The Truth About Princesses in Fairy Tales

analytical Essay

823 words

Once given birth to a beautiful baby girl, often parents refer to her as their little princess; when having a newborn girl, that baby girl will often get all the attention from her surroundings, she will be showered in the most adorable dresses; cute shoes , baby clothes that say “princess” on it and either a bow or a bedazzled head band, perhaps a room that is nothing but pink, letters on her wall over looking her crib saying “Mommy’s little Princess”. There is nothing wrong with spoiling your baby girl. But as time goes her idea of her gender role begins to develop. Buying her princess toys, surrounding her with pink, and watching the Disney movies about how princesses are beautiful, always gets her prince charming, and lives an enchanted life for ever after, is a dangerous “reality” to create for young girls. Eventually, while growing up from child years to young adults, girls in this type of environment can develop a gender constructed identity that, they are superior and deserve an enchanted life. It’s a dangerous reality for these young girls because they will grow up to believe that, they’re entitled to the fairy tale life, having pure beauty , marry her dream man, conceive beautiful children and live happily ever after, but sometimes life is not a fairy tale and you don’t always end up getting what you want. A typical American girl’s room consists of: books about princesses, dresses, tutu’s, pink bed sheets, a white dresser, with nail polish, and childlike make-up on top. Different kinds of dolls scattered throughout, and Princess movies stacked up next to her television ready to pop in whenever she pleases. Obsessing over how princesses live their perfect lives is detrimental to a young girl’s gender construction, be... ... middle of paper ... ...le, perhaps not even a happily ever after. Because life is not a fairy tale or neither enchanted , reading the story books and watching the movies about princesses doesn’t happen in real life. It’s a fictional story with fictional characters, these stories are supposed to entertain the younger crowd of girls. But some these younger girls get too caught up in the fantasy like world and begin to develop an enchanted life in their heads, which is not there. Then later in life it becomes a shocker to them when reality hits them hard , and their enchanted dreams have been shattered into pieces. Works Cited Cook, Jackie; Main, Wilson.“What is a Princess” Australian Feminist Studies 23.57 (2008). Wohlwend, Karen E. “Damsels In Discourse” Reading Research Quarterly 44.1 (2009). Pollitt, Katha. “Her’s; The Smurfette Principle”. The New York Times Review, April 07, 1991.

In this essay, the author

Opines that spoiling a baby girl isn't wrong, but as time goes on, her idea of her gender role begins to develop. buying her princess toys, surrounding her with pink, and watching disney movies about princesses are dangerous.
Analyzes how a typical american girl's room consists of books about princesses, dresses, tutus, pink bed sheets, nail polish, and childlike make-up.
Explains karen e. wohlwend's article "damsels in discourse" that girls want an hourglass-shaped body, glossy hair, long-lashed eyes, and styled hair as well as wealth and glamour.

Opines that spoiling a baby girl isn't wrong, but as time goes on, her idea of her gender role begins to develop. buying her princess toys, surrounding her with pink, and watching disney movies about princesses are dangerous.
Analyzes how a typical american girl's room consists of books about princesses, dresses, tutus, pink bed sheets, nail polish, and childlike make-up.
Explains karen e. wohlwend's article "damsels in discourse" that girls want an hourglass-shaped body, glossy hair, long-lashed eyes, and styled hair as well as wealth and glamour.
Explains that in the article "what is a princess" jackie cook and wilson main discuss that "beauty is power" and that young adult girls would take advantage of their beauty and use it against anything they wish or desire for.
Explains that life is not a fairy tale or neither enchanted, because it's fictional with fictional characters. some young girls get too caught up in the fantasy world and begin to develop an enchanting life in their heads.

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Disney and Traditional Stereotypes
analytical essay
A little girl sits on the floor with her gaze fixed on the television screen in front of her, watching magical images dance before her eyes and catchy songs flow through her ears. Even though she had seen it at least twenty times before, she still loved The Little Mermaid just as much as she did the first time she watched it. As she watched it, she longed to be a beautiful mermaid with a curvy body and wonderful singing voice like Ariel. She longed to be saved by the handsome Prince Eric, and fall in love and live happily ever-after like Ariel did. In today’s society, women strive to achieve equality between the sexes. Despite the tremendous steps that have been taken towards reaching gender equality, mainstream media contradicts these accomplishments with stereotypes of women present in Walt Disney movies. These unrealistic stereotypes may be detrimental to children because they grow up with a distorted view of how men and women interact. Disney animated films assign gender roles to characters, and young children should not be exposed to inequality between genders because its effect on their view of what is right and wrong in society is harmful to their future.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how women strive to achieve equality between the sexes, but mainstream media contradicts these accomplishments with stereotypes of women present in walt disney movies.
