Gender Stereotypes In Inside Out

When we were small children, our gender didn't mean much other than our anatomy. We recognized differences between ourselves and the opposite sex, but it didn't mean much as far as how we acted. The older that we got, observation and instruction began to dictate our behavior based on gender. We saw other children of the same gender acting a certain way and then we made the connection that that was how we were supposed to act also. Along with observation, adults and other older children told us things like, "boys don't cry" and "you're such a pretty girl." Statements like these focus on stereotypes of genders: the masculinity of men and the appearance of women. We are not born knowing these stereotypes. The world and culture around us cultivates the stereotypes that we will see in the future. As we grow up and learn these stereotypes in America, our
Inside Out is a children's movie but it has a lot more depth to it than is found at first glance. It was praised for being the first children's movie about a main character who has depression. The movie is about an 11-year-old girl, Riley, who moves from Minnesota to San Francisco at the beginning of the movie, and the audience sees how she processes the move through tiny people inside of her head that represent each emotion. The emotions live in a space in her head known as "Headquarters," and they operate a control panel that changes how Riley reacts to and feels about situations. There are three females (Joy, Sadness, and Disgust), and two males (Anger and Fear). Sadness is a soft-spoken female who is always wearing a sweater and glasses. Riley's depression can be seen as "Sadness' increasing autonomy is starting to affect the hue of Riley's memories and reactions" (Leslie, 2016, p.11). Sadness acting out is reacted to by Joy who is gentle about saying what she thinks whereas Fear and Anger, the two male emotions, have no difficulty expressing their