There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Walt Disney Animation’s most successful film of all time. For the most part this controversy can be equated to the fact that Disney’s Frozen is perhaps the studio’s most on-the-nose queer text there has been. Yes one could apply a queer reading to many of Disney’s previous films but this one seems to be the most “in your face”. This is not to say that was directly the studio’s intention, or that the film is not for all audiences. In fact the great thing about Disney films and why they continue to be so successful is that they are created for all audiences regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, personal beliefs etc., everyone can seem to relate and enjoy.
Queer theory is the first postmodern theory inspired by feminism and as a reaction to the AIDS crisis. Queer theory challenges all assumptions about gender and sexuality. It exploits gender essentialism and embraces non-normative behavior, with non-normative being the key word here. This means that queer theory does not always have to be in regards to homosexuality. In fact, a...
In Vicki L. Eaklor’s Queer America, the experiences of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people in the years since the 1970s gay liberation movement are described as a time of transformation and growth. The antigay movement, threatened, now more than ever, created numerous challenges and obstacles that are still prevalent today. Many of the important changes made associated with the movement were introduced through queer and queer allied individuals and groups involved in politics. Small victories such as the revision of the anti discrimination statement to include “sexual orientation”, new propositions regarding the Equal Rights Amendment and legalized abortion, were met in turn with growing animosity and resistance from individuals and groups opposed to liberal and
For several years now, Disney seems to be determined not to offend anyone in order to keep its audience; indeed we are confronted with animation films full of compromises; they are not as degrading for women as Snow-White and the Seven Dwarves (1937), but they are nonetheless still filled with clichés. Films such as The Princess and The Frog (2009), Tangled (2010), Wreck-it Ralph (2012), have in common the sense of being progressive and however we can notice the resurgence of harmful gendered stereotypes on the subjects of the social scale, women’s role in society, or the status quo. Frozen comes in and turns out to be no exception. Though it includes several encouraging and gratifying elements, it contributes insidiously to spread numerous
The two movies I chose to watch this week was “The Road to El Dorado” and “The Emperor's New Groove” as my choice of animated films to analyze. The animated film, “The Road to El Dorado” stereotypical representations of race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality are added in children’s films. I see sexuality played out most of the time in these Disney films. There is only one woman, and her name is Chel. There are many single female characters in otherwise male dominated movies who are portrayed as sexy. It is unfortunately very common and reinforces the idea of women as tokens, and the audience will not find stories interesting unless their focus is men’s issues and lives. As soon as Chel appears she is immediately characterized as an object that
They mention the transition of “the closet,” as being a place in which people could not see you, to becoming a metaphor over the last two decades of the twentieth century used for queers who face a lack of sexual identity. Shneer and Aviv bring together two conflicting ideas of the American view of queerness: the ideas of the past, and the present. They state as queerness became more visible, people finally had the choice of living multiple lives, or integrating one’s lives and spaces (Shneer and Aviv 2006: 245). They highlight another change in the past twenty years as the clash between being queer and studying queerness (Shneer and Aviv 2006: 246-7). They argue that the active and visible contests over power among American queers show that queers now occupy an important place in our culture. They expand on the fact that queerness, real, and performed, is everywhere (Shneer and Aviv 2006: 248). This source shows the transformation in American culture of the acceptance of queerness. It makes an extremely critical resource by providing evidence of the changes in culture throughout the last two decades. Having the information that queerness is becoming more accepted in culture links to a higher percentage of LGBTQ youths becoming comfortable with their sexual identity. However, compared to the other sources, this
In an effort to legitimize all subcategories of sexuality considered deviant of heterosexual normatively, queer theory acknowledges nontraditional sexual identities by rejecting the rigid notion of stabilized sexuality. It shares the ideals of gender theory, applying to sexuality the idea that gender is a performative adherence to capitalist structures that inform society of what it means to be male, female, gay, and straight. An individual’s conformity to sexual or gendered expectations indicates both perpetration and victimization of the systemic oppression laid down by patriarchal foundations in the interest of maintaining power within a small group of people. Seeking to deconstruct the absolute nature of binary opposition, queer theory highlights and celebrates literary examples of gray areas specifically regarding sexual orientation, and questions those which solidify heterosexuality as the “norm”, and anything outside of it as the “other”.
...sented as more than just deviance, but a way in to comparable differences to what are the societal and sexual norms of “typical” attractions and behaviorisms. This is the outlying interdisciplinary approach to the nebulous idea of queer ecology. In sum, clarifying the definition of queer and how queer ecology influenced and diverted from more biased structures to ecology has a positive effect on future studies, despite its own shortcomings. It provides a more fluid and approachable, albeit complex framework for many people.