- Analyzes how disney films encourage women to maintain their beauty to capture men's attention, and have a curvy, petite body. the little mermaid is based on ron clements and john musker.
- Analyzes the stereotype of disney women not falling in love with their perfect prince in the end. aladdin, a street urchin, meets princess jasmine in 1992's "agrabah".
- Analyzes how women strive to achieve equality between the sexes, but mainstream media contradicts these accomplishments with stereotypes of women present in walt disney movies.
- Analyzes how disney films encourage women to maintain their beauty to capture men's attention, and have a curvy, petite body. the little mermaid is based on ron clements and john musker.
- Analyzes the stereotype of disney women not falling in love with their perfect prince in the end. aladdin, a street urchin, meets princess jasmine in 1992's "agrabah".
- Explains that in disney movies, the female character is always in need of a hero to help her out of stick situations. both male and female characters are saved by their own prince charming.
- Argues that disney movies imply that women should follow the "traditional" stereotypes of a female in society, such as looking pretty with no brains, and powerless on her own in dangerous situations.
1067 words
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Construction Of The Female Self Summary
analytical essay
In the article Construction of the Female Self: Feminist Readings Of the Disney Heroine, Jill Birmie Henke, Diane Zimmerman Umble, and Nancy J. Smith are looking at the female self and how it was developed based on two theories: Standpoint by Parker Follet and the psychological development of girls by Gilligam. That by examines gender identity especially girls and how media exposure affects them through analyzing five of Disney movies: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Pocahontas. They segmented the article into three titles: The Oxymoron of Power and the Perfect Girl where they introduced the two theories in which they built their critic on, Construction of the Female Self where they talk about the evolution in the female character from Cinderella to Pocahontas, and Construction of Self in Relation to Others where they talk about the evolution of the self in relation to others from power-over to power-with until power-to. Finally they concluded that even if the female character in Disney’s movies was changing to become more
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how jill birmie henke, diane zimmerman umble, and nancy j. smith are looking at the female self and how it was developed based on standpoint by parker follet and the psychological development of girls by gilligam.
- Explains that s of this article are all professors in millersville university and all have a phd degree, and nancy j. smith is the director of women’s studies at the university.
- Analyzes how the writers mention the psychological development that talks about the invention of the "perfect girl" who is always kind and good and happy and quite.
- Analyzes how jill birmie henke, diane zimmerman umble, and nancy j. smith are looking at the female self and how it was developed based on standpoint by parker follet and the psychological development of girls by gilligam.
- Explains that s of this article are all professors in millersville university and all have a phd degree, and nancy j. smith is the director of women’s studies at the university.
- Analyzes how the writers mention the psychological development that talks about the invention of the "perfect girl" who is always kind and good and happy and quite.
- Analyzes how disney movies kept the idea of the princess fall in love with charming prince. although the female is the main character, she always looks powerless, dependant and weak.
- Analyzes how ariel's voice was shut down despite the change in the little mermaid.
- Analyzes how belle is the first character not to fall in love and occupies almost 80 percent of the movie. she has a better control on her life and chooses her own destiny.
- Analyzes how pocahontas was strong defending her identity far from a marriage. disney stressed on the importance of the family relationship and sacrifices that girl can make to protect her family.
- Analyzes how disney is changing the role of the girl in her movies to respond to social changes, but the idea of "perfect girl" still exists. "brave", where the female character is strong, independent, and proves that can survive without a man, will give us hope that finally disney's movies start to take the side of women.
