The Little Mermaid Gender Analysis

In Disney’s fairy tales, children, at a young age, are exposed to the stereotypical gender roles placed upon women by society. Since Disney’s first film in 1937, the female character, typically a princess, has been made to feel inferior to men as they have been trapped in a predominantly male-centered society. However, in 1989, when Disney came out with The Little Mermaid, Disney transformed their traditional princess figure into one who seeks independence and yearns to explore the world outside the ocean. Even though the film, at first, portrays Ariel, the main character, as a foil to previous Disney princesses, towards the end, Ariel eventually succumbs to society’s expectation and resurfaces as an epitome of a typical woman shaped by patriarchal