For this engagement essay the article Mean Ladies: Transgenders Villains in Disney Films by Amanda Putnam and the chapter “Someday My Prince Will Come”: Disney, the Heterosexual Imaginary and Animated Films by Carrie L. Cokely will summarized, analyzed, and engaged with using the Queer analytical framework.
Disney princesses are fun for all ages, but their target audience is young children and “as children grow and develop, they can be easily influenced by what they see and hear”. Therefore, what they see and hear in Disney movies leaves an impression on them. The first princess, Snow White, was created in a time where each gender and race had a specific role in society. Recently, many believe that Disney has come a long way in regards to gender and race since Snow White, as several multi-cultural protagonists have been introduced subsequently, and gender roles do not appear to be as stereotypical as they once were. However, many of the apparent innocent messages about race and gender in these movies, can be exposed as otherwise. Despite their mask of progression, Disney princesses still have the potential to corrupt the minds of young children through sexism and racism.
At this point, I’d like to define a few terms somewhat precisely, at least as I intend to use them in the context of this paper. In this paper, I use the term "queer" for two reasons: one of which is in the spirit of reclaiming a word that has traditionally been used to verbally abuse non-heterosexual people for decades, and secondly because in the heterosexual mindset there are no differences between bisexuals, gay men, lesbians, transgendered and transsexual people. Brett Beemyn and Mickey Eliason write: "We have chosen to use ‘queer’ because it best characterizes our own personal beliefs, and it potentially leaves room for all people who are attracted to others of the same sex or whose bodies or sexual desires do not fit dominant standards of gender and/or sexuality" (5). One of the first questions that must be answered, of course, is why is it important to look at literature from a queer perspective? Is a reader, such ...
The debate over the good and bad aspects of Disney movies has been going on for years. It has become a part of pop culture in a way never expected through things such as YouTube videos and meme’s. While looking at multiple Disney movies may give a wider range of example of both the good and the bad in Disney movies, to help depict the effects the movies actually have on kids it is most beneficial to study just one movie. Zia’s essay argues that Disney movies have a good influence on children by teaching them good life morals. However, one of her examples, Mulan, is not an example of achievement through hard work like Zia explains, but rather a change made through magic, and example of the horrible historical inaccuracies made in Disney movies and the lack of parental respect that they teach children.
When you were watching Frozen did you get the feeling that the hype about the film’s progressive take on the Disney princesses was lacking? You are not the only one. Self-proclaimed writer/activist/student and internet personality Alexis Isabel agrees. Which is why she launched the hashtag, #giveelsaagirlfriend. With the slogan, she hopes to leverage the internet and convince Disney to bring Elsa out of the closet. Responding to the controversy liberals and conservatives began slinging mud. On the left, well-meaning liberals are championing outing Elsa’s sexual orientation as a step forward for the LGBT community. On the right, reactionary conservatives are chanting the worn out slogans of family values and political correctness. Reality is
Critics have warned the public audience about Disney programming’s affect on the “invasion and control of children’s imagination” (Ross 5). These movies express the typical gender roles “such as males being physically strong, assertive, and athletic, and females being prone to overt emotion, inc...
It is important to note that I am viewing and analyzing this text from the positionally of a Caucasian, lower-class, female. Not only do I identify as female, but I also consider myself to be a feminist, which is one of my reasons for choosing the feminist framework. I also feel that it is critical to state that I identify as heterosexual, but consider myself an ally to the LGBTIQ community. Therefore, my views on gender may extend to my views on sexuality, since they often go hand-in-hand.
“Sexual Politics, “For it is precisely because certain groups have no representation in a number of recognized political structures that they 're position tends to be so stable, their oppression so continuous” (191). For this reason, theory, among various other structures, should become more inclusive, recognizing nonbinary genders and facing issues that affect the people who identify with them. Nonbinary gender has largely been left out of feminist discourse, as well as queer theory and even trans studies. Even pivotal works on gender fail to recognize and account for the existence of non or multiple genders.
The man, the dreamer, the artist, the creator, producer, the pioneer, and the developer; Walt Disney accomplished building his own empire along with his legacy that continues to grow every day. Every individual has a story about what drives them to be the person they are today and will be tomorrow. Personally, I love his impressive movies and alluring theme parks. Walt Disney has played an integral part of my family’s life. In fact, my daughter became engaged at the end of Main Street, in a fairy-tale moment in front of the enchanted Cinderella’s Castle, in the Magic Kingdom theme park for her birthday over the holidays. Just about everyone has some knowledge of Walt Disney’s incredible endeavors. However, how many people can say that they have knowledge of the man Disney was before creating Mickey Mouse and what follows?