1218 words
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The Underlying Truth about Disney’s Princesses
analytical essay
Over the years, Disney has presented many movies to their audience—most having a Princess as the protagonist. These movies became a babysitter for most parents in the early stages of their child’s life. Most people found these movies as relatively harmless. The obvious assumption about the Disney Princesses is that they only desire true love since almost every movie ends in romance. Parents just viewed these movies as romantic movies on a child’s level. However, these movies were not solely intended for an audience of an age that can be counted on both hands. They were intended to speak to “an intelligent and active audience” (Sumera 40). However, there are many people who disagree with the ways of the Disney Princess movies. The disagreements lie within the portrayal of women gender roles in these movies. It is argued that Disney portrays women as a being nurturing individuals without any control over their identity. The women are unable to think for themselves, because they are uneducated, and they are quick to fall in love with the first man that pays them any attention. However, this is not completely true. The people that are against the portrayal of women in the Disney movies are failing to recognize the underlying concepts in these movies. For example, Belle, in Beauty and the Beast, was well educated, Mulan went to war despite the consequences, and Merida, in Brave, stood up to her mother in refusal to marry. The Disney Princesses desired intelligence, bravery, strength, and independence—not true love’s kiss.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that disney princesses were harmless, but they were meant to speak to an intelligent and active audience. disney portrays women as nurturing individuals without any control over their identity.
- Explains that beauty and the beast is a disney movie that debuted in 1991. the audience enjoyed watching the relationship of belle and beast evolve from absolute disdain to pure adoration for one another.
- Analyzes how disney's belle is an educated woman who enjoys reading and can think for herself.
- Argues that disney princesses were harmless, but they were meant to speak to an intelligent and active audience. disney portrays women as nurturing individuals without any control over their identity.
- Explains that beauty and the beast is a disney movie that debuted in 1991. the audience enjoyed watching the relationship of belle and beast evolve from absolute disdain to pure adoration for one another.
- Analyzes how disney's belle is an educated woman who enjoys reading and can think for herself.
- Analyzes how belle's willingness to search for her father and take his place in imprisonment exemplifies her bravery, which broke her out of the "feminine" ideology.
- Analyzes how mulan exemplifies bravery in "female chauvinist pigs." she stands up for her father against the king's messenger and cuts her hair and dresses like a man to fight in the war.
- Analyzes how disney redefines strength and bravery as "womanly" traits despite society's view of them as manly traits.
- Analyzes how merida, in brave, exemplifies strength in other areas than mulan. she is able to shoot the arrows perfectly in the center of three different bull's-eyes.
- Analyzes how merida is in turmoil with her mother over her lack of desire to get married. her mother recognizes that her daughter's happiness and passion for independence is far more important than all the years of preparing for marriage.
- Explains that independence was a key factor in each of the three disney movies, not just in brave. belle, from beauty and the beast, was educated, brave, and independent.
1780 words
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Female Roles and Stereotypes in Disney Animated Films
analytical essay
England, D., Descartes, L., & Collier-Meek, M. (2011). Gender Role Portrayal and the Disney Princesses. Sex Roles, 64(7/8), 555-567.
In this essay, the author
- Explains how disney's females and stereotypes in animated films changed over the years, from the early 1900s, beginning with their first feature film snow white (1937) to their most recent box office film frozen (2013).
- Explains that snow white, cinderella, and sleeping beauty were the first disney princesses in the era. all three were portrayed as helpless or a damsel in distress.
- Analyzes how disney upgraded their roles of females with the little mermaid, aladdin, and beauty and the beast. belle was the most remarkable with her brains and intellect.
- Explains how disney's females and stereotypes in animated films changed over the years, from the early 1900s, beginning with their first feature film snow white (1937) to their most recent box office film frozen (2013).
- Explains that snow white, cinderella, and sleeping beauty were the first disney princesses in the era. all three were portrayed as helpless or a damsel in distress.
- Analyzes how disney upgraded their roles of females with the little mermaid, aladdin, and beauty and the beast. belle was the most remarkable with her brains and intellect.
- Analyzes how disney took female roles to a new level with mulan in the 1990's. she was the first disney princess to be the heroine and stopped shang yu from invading china.
- Explains that brave is one of the first mother-daughter films, and the story mostly revolves around their relationship and merida's lack of dainty look.
- Analyzes how frozen hits every good thing from the past advances of females in disney films. anna represented the traditional disney princess, while elsa was the first disney female heroine to be in a role of power.
- Analyzes how frozen is a good film for women and girls. the male is not the savior, but the sister's love is what saves both anna and elsa.
