Disney Stereotypes

The Walt Disney Company is a pillar of American culture, and has had an immense impact on society as a whole, for decades. The films created are filled with beautiful messages, catchy songs, and colorful characters. When discussing Disney films, critiques, and viewers in general, tend to focus the conversation around the portrayal of women and the influence it has on young women. There has been an unavoidable debate concerning the ideologies promoted by the Disney films, and in particular its princesses, since Snow White came out in 1937. The princesses were in fact often represented as passive characters with tiny waists, who are constantly in need of rescuing. These concepts in creating female characters contribute to societal standards of …show more content…

They are thus represented as the opposite of truly masculine characters, who would rather show traits of authority and efficacy. This lack of power is further seen through the fact that these male characters are not the center of the story. They are considered as heroes, leading the story along with the more popular Disney princesses, but most of the royal suitors were not even given a name. Amy M. Davis explains in her book Handsome Heroes and Vile Villains: Masculinity in Disney 's Feature Films, the Disney Company recognized this, and in 2001, presented the Disney Princess Collection and the Disney Villains Collection, setting aside the Princes Collection altogether, and solely represented the heroes as accompanying the Princesses rather than standing on their …show more content…

They are both stereotypical one-dimensional characters that are meant to push the story forward rather than be an inspiration or role model for male viewer. The Prince figure can be seen on films such as Snow White (1937), Cinderella (1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959), or even as late as 1989 in The Little Mermaid. These are “young, royal, handsomely Anglo-Saxon and wholesome” men who “lacks personality and individuality” and who “embody the archetype of the trophy-male” (DuGar 10). For example, in the first animated film made by Disney, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the nameless Prince only appears on two occasions: when he meets Snow White, and when he rescues her in the end. He is the perfect representation of DuGar’s critique as he is represented as a prop, solely desired by the Princess for his looks rather than who he is. He has “no identity beyond his winning smile and privileged position.” It is the same for Cinderella’s Prince Charming, who only gained a nickname, but not more screen