is not unreasonable that adolescent girls think this is what they should be. Linn states that Disney has made a stereotypical image of princesses and that is inevitably what young girls gravitate towards. Thus, this author seems to suggest that Disney does play a role in how young women perceive their role in society that they should be thin, rich, and married.

These are just a few of the numerous articles concerning this topic of Disney fairytales and girl’s gender roles. Below are some other websites that deal with the issue and add further insight into this argument:
http://www.dailycampus.com/commentary/disney-princesses-are-not-the-role-models-they-appear-to-be-1.1080977
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/04/01/disney-princes-princesses-slaves-stereotypes/