- Analyzes how disney's female roles in films progressed in correspondence with the progression of woman stereotypes throughout the decades. from the 1930s to the late 1960s, the ideal woman was petite and obedient.
- Cites thomas, o. and descartes, l., and collier-meek, m. (2011). gender role portrayal and the disney princesses
676 words
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Sexism In Disney Movies
analytical essay
Disney movies have a very narrow view of what women should be like. Since the arrival of the first Disney movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, the idea of it has expanded, but rather marginally. There is a clear distinction of what a young women should be and what she shouldn’t be. Those who do not fit the mold of Disney’s expectations are cast aside to become villains, but those who do, end up becoming the damsel in distress. Ultimately, these stereotypes are what influences young girls who watch these films, and can have devastating effects on their self worth and change their idea of what it means to be a women. Films like Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,
In this essay, the author
- Explains that disney movies have a narrow view of what women should be like, and that stereotypes are what influence young girls who watch these films.
- Analyzes how the princesses have been saved by their princes in all four of their texts, including sleeping beauty, the little mermaid, and snow white.
- Analyzes how sleeping beauty, cinderella, and snow white all echo the values that were held in the early 1900's - that women are weak willed who needs to be constantly taken care of and supported by a man.
- Explains that disney movies have a narrow view of what women should be like, and that stereotypes are what influence young girls who watch these films.
- Analyzes how the princesses have been saved by their princes in all four of their texts, including sleeping beauty, the little mermaid, and snow white.
- Analyzes how sleeping beauty, cinderella, and snow white all echo the values that were held in the early 1900's - that women are weak willed who needs to be constantly taken care of and supported by a man.
- Analyzes how princesses in disney movies are portrayed to be one dimensional and have the same talents and ambitions. they are all kind, beautiful, helpful, naive, and overall the ideal women.
- Analyzes how sexuality plays a large role in cinderella, sleeping beauty, the little mermaid, and snow white and the seven dwarfs, thus contributing to sexism.
- Analyzes how the images from snow white and the seven dwarfs, cinderella, the little mermaid and sleeping beauty reflect the values held in the 1900s.
- Analyzes how the stereotypical portrayal of disney princesses emphasizes the sexism in the films. diversity is not explored in any of these films, whether it be about race, weight, character development or personality.
1820 words
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Book Review: Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture Adriana Cerezo
analytical essay
Orenstein explores the rise of Girl Power in the 1990s and the differences that are in today’s society. The rise and fast spreading message that girls receive from the Disney Princesses is one of her biggest issues. Not only does she disagree, but other mothers from Daisy’s preschool do as well. In the second chapter Orenstein invites all the mothers with daughters that are obsessed with Princesses to discuss the subject, one mother states that she sees no problem with encouraging being feminine and then states, “On the other hand, I a...
In this essay, the author
- Introduces peggy orenstein's cinderella ate my daughter: dispatches from the front lines of the new girlie-girl culture.
- Analyzes how orenstein explores the rise of girl power in the 1990s and the differences that are in today's society.
- Analyzes how orenstein embarks on a journey to find the answers to these questions.
- Introduces peggy orenstein's cinderella ate my daughter: dispatches from the front lines of the new girlie-girl culture.
- Analyzes how orenstein explores the rise of girl power in the 1990s and the differences that are in today's society.
- Analyzes how orenstein embarks on a journey to find the answers to these questions.
- Opines that orenstein's point of view is a bit more conservative than most, as she is white and doesn't understand why anyone would pay $500 for an american girl and her accessories.
- Opines that orenstein does a great job of bringing light on the issues of sexualization of or youth and why so many choose disney to try to keep our young girls safe.
715 words
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Gender Identity In Walt Disney Movies
analytical essay
Disney movies, which can be seen as very strong influences on impressionable children, seem to unequivocally present the romantic lives of princesses. In every film, the audience watches a beautiful princess almost fall into a moment of danger, if not for the charming prince, quick to rescue her. Yet, at a deeper level, we see that Disney Films are vehicles of powerful gender ideologies creating. Disney, through its movies, has the power to create a generational time frame of attitudes and beliefs in future gender definitions and gender roles for billions of young girls and female adolescents around the
In this essay, the author
- Explains that fairy tales have existed for hundreds of years to impart lessons to young children and teach them the importance of certain behaviors, thoughts or attitudes necessary for cultural success.
