Gender Stereotypes in Cinderella
Caley Rafferty
Professor Lowery
FYE
30 November 2013
Gender Stereotypes of Cinderella
By looking further into the subliminal messages of the movies we watched as kids, the prominent issues of gender stereotypes can be identified right away. Young girls are hounded with images of princesses conveying that the key to happiness comes being stylish, beautiful, and finding a prince to save you from your dreary life. While young men on the other hand are being taught that to be successful, you must be good looking and muscular. Cinderella is yet another Disney classic that enforces gender roles by portraying women in a negative light while Prince Charming comes to sweep Cinderella away from her grief stricken life. This movie exemplifies that argument that Disney is supporting the sociological stereotypes of our generation while teaching women to rely on other people to save them, particularly men, while also expressing young girls’ misconception that without a male figure women are weak and insignificant.
One of the most obvious messages Cinderella is portraying to young girls is the idea that in order to have a happy life, one must use her beauty to find love. Even with the help of magic from her fairy god mother, Cinderella is granted the lavish lifestyle of royalty in order to attend Prince Charming’s Ball. She is not given the chance to gain knowledge nor does she have the opportunity to gain freedom, but instead she is forced to find love. Catherine Rose of The Guardian argues the fact that even the hardworking servant is incapable of independence as long as she is searching for love; as proved by the prominent male figure that is seen as the provider of domestic and social position. As long as generations continue to connect Cinderella as a passive individual, conformity beyond the movie itself will begin to dominate the current stereotypes aligned with gender roles in the developmental stages of a child’s life. This type of conformity causes gender roles
Professor Lowery
FYE
30 November 2013
Gender Stereotypes of Cinderella
By looking further into the subliminal messages of the movies we watched as kids, the prominent issues of gender stereotypes can be identified right away. Young girls are hounded with images of princesses conveying that the key to happiness comes being stylish, beautiful, and finding a prince to save you from your dreary life. While young men on the other hand are being taught that to be successful, you must be good looking and muscular. Cinderella is yet another Disney classic that enforces gender roles by portraying women in a negative light while Prince Charming comes to sweep Cinderella away from her grief stricken life. This movie exemplifies that argument that Disney is supporting the sociological stereotypes of our generation while teaching women to rely on other people to save them, particularly men, while also expressing young girls’ misconception that without a male figure women are weak and insignificant.
One of the most obvious messages Cinderella is portraying to young girls is the idea that in order to have a happy life, one must use her beauty to find love. Even with the help of magic from her fairy god mother, Cinderella is granted the lavish lifestyle of royalty in order to attend Prince Charming’s Ball. She is not given the chance to gain knowledge nor does she have the opportunity to gain freedom, but instead she is forced to find love. Catherine Rose of The Guardian argues the fact that even the hardworking servant is incapable of independence as long as she is searching for love; as proved by the prominent male figure that is seen as the provider of domestic and social position. As long as generations continue to connect Cinderella as a passive individual, conformity beyond the movie itself will begin to dominate the current stereotypes aligned with gender roles in the developmental stages of a child’s life. This type of conformity causes gender roles