Gender Roles In Disney Movies
Once upon a time, a girl cleaned for her evil stepsisters all day. Another girl cooked, cleaned, and looked after an abusive and cruel beast. A third girl awaited for the day where her prince would come and free her from the sleeping curse. And for another, the wishes and desires of men controlled her life. All the while, on the other side of the television screen, a young child is watching these events happen, and is absorbing the information presented to them through vibrant colors and catchy songs. Should your children strive to follow a career path that follows the stereotypical gender roles included in Disney films? Should your children be given a false sense of reality, where happily ever afters always occur? If so, Disney films are a
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The opposing side might state that Disney is just playful entertainment, not meant to be taken seriously because in no way is Disney will influence a child and their behavior as an adult. However, their movies, products, music, and morals behind each film define a child early on. Between the ages of two to five a child grows physically, mentally, and emotionally more than any other age, according to WebMD. Watching the racist messages intertwined within the colorful displays Disney has created a brand that can warp attitudes of people early on to create prejudice. In The Mouse That Roared Henry A. Giroux discusses the apparent racism included within Disney’s animated films, and he writes, “One cannot help but wonder what is ‘wholesome’ about the overt racism Disney displays toward both African Americans in the notorious racist The Jungle Book and Arabs in Aladdin, the retrograde gender roles at work in The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, the undisguised celebration of antidemocratic governments and racism (remember the hyenas, who sounded like poor blacks and Hispanics?) evident in The Lion King, or the nostalgic portrayal of gas-guzzling, humanoid automobiles who inhabit an asphalt world that could easily serve as an advertisement for ExxonMobil in Cars.” (Giroux,
The opposing side might state that Disney is just playful entertainment, not meant to be taken seriously because in no way is Disney will influence a child and their behavior as an adult. However, their movies, products, music, and morals behind each film define a child early on. Between the ages of two to five a child grows physically, mentally, and emotionally more than any other age, according to WebMD. Watching the racist messages intertwined within the colorful displays Disney has created a brand that can warp attitudes of people early on to create prejudice. In The Mouse That Roared Henry A. Giroux discusses the apparent racism included within Disney’s animated films, and he writes, “One cannot help but wonder what is ‘wholesome’ about the overt racism Disney displays toward both African Americans in the notorious racist The Jungle Book and Arabs in Aladdin, the retrograde gender roles at work in The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, the undisguised celebration of antidemocratic governments and racism (remember the hyenas, who sounded like poor blacks and Hispanics?) evident in The Lion King, or the nostalgic portrayal of gas-guzzling, humanoid automobiles who inhabit an asphalt world that could easily serve as an advertisement for ExxonMobil in Cars.” (Giroux,