- Analyzes how a young girl's journey into adulthood is constrained by the constructed ideals of femininity perpetuated by cultural traditions, education, and media.
- Analyzes how disney's movies are powerful gender ideologies creating a generational time frame of attitudes and beliefs in future gender definitions and gender roles for billions of young girls and female adolescents around the world.
- Explains that fairy tales have existed for hundreds of years to impart lessons to young children and teach them the importance of certain behaviors, thoughts or attitudes necessary for cultural success.
- Analyzes how a young girl's journey into adulthood is constrained by the constructed ideals of femininity perpetuated by cultural traditions, education, and media.
- Analyzes how disney's movies are powerful gender ideologies creating a generational time frame of attitudes and beliefs in future gender definitions and gender roles for billions of young girls and female adolescents around the world.
- Explains the aim of this paper is to examine the kinds of gendered ideas that disney films has projected to young women with regard to femininity and how they construct very specific judgments about what is or is not desirable in females in their animated movies.
480 words
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Beautiful Princess in Disney Movies Create Low Self-Eseem in Our Girls
analytical essay
Most children grow up watching Disney princess movies. Girls want to be extraordinary, beautiful, and similar to the princesses seen in these movies in terms of behavior. These movies teach them that they must be fashionable, beautiful and be rescued by a prince in order to be happy. However, these movies have been shown to have negative impacts on these young girls’ life, often resulting in low self-esteem, disobedience, overdependence, and an unrealistic expectation of male partners. As a result, young girls should not be encouraged to watch Disney princess movies because they idolize the characters, which are simply fictitious and just meant for entertainment, and these movies also cause disobedience, low self-esteem and lack of confidence.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that children should not be encouraged to watch disney princess movies because they idolize the characters, which are fictitious and just meant for entertainment.
- Explains that disney princess movies display the image of extraordinary beautiful sexy girls as princesses. they define beauty as having the perfect body image, and the bad people in these movies are ugly, fat, or basically unattractive.
- Analyzes how disney princess movies teach young girls to be disobedient and weak in order to get what they want and become happy.
- Argues that children should not be encouraged to watch disney princess movies because they idolize the characters, which are fictitious and just meant for entertainment.
- Explains that disney princess movies display the image of extraordinary beautiful sexy girls as princesses. they define beauty as having the perfect body image, and the bad people in these movies are ugly, fat, or basically unattractive.
- Analyzes how disney princess movies teach young girls to be disobedient and weak in order to get what they want and become happy.
- Opines that disney princess movies teach young girls to be strong and independent, but this is not true, since they are weak and are often rescued by princes.
- Opines that disney princess movies are inappropriate for young girls. people blame adult media for a child's corruption, but they fail to see where it all started.
719 words
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It's Time For a Gay or Lesbian Disney Hero
opinion essay
Unfortunately, these stories all lack a crucial sense of diversity in today’s emerging and multicultural world. In the realm of the Disney Princesses franchise specifically, seven of the eleven women are Caucasian. Of these princesses, Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, and Aurora all exhibit similar aspects of female subordination and second-class citizenry. These women, so idolized around the world for their beauty and enchanting fairytales, are also remarkably indicative of a time where civil rights for women were not prevalent, and furthermore illustrate a sense of complacency with this environment. In the current media-centered learning structure, adolescent girls look up to the princesses’ example, and are thereby taught that it is both normal and acceptable to be subjugated to men and dependent on them.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that disney's new film, "sofia the first," features their first hispanic princess, as confirmed by the movie’s executive producer. celebrating sofia opens the door for an influx of ethnic diversity.
- Argues that divorce has become less of a taboo subject over the years as the rate of its occurrence has risen.
- Opines that a gay disney prince or lesbian princess will cause an uproar among socially conservative perspectives worldwide.
- Opines that disney's new film, "sofia the first," features their first hispanic princess, as confirmed by the movie’s executive producer. celebrating sofia opens the door for an influx of ethnic diversity.
- Argues that divorce has become less of a taboo subject over the years as the rate of its occurrence has risen.
- Opines that a gay disney prince or lesbian princess will cause an uproar among socially conservative perspectives worldwide.
- Opines that adding progressive visions into the walt disney company's repertoire would improve their image and many cultures around the world that disney influences.
