In Response to "Disney Movies: Good? Bad?"

I'm a little torn on the question of whether Disney actually contributes to what most of us would classify as negative understandings of gender and race. On the one hand, we all grew up with Disney, and we view ourselves as perfectly fine -- unaffected by what we can point out in Disney as being real sexist depictions, often with racial undertones. On the other hand, the lasting differences in gender equality our society experiences, and the higher incidence of traditional gender representations in Disney than easily-recognized racial commentary, might suggest something is going on.

You mentioned your little survey of your cousins and I would comment on their responses. I think what is important to note is that representations of sex and gender in Disney are more subtle than the primary plots, which they commented upon. I would perhaps suggest that while your cousins may be coming to understand the concepts of gender and race, and beginning to internalize norms of gender-specific behavior, they might not be conscious of doing so. I don't think Towbin et al ever claimed that the primary themes of the films in question were actually about masculinity and femininity, although these might be reemerging themes nonetheless. Thus it is understandable that your questions did not elicit discussion regarding these things.

I think a better way to go about questioning children might be more direct questions as to why characters acted in such a way, or why they were successful, with the hopes of generating a gender-related comment fitting into the context of the film. For a child to comment upon the success of a character, or the likability of a character, with reference to gender would imply a way of conceiving the world and gender norms. If cause-and-effect is intelligible to the child, and they make a statement about, say, a Princess being loved by a Prince for her beauty in response to the question "why did the Prince love the Princess?", then a child capable of induction might be introduced to an argument: "Princesses are loved because they are beautiful"  or even "Women are desirable for their appearance." 

Original post: http://stratisthesundayschooldrop-out.blogspot.ca/2012/03/disney-movies-good-bad.html

Internalization, Playacting and Disney

This week we learned about sexuality and gender in the media. We learned that despite improvements in the depictions of women and different classes, lingering stereotypes exist even in our most popular entertainment, such as in Disney films. By inclining to value women for beauty over brains, and representing a limited number of possible vocations, Disney may be said to be reinforcing tradition notions of gender that are quite dissimilar from our contemporary society's expectations.

In "Images of Gender, Race, Age, and Sexual Orientation in Disney Feature-Length Animated Films”, Towbin is concerned with the possible internalization of gender roles as depicted in Disney films. Reading about the role of psychologists in encouraging critical dialogue with the material , I couldn't help but think of the reinforcement that Disney itself provides through a slough of other popular culture, including toys, costumes, and Disney Land.

My worry is that the risk of internalization might increase significantly by providing opportunities for, and encouraging, playacting and a recreation of the Disney narratives. And while massive amounts of mass-produced and massively popular action figures and toys facilitate recreation and active engagement with storylines, it is the harm done to females and specifically the limitations on females roles presented to young girls in the princess phenomena that interests me.

The Disney princess, as was mentioned in class, is a massive commodity, and a major popular-cultural phenomena. It is an incredibly popular franchise for Disney, with their 9 princesses, it is a very profitable marketing scheme, involving everything from films, dresses,and accessories to Disney Land. However, what are the values being imparted by these Disney princesses? According to Towbin, Disney is responsible for imparting notions of fragility and servility. However, that said, there seems to be a lot of resistance to negative interpretations of Disney on the internet, such as this website which is dedicated to the merits of Disney princesses as role models, or the comments on any You tube video negatively portraying Disney. I cautiously take this as an example of the power of brand loyalty.