Stereotypes In Disney Films

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To what extent do male and female characters in Disney films differ in the language they use? Justification Stereotypic gender roles are constantly displayed in movies and children frequently establish their perception of such values from books, movies and television: “Children who witness female characters on television programs who are passive, indecisive, and subordinate to men [...] will likely believe that this is the appropriate way for females to behave” (Witt 2000:322). Therefore it is important for adults to understand that any content they create is taken seriously by impressionable children, and as a result these stereotypical views may have a long lasting damaging effect on the child. In this study I focused on the representation of males and females in Disney films, and examined whether…show more content…
In this study, a number of linguistic features were identified which indicate a lack of confidence. Instances when characters stutter, rephrase utterances, doubt in their own ability and lack the courage to express their opinions have been included in this category. In Aladdin, only one of the characters studied uses a language which clearly mirrors insecurity, Aladdin himself. Firstly, he frequently stutters. Secondly, he repeatedly starts utterances which he does not finish before he rephrases himself. When introducing himself to Jasmine, for instance, he states: ”It’s me, Prince Ali... Prince Ali Ababwa”. Shortly after, when Jasmine is introduced to the magic carpet, Aladdin asks her: ”You... You don’t wanna go for a ride, do you?” Here, Aladdin assumes that Jasmine does not want to accept his invitation, and he then attaches a tag-question. Apparently, Aladdin completely lacks confidence since he automatically believes that Jasmine will reject him. There are a number of cases where Aladdin’s language displays insecurity in similar manners as illustrated by the examples

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