Post-Princess Models Of Gender: The New Man In Disney

Mia Adessa Towbin, author of “Images of Gender, Race, Age, and Sexual Orientation in Disney Feature-Length Animated Films” discusses the gender roles in Disney films. She states, “Men are depicted as physically aggressive, non-expressive, and as heroic saviors, particularly of women. Women are portrayed as beautiful, dependent on men, and engaged in domestic responsibilities” (Towbin, 35). This demonstrates the idea that women are depicted as weak and submissive, and are expected to be affectionate and nurturing whereas males are dominant and strong and meant to save the day. In the popular Disney film, Beauty and the Beast (1991), gender roles are clearly depicted.

Today, many of our perceptions are deceived by systemic stereotypes, often fogging our own ability understand ourselves. This is what suppresses the main character, and a group of other members, in David Fincher’s Fight Club. In the film, both male and female characters are stereotypical and overly sexualized. The film is extremely generalized and Fincher accomplishes this by presenting the characters with no desire to come against the reality of gender norms. The conventions that are held as a standard in the film are the orthodox characteristics of how men are supposed to appear.

The article, “Finding My penis,” by Richard Fung, is the piece I chose to respond to. The article is particularly geared towards the elements of power and submission, in the realm of the adult industry, as well as the how the United States boarder is regulated when it comes to sexuality. Fung, opens the article with the ways in which the both sexes asian, or orientals, are stereotyped. The women being seen as subservient, and there to serve the white man, while the asian man is seen as one of two things. First, The egghead, a non intelligent person or s doofus, which comes across as weak.

Disney movies not only constructed my ideas of femininity, but they also imposed gendered sexuality on me at an early age through the use of patriarchy within these films. The message that a woman is lost without a man upholds the dominant social position of men and the submissive social position of women. Due to the emphasis on hetero-romantic love and the construction of heterosexual relationships as magical and natural, I learned to value my appearance as a little girl by wearing makeup, wearing nice clothes and styling my hair so that I could get my prince-charming, who would then validate my femininity. Moreover, my idolization of Disney princesses refined my knowledge on

2. 166-175).Brutus agrees to listen closely to what Cassius has to say in regards to Caesar NOT becoming king. Cassius plants seed of conspiracy. Brutus’ agreeing to hear Cassius foreshadowing Brutus’ participation in the conspiracy. Cassius and Brutus are trying to overthrow Caesar.

As Disney fans, it came to our attention that the representation of male characters and masculinity has changed over time.

I never realized the gender inequality in this Disney song until I read your paragraph. From a sociological viewpoint, I agree with your point that this song highlighted all the masculine traits needed to be a man. With this also being one of my favorite Disney movies, I went back and read the lyrics which include; “Did they send me daughters, when I asked for sons”? From a sociological viewpoint this verse devalues the judgement of women by calling the soldiers daughters. This is an example of Johnson’s concept that patriarchy is male-centered and to be accused of feminine qualities is insulting (Johnson, 2007).

Most young children grow up watching Disney movies, which causes girls to want to grow up and be princess and allow the boys to want to be the white knight who saves all. Only recently with films like Frozen and Brave have females characters not really needing a male to save them. The Gender roles in Disney Animations paper states, “Aladdin, Pocahontas, and Mulan, each princess in these movies are more independent” (Yerby). This however is incorrect due to Jasmine needing to be saved by Aladdin, Mulan trying to be a man, and Pocahontas only saved John Smith due to love and not the means of their tribe.

Again, I strongly argue that movies give the song more meaning than before. Some movies, such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, add a meaning to a song because the adored character, Holly, sang it and gave it meaning. Before I knew a lot about the movie and the song I really just loved the song and the movie together. Now, I love both the movie and the song, because Holly gave the song a meaning that I can relate to. Film music is not a lost genre, is taken seriously, and is listened to outside of the movie.

And those responses represent male insecurity at its finest. Even with their social power and prominence, a threat to their manhood is still enough to damage them. And many people see that fragile layer of masculinity in Donald Trump. Not only did this man make a blatant reference to the size of his penis during the Republican primaries. That comment brings up another pressure guys face: peak sexual performance.

Shown in the case of Emmerich’s Stonewall, where an account of a major turning point in the LGBT national narrative, is fictionalized to fit a narrative familiar with the Hollywood edict of the White male lead (Retzloff, 2007; Erigha, 2015). This focus on the incorrect telling of historic events thwarts understanding of the totality of marginalization faced by racial and ethnic minorities and members of the LGBT community. Through participation in the film industry, members of underrepresented groups can counteract White male hegemonic practices, and influence the creation of media images (Collins,

This makes Merida different because she has a mother and a father, who are both a king and queen. She shares a vigorous bond with them, and this bond becomes stronger at the end of the movie. Since Merida has a strong bond with her mother and father, Merida is really distinct than other Disney

The fairy tale is known for one of the most well-read genres, including ‘classic’ tales such as Cinderella, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast. However, this popular genre has influenced the roles of men and women. In today’s mass media culture, thinking about the importance of fairy tales may seem irrelevant. While some could argue that fairytales are just fantasy, others take it more seriously and can recognize the influence these fairy tales have in reinforcing gender stereotypes. The princess, the damsel in distress, the evil witch, the hero, the prince, the savior, the brave one; we all connect them to the gender stereotypes used to represent men and women in fairy tales.

Disney also owns a history of controversies with their “magical” ideologies in films. In a study conducted by Chyng Feng Sun and Erica Scharrer, college students were asked to create a critique and analysis of Disney’s film, The Little Mermaid and Hans Christian Andersen’s The Seamaid. Obviously the students were highly entertained with the colorful images and the sing alongs in Disney’s version of the story, but they’ve made crucial statements. “I know they had to have changed the story because of the portrayal of Ariel and other women and how they have stereotyped Disney thin, more developed bodies than a girl of that age” (p. 50), states a student in Sun and Scharrer’s article. Then after reading The Seamaid, another student claims, “I realized how much the Disney version influenced me . .

Media’s influence on society and perpetuation of different ideologies has been a highly debated issue especially in this time of accelerated technological advancement where media surrounds us. One of the most quickly popularized forms of media is the video game industry that provides audience an interactive option of entertainment. Disney’s Pixar realized how popular and powerful this industry was and integrated it into their 2012 film Wreck-It Ralph. This type of media cross over leaves itself open to interpretation from many different angles because it involves ideologies from both cultures.