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Hi, I am an ageless faceless gender neutral culturally ambiguous talking sock.
You can call me Afgncats 1, for short, and here is my friend Afgncats 2.
Hi!
Today, we’d like to talk to you about how gender is portrayed in Disney movies.
I will be dealing specifically with male protagonists.
And I will talk about princesses!
It is a known fact that almost every kid out there wants to be one of the good guys.
They watch a movie, and then they pretend to be the hero.
What is not so obvious is what young boys are actually getting from all of this.
What are male heroes really showing them?
Firstly, that women are the ultimate goal.
Secondly, that guys must meet specific requirements
in order to grab female attention.
They need Fame,
They need Fortune,
They need bulging biceps,
They need that little “je ne sais quoi”.
And above all else,
they must show superiority,
they must show strength,
and they must FIGHT.
Are these really the messages that we want to be sending to our kids.
Yes, Disney films are entertaining, but the fact is, they are also
conveying the idea of a single,
traditional view of masculinity to all those little boys out there.
And boys aren't the only targets...
Indeed, one could say that girls are even more influenced by Disney’s depictions.
The main ambition of female characters is usually
reduced to finding a male companion.
Only once their prince has arrived can they be expected to live happily ever after.
While they wait, they entertain themselves by cleaning, cooking,
taking care of family members, and serving male characters.
Women are portrayed as being passive, delicate, submissive, emotional, and naive.
They are always in need to be rescued.
Disney shows physical beauty as an essential aspect of female identity.
The ideal woman has clear skin, long hair, a small and slender body,
and big eyes to attract her hero.
Female characters that don’t match these characteristics
are usually evil, old, or both.
Overall, women are shown as not too bright and fairly ignorant.
They are wanted only for their
appearance and homemaking abilities.
So, in the end, what’s the point of knowing all of this?
Well, I too believe that knowing is the first step towards media literacy.
It’s harder to get influenced by what we see on TV
when we know how to be critical about it.
So what’s the second step?
I would say that it is to take action
and to improve how the media represents people.
But what should we do?
Should we force Disney to remove gender differences altogether,
portraying both men and women as equals
and politically correct figures?
Or can this turn out awkward,
since every character would end up being relatively the same.
I think a better solution would be to promote diversity,
since this is what real life is about.
What Disney ought to do is create a vast cast of personalities
that are gender independent, instead of always reusing the
same model to portray their leading roles.
It would probably also help if they change their plots every now in then,
as opposed to it always being around finding one’s ideal love.
What we are left to wonder is how we are suppose to do this?
I know! Since Disney shows what they believe the public wants,
then we should petition them.
If enough people get together, then change should occur!
Good idea! If this fails, we can simply boycott Disney
and go off and make our own stuff!
I think that is exactly what I am going to do.
To the art desk!
I apologize for my friend’s rude departure.
But it does seem that our show is over.
Till next time.
Bye!
Wait for me!