Women in Movies and Feminist Movement in the United States

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Movies are a big part of people’s lives; everyone has a favorite movie, or set of movies. They have impacted people’s lives since they were first made, and continue to do so today. In recent years, movies have cast women to play the roles of heroes. Although women have been playing heroic roles recently, they have always been role models in movies, which have set examples for future generations, empowered women, and have shed light on the feminist movement in the U.S.
Women have been in movies since they first started playing on the big screen, they have played an assortment of roles, the damsel in distress, the first one to die, the poor scullery maid who ends up a princess, the evil witch, etc. While some of the roles have shed bad light on women, for example being a femme fatale, other movies have set positive examples for the future generations. As time has changed, the Disney princesses have evolved with it, each princess becoming more outspoken and independent, influencing the young women of today to want to grow up to be just like them, “They enact a shift from the "princesses" of ballet to the "heroes" of sport. Heroism, egalitarianism and autonomy are slipped into the conventions of Disney princesshood” (Do Rozario, R.,C., 2004, para. 34). In Mulan the movie, Mulan saves her father by disobeying him, and taking his place in the war by doing that she ended up saving her whole country. Disney isn’t telling young women to disobey their parents; they’re showing them that while you may be a girl, you can be brave and succeed.
As a result actresses have empowered young women to become something more than just the average girl. According to the article, Feminists call Katharine Hepburn...

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...set examples for future generations and have shed light on the feminist movement in the U.S.

References:
Do Rozario, R.,C. (2004). The princess and the magic kingdom: Beyond nostalgia, the function of the disney princess. Women's Studies in Communication, 27(1), 34-59. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/198270180?accountid=32521
Feminists call Katharine Hepburn a role model for young women. (2003, Jul 02). Daily Townsman. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/356293285? accountid=32521
Kelley, K. (1994). A modern cinderella. Journal of American Culture, 17(1), 87. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/200667825?accountid=32521
Oppenheimer, B., Adams-Price, C., Goodman, M., Codling, J., & Coker, J. (2003). Audience Perceptions of Strong Female Characters on Television. Communication Research Reports, 20(2), 161-172.

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