- Explains giroux, henry, the mouse that roared: disney and the end of innocence, lanham, md: rowman and littlefield publishers, 2010.
- Explains navarrette jr., ruben, "why isn't disney's princess sofia latino?"
- Explains pinsky, mark, the gospel according to disney: faith, trust, and pixie dust.
- Explains that the walt disney company is no. 39 in the diversityinc top 50.
- Explains walt disney on the front lines. buena vista home entertainment, 2003. film.
- Opines that disney's racially insulting habits were reinforced when the company incurred such a huge profit.
- Analyzes how the disney princesses lack a crucial sense of diversity in today's emerging and multicultural world.
- Argues that disney's role should be to encourage broad perspectives by bringing diverse players into the arena. disney needs to focus on animating real-life issues in the hopes of improving society.
- Explains that diversity in disney films : critical essays on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability.
2632 words
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Gender Stereotypes In Disney Princesses Movies
analytical essay
Younger generations are taught to act and think based upon the media portrayal of female or males. These movies cast a gender stereotypes that is evidences in many childhood films. Young females are described as gentle, timid and frightful in the movies. These characters are evidence in movies company’s like Disney Princesses. Disney Princesses movies have many social cues that translate to image stereotypes of females in nonrealistic form. Snow White was a princess character who ate a poisonous apple and was saved from true love kiss from a Prince. Cinderella taught young woman to escape domestication, a woman should marry a rich man. Hard work and wisdom did help her relieve herself from her situation. The Little Mermaid taught children
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how disney princesses, snow white, cinderella, and the little mermaid contributed to the gender stereotypes of the time period rather than showing women’s movement of equality.
- Analyzes how disney princesses, snow white, cinderella, and the little mermaid contributed to the gender stereotypes of the time period rather than showing women’s movement of equality.
227 words
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Wrong With Cinderella
analytical essay
Orenstein does not support ideas that force gender on girls, especially Disney for starting the so well known “Princess” line. On page sixty-five this mother states: “I have been taken by surprise by the princess craze and the girlie-girl culture that has risen around it”. Disney’s royal rubric which consists of nine of its female princess characters, has been the fastest-growing brand, taking in $3 billion in 2006. You can find anything Princess now, the number of products in existence are overwhelming. All things princess, sparkles, pink and tulle became a trend worldwide for little girls. Although, girls do not have to just like princesses, what if she wanted to play with trucks and do sports instead? Most girls do like all the
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes peggy orenstein's popularity around the literary world, writing books, and publishing for many popular magazines. she mainly focuses on today’s society issues such as topics that affect women and girls.
- Opines that orenstein does not support ideas that force gender on girls, especially disney's "princess" line.
- Analyzes how peggy does not agree with the obsession of every little girl wanting to dress up as a princess and pretend to be one, but she understands that her daughter likes to do just that at the moment.
- Analyzes peggy orenstein's popularity around the literary world, writing books, and publishing for many popular magazines. she mainly focuses on today’s society issues such as topics that affect women and girls.
- Opines that orenstein does not support ideas that force gender on girls, especially disney's "princess" line.
- Analyzes how peggy does not agree with the obsession of every little girl wanting to dress up as a princess and pretend to be one, but she understands that her daughter likes to do just that at the moment.
523 words
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Analysis Of What's Wrong With Cinderella
analytical essay
Throughout many fairytales, Cinderella more evidently, there is the stigma of male roles and female roles. The man is the prince, the knight in shining armor, the strong protector and able provider, and the woman is the princess. Dainty and innocent, weak and capable only of looking pretty, fostering children and maintaining appearances of house and home. These roles of placement have been around long before fairy tales, and they’ll be around long after fairy tales, but the inclusion of these roles through characters in fairy tales does nothing but enforce the idea that this is the way things are meant to be, and women who do not assume these roles are wrong and unworthy. In her article, Orenstein refers to Cinderella as “the patriarchal oppression of all women”, and she is exactly right (Orenstein “What’s wrong with Cinderella?”). The impression left of these gender stereotypes travels off the pages of the fairy tale and into the real world when studies show that there is a “23% decline in girls’ participation in sports and other rigorous activity … has been linked to their sense that athletics is unfeminine” (Orenstein “What’s wrong with Cinderella?”). The blatant disregard for equality in these stories can be summed up with a term Orenstein coined, “relentless resegregation of childhood”, which ultimately defines what it means to be a boy or a girl in the terms of set behaviors and life duties (Orenstein “What’s wrong with Cinderella?”). Whether it be Cinderella or any other princess, the fairy tale business makes it a point to create a place for women with their stories, and unfortunately that “place” is demeaning and still practiced
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how peggy orenstein, feminist author, mother, and fairy tale critic, dissects cinderella and points out its flaws and dangers.
