Stereotyping in Disney Films
Negative Stereotyping in Disney Films
For the past several generations, children have been growing up watching classic Disney films. Many parents do not think that these movies have a negative impact on their children, when in reality, they do. Kids will learn negative stereotypes involving women, different ethnicities. Parents should be aware of these effects Disney films have on their kids before letting their children watch the films.
Disney Princesses are an icon to people of all ages, worldwide, especially young girls. Unfortunately, these princesses are bad influences to young girls because, they teach them that they should be thin, naturally flawless, and dependent on a male figure. In Disney’s “Pocahontas”, Pocahontas is a beautiful Native American woman who wears little clothing and seeks help from the handsome, blonde hair, blue eyed northerner, John Smith. This movie is a prime example of the “helpless woman” that Disney sells in almost all of its movies. Young girls are easily influenced by images in the media, and will keep doing so, which is why the mass publicity of the princesses should stop so less girls feel obligated to be like them. Another factor of Disney’s bad influence towards kids is the ethnic stereotyping found in these films.
The Disney movie “Aladdin” has many negative stereotypes of Arabs. For example, the movie portrays the “bad” Arabs with thick, foreign accents, while princess Jasmine and Aladdin speak in standard American English and have very light skin tones. Because children are sensitive to accents, they will end up making the claim that all Arabs that don’t look and sound like Americans must be bad. Children become
aware of race at a very young age. So by watching Disney films that contain racial stereotypes, they can get the wrong idea about certain races. Overall, Disney classics have been found to show negative stereotypes about racial ethnicities, and gender roles on woman that stick with a person from
For the past several generations, children have been growing up watching classic Disney films. Many parents do not think that these movies have a negative impact on their children, when in reality, they do. Kids will learn negative stereotypes involving women, different ethnicities. Parents should be aware of these effects Disney films have on their kids before letting their children watch the films.
Disney Princesses are an icon to people of all ages, worldwide, especially young girls. Unfortunately, these princesses are bad influences to young girls because, they teach them that they should be thin, naturally flawless, and dependent on a male figure. In Disney’s “Pocahontas”, Pocahontas is a beautiful Native American woman who wears little clothing and seeks help from the handsome, blonde hair, blue eyed northerner, John Smith. This movie is a prime example of the “helpless woman” that Disney sells in almost all of its movies. Young girls are easily influenced by images in the media, and will keep doing so, which is why the mass publicity of the princesses should stop so less girls feel obligated to be like them. Another factor of Disney’s bad influence towards kids is the ethnic stereotyping found in these films.
The Disney movie “Aladdin” has many negative stereotypes of Arabs. For example, the movie portrays the “bad” Arabs with thick, foreign accents, while princess Jasmine and Aladdin speak in standard American English and have very light skin tones. Because children are sensitive to accents, they will end up making the claim that all Arabs that don’t look and sound like Americans must be bad. Children become
aware of race at a very young age. So by watching Disney films that contain racial stereotypes, they can get the wrong idea about certain races. Overall, Disney classics have been found to show negative stereotypes about racial ethnicities, and gender roles on woman that stick with a person from