Madeline's Pretty as a Princess blog

As per our class conversations and walk about regarding dominant Ideology S.C.W.A.A.M.P (straightness, Christianity, whiteness, able-bodied, American ness, maleness, property ownership), it is clear that Disney did not invent gender roles and biases that pervade our society. Whether or not entertainment companies should be held accountable to accurately present history and culture to children, or if it is enough that they outline basic moral principles is perhaps a topic for another time.  In my experience growing up with Disney films I never personally experienced any real cultural or commercial attachment to these films.  It has been a very long time since I watched many of these films as a child, and the only thing I can remember is that I most identified with the hero.  Since I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, pre-Mulan era, the hero was usually a boy, but that didn’t matter.  It didn’t change my perspective in life.  It didn’t give me a hero to worship or look up to.  It didn’t provide me with a newfound interest or desire. It was nothing more than entertainment and a fun way to pass the time.  My children have their own views of Disney films too.  My two youngest children, a 10-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy both liked the films with the most humor such as Mulan and Rapunzel regardless of what gender the protagonist was. My oldest, now a 22-year-old young lady, only liked the princesses and loved everything princess like until she was about 12 years old.  She still has a deep affection towards these princess movies and gets very nostalgic when they air on television.  On the other hand, my two younger children have very little interest in any of these Disney films today and would rather watch Percy Jackson action movies.

Christensen’s claims that society’s culture, which is often depicted in films, cartoons and children’s literature, teaches our youth how to act, live and dream by manipulating their beliefs, or lack thereof, through media.  In an attempt to get students to understand how easily the media manipulates impressionable young minds, he has his students critique portrayals of inequalities found in children’s movies and cartoons. I found his approach to these injustices quite compelling and am inspired that his students were able to dissect these stories to find the hidden inequalities and biases behind the characters.  Some students were so moved by what they found that they took action and wrote about their findings in articles, pamphlets, and newspaper opinion pieces. Although I agree with Christensen’s’ approach to understanding biases in children’s stories and movies, I never really noticed such inequities when I watched Disney films as a child.  Upon reflection, I can see how cultural bias can affect the way we see ourselves and the world around us, but I am not cognizant of the role it may or may not have played on my values as an impressionable youth when viewing these films.

Like the famous line, a rose is a rose is a rose from Gertrude Stein's poem Sacred Emily, I view princesses very much the same way.  A princess is a princess, is a princess, is a princess.  Although some princesses are more gregarious, personable, outgoing, active, outspoken, and independent, most princesses are portrayed as beautiful, thin, and lovely creatures that move effortlessly through time and space and always end up with the man of their dreams.  They represent the ideal—not the reality.  Princess, Elsa from Frozen definitely had more of an edge to her than other princesses.  Past princesses did not have unique powers that turned things into ice or into something unintended, nor were they angry about their circumstances (because anger is not a very becoming feature for a beautiful princess) but in the end, she is still a princess who gets the dashing suitor of her dreams.