- Analyzes how fairy tales instill stereotypical gender roles onto their audiences. orenstein's article refers to cinderella as "the patriarchal oppression of all women".
- Explains that fairy tales set unrealistic expectations regarding life and self for young female audiences. the pressure to be perfect comes from the promise of love and happiness in exchange for meeting said limits.
- Analyzes how peggy orenstein, feminist author, mother, and fairy tale critic, dissects cinderella and points out its flaws and dangers.
- Analyzes how fairy tales instill stereotypical gender roles onto their audiences. orenstein's article refers to cinderella as "the patriarchal oppression of all women".
- Explains that fairy tales set unrealistic expectations regarding life and self for young female audiences. the pressure to be perfect comes from the promise of love and happiness in exchange for meeting said limits.
- Analyzes how unrealistic expectations damage a woman's self-esteem and confidence. the gender roles encouraged in fairy tales also have negative impacts on women.
- Opines that fairy tales at the surface are enchanting stories of magic, pretty people, and happy endings, but when one digs beneath the sparkly surface of the shining princess, a much darker truth is uncovered.
1024 words
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Gender, Race and Disney Princesses
analytical essay
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.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that disney princesses are fun for all ages, but their target audience is young children.
- Analyzes how disney's princess movies focus more on the feminist issues and a blind-eye is directed towards the masculinity issues.
- Analyzes how frozen and brave are hailed for their progressiveness in feminism. feminists believe that not every girl or young woman needs a man in their life.
- Opines that disney princesses are fun for all ages, but their target audience is young children.
- Analyzes how disney's princess movies focus more on the feminist issues and a blind-eye is directed towards the masculinity issues.
- Analyzes how frozen and brave are hailed for their progressiveness in feminism. feminists believe that not every girl or young woman needs a man in their life.
- Analyzes how disney's portrayal of different cultures can be racist. in aladdin, jasmine and the genie, they all had american accents.
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Disney and Gender Identity
analytical essay
Society cements certain roles for children based on gender, and these roles, recognized during infancy with the assistance of consumerism, rarely allow for openness of definition. A study conducted by Witt (1997) observed that parents often expect certain behaviors based on gender as soon as twenty-four hours after the birth of a child. The gender socialization of infants appears most noticeably by the age of eighteen months, when children display sex-stereotyped toy preferences (Caldera, Huston, & O’Brian 1989). This socialization proves extremely influential on later notions and conceptions of gender. Children understand gender in very simple ways, one way being the notion of gender permanence—if one is born a girl or a boy, they will stay that way for life (Kohlberg 1966). “According to theories of gender constancy, until they’re about 6 or 7, children don’t realize that the sex they were born with is immutable” (Orenstein 2006). The Walt Disney Corporation creates childhood for children worldwide. “Because Disney are such a large media corporation and their products are so ubiquitous and wide spread globally, Disney’s stories, the stories that Disney tell, will be the stories that will form and help form a child’s imaginary world, all over the world, and that’s an incredible amount of power, enormous amount of power” (Sun). Because of the portrayal of women in Disney films, specifically the Disney Princess films, associations of homemaker, innocence, and dependence are emphasized as feminine qualities for young children. Thus, children begin to consider such qualities normal and proceed to form conceptions of gender identity based off of the movies that portray the very specific and limiting views of women (...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that society cements certain roles for children based on gender, and these roles, recognized during infancy, rarely allow for openness of definition.
- Explains that disney's influence pervades society, and the kaiser family foundation conducted a study of children in 2003 and 2005 to observe the amount of television watched per week.
- Analyzes how disney's later princesses (jasmine, mulan, merida, and rapunzel) possess strong personalities and a desire for adventure. the creation of cinderella focused the ideals set forth by snow white.
- Explains that society cements certain roles for children based on gender, and these roles, recognized during infancy, rarely allow for openness of definition.
