Gender Roles In Walt Disney's Aladdin

Aladdin Aladdin, released in the year of 1992, by Walt Disney, is based on the classic tales told in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, (“The Arabian Nights”) (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). Despite Aladdin being the most famous story from the collection, it was not included in the original collection but added on later. Disney was able to turn the tale into an excellent animation, which was considered to be the best-known re-tell of the story at the time of its release. The animation told a story about a street boy named Aladdin, who lived on the streets in a vast and fictional Arabian city of Agrabah, alongside his monkey best friend, Abu. Another prime character who plays a significant role in the story is Princess Jasmine,

Men throughout the movie control Princess Jasmine. Her dad has managed Princess Jasmine her whole life, as she has been stuck in the palace because he does not think she will be safe outside the walls. Her father, the Sultan, does not want her to get married to a prince because the law says so, but because as a female, Jasmine will be incapable of taking care of herself as a full functioning adult and must need a lake in her life to providing for her. An example of this is when her father says, “I am not going to be around forever. I just want to make sure you are taken care of, provided for.” Princess Jasmine, herself also says, “I’ve never done a thing on my own.” She has not been given the freedom and independence to make her decisions. There was always a male, as in her father to decide for her. Another example of this is demonstrated when she sneaks out to the marketplace and gets caught for giving away an apple without buying it. Instead of Princess Jasmine being punished for her mistake, she is shown being protected by the male, Aladdin, who is then depicted as the hero, who saved the female, as she is the damsel in distress. In another scene, there is a conversation happening between the Sultan, Aladdin (pretending to be a Prince), and Jafar in which the Sultan says, “Jasmine will like this one” and Aladdin responds with, “I hope she does.” Aladdin then continues to say, “I will win your daughter,” thus objectifying the female as a “prize to be won.” The males around her are trying to make decisions for the woman, once again showing she is incapable of making her decision and using her judgment. The only females shown through the animation are Jasmine and the belly dancers, depicting Middle Eastern women as all being kept women by men for the use of