Disney Gender Roles Essay

The media plays a major role in portraying what society deems appropriate when it comes to body image and gender roles. Children, specifically, are more vulnerable to these messages due to their high consumption of media and their cognitive development (Agarwal). This has led to a large debate amongst a lot of parents as to whether or not their children should be allowed to watch certain shows and movies. The problem is that while certain media genres are obvious choices to keep away from young children, others are not as black and white.
Disney, in particular, has become a main focal point for debates such as these because of the power that they possess when it comes to young children. While it seems as though Disney attempts to maintain
All of the films include a heroine who overcomes a situation (usually due to a villain) and then lives happily ever after.
Between the gender role and body image issues surrounding the Disney princesses, body image is undeniably the one with the least amount of progression.
The first era of princesses depicted their ideals of beauty through their physical appearances and attributes such as their hair and lips as well as their dancing and singing abilities. For example, in Cinderella and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, both female protagonists have the ability to attract animals with their singing. Even as a baby, Aurora from Sleeping Beauty is given the gift of beauty and song from the fairies. Another popular part of the first era is its depictions of its villains. In each of these movies, older age, ugliness, and death become one and the same (Do Rozario). For instance, both Snow White and Aurora are put to sleep by older women who perceive their beauty as a threat. This furthers