- Explains that disney's influence pervades society, and the kaiser family foundation conducted a study of children in 2003 and 2005 to observe the amount of television watched per week.
- Analyzes how disney's later princesses (jasmine, mulan, merida, and rapunzel) possess strong personalities and a desire for adventure. the creation of cinderella focused the ideals set forth by snow white.
- Analyzes how cinderella, like all women, finds intense joy in housework as demeaning as scrubbing the floors. she inspired young girls across the world to follow their dreams—of domesticity.
- Analyzes how a shift in portrayal of women occurs with the introduction of jasmine.
- Analyzes how phil's chauvinism and hercules' unnaturally pronounced masculinity lead to misogyny and gender stereotypes.
- Analyzes how disney's brave became the first disney princess film in which love was not the ultimate result. merida exists in a purely patriarchal society with the exception of the powerful elinor.
- Analyzes how disney creates patriarchal societies that ultimately depend on the princesses' existence. however, until the creation of merida, disney princess's breakthrough was unheard of.
- Cites caldera, y.m., huston, a.c. and o’brien, m. 1989. social interactions and play patterns of parents.
- Cites england, d., and descartes, l. (n.d.). gender role portrayal and disney princesses.
- Describes the kaiser family foundation's "kids and media at the new millennium."
- Describes rideout, victoria, and hamel, elizabeth. the media family: electronic media in the lives of
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Gender Roles in Disney
analytical essay
Media is a powerful agent in entertaining children. It also influences and teaches the youth of society the suitable and appropriate gender roles that they inevitably try to make sense of. The power of media is very influential especially in the minds of the youth. Disney movies target the youth and plant certain ideas and concepts about social culture into the vulnerable minds of children. Media uses gender to its advantage, just like Disney productions. Humorous caricatures reveal some harsh realities about the portrayal of Disney Princesses in many movies made by the Walt Disney Company. Disney mixes innocence with the ultimate form of fantasy to capture an audience. Predominantly, Disney helps highlight the gender roles by showing the audience simply what they want to see. In the attempt to stick to the norm and portray stereotypical female characters, Disney created Princesses. Presented as damsels in distress and inferior beings to men, Disney Princesses give children an inaccurate portrayal of gender roles at a young age. Through Disney’s social success and intriguing films, such as The Little Mermaid, Snow White, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast, Disney Princess movies portray stereotypical representation of gender roles through the denigration of the female image, targeting and ruining the perception of youth today.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that media is a powerful agent in entertaining children and teaches the youth appropriate gender roles that they inevitably try to make sense of. disney mixes innocence with fantasy to capture an audience.
- Analyzes how disney's disney princess movies target young girls in pursuit of romance and having the mindset of doing whatever it takes for love. disney tells the audience that women need a man to be happy.
- Analyzes how disney blurs the border between entertainment and pedagogy but introduces stereotyping and social influence. disney's expansion is destructively developing its icon as a public service industry.
- Explains that media is a powerful agent in entertaining children and teaches the youth appropriate gender roles that they inevitably try to make sense of. disney mixes innocence with fantasy to capture an audience.
- Analyzes how disney's disney princess movies target young girls in pursuit of romance and having the mindset of doing whatever it takes for love. disney tells the audience that women need a man to be happy.
- Analyzes how disney blurs the border between entertainment and pedagogy but introduces stereotyping and social influence. disney's expansion is destructively developing its icon as a public service industry.
- Analyzes how media creates a social imaginary where kids situate themselves in their emotional life, where the future is narration of possibilities and limits. disney intoxicates the perception of male and female.
- Analyzes disney's portrayal of women and their questionable behavior in animated films. disney presents beauty as a tool for women to manipulate in order to get what they want.
- Analyzes how disney keeps their characters viewable for young children but their connotations indirectly can be sexual. the disney princess appearance is extremely superficial and unrealistic.
- Analyzes how disney takes traditional ideals and transforms women into commodity, teaching viewers women are seen as objects, having no power, say, or feelings.
- Opines that disney's productions school the minds of young kids, but it is crucial that they take into account their public responsibility to their viewers.
- Opines that disney's princesses aren't the roles models they appear to be. disney teaches children about gender roles and their potential through stereotypical portrayals of women.
- Analyzes giroux, henry a., and grace pollock's the mouse that roared: disney and the end of disney.
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