Gender Roles In Disney Princess Movies

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James Key CRN: 2961 Dr. Melnarik 12-4-14 Painting the Perfect Princess The Walt Disney Corporation is the most viewed medium for children's fairytale movies. Throughout Disney films, the lead role for female characters are of princesses, and for males, princes. The traditional Disney princess movie is: girl falls in love, evil villain breaks them apart, the prince (whom she briefly met) then saves her and soon after they get married and “live happily ever after”. Although Disney princess movies are often seen as temporary entertainment, through the use of their lead female characters, these movies have a more permanent effect upon how young girls perceive their genders role in society. In most Disney princess films, male and female characters…show more content…
As indicated through their films, the soon-to-be-princess can only have their happy ending once she marries into wealth or status. Following which, her role is to then submit herself as the compliant wife. For example, Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast” says, “Here picture this: A rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill roasting on the fire, and my wife massaging my feet, while the little ones play on the floor with the dogs...”. Gaston’s explanation of his future plans elaborates on the socially accepted life women should wish to obtain. However, Belle is a more educated and sophisticated woman and aspires for an alternate lifestyle. She instead hopes to find a man of her own choice who accepts, or shares, her passion for books. Unfortunately, her dreams are cut short as she falls into the gender role and marries the wealthy and attractive prince. In the article journal, “Gender Role Portrayal and the Disney Princess”, Dawn England states “The princess always won the love of the wealthy prince by the end of the Disney princess films, and this portrayal of romance provides a strongly gendered message...” (England 565). England later brings up the valid point that in nearly every Disney film, as long as the princess was attractive, she managed to meet the man of her dreams with minimal effort. The man of her dreams happens to be the wealthy and sophisticated prince she merely met a few days earlier. The problem with this is how unrealistic this is in todays society. Since Disney princess movies had began, they have always taught that the first man you met and fell in love with was your soulmate and in addition, he would be fabulously wealthy (excluding the newest movie Frozen). As a young, easily influenced, girl was watching these movies, she would begin to believe that

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