I like Anne’s critique of my post on Princess Maddy that I’m putting it up top.
Face it, these characters may not be Veronica Mars or Agent Scully, but they’re far better icons than I had in my youth.
I disagree. Let’s not delude ourselves into thinking that just because the princess is wielding a sword instead of a broom the Disney re/presentation of woman in the 2000s is any better than from the 1930s.
While there’s a lot of talk about utilizing a feminist critique for an analysis of Disney movies — how Disney is beginning to showcase women as “strong” characters, etc. — there is a lot missing in this discussion so far. There’s very little mention of Disney’s normative stance on, for example, authority, nationalism, gender, gender relations, sexuality(ies), culture(s), and bodies. We can’t let our nostalgia keep us from going the full distance a feminist critique can provide us.
We are all children of Disney: we all know the movies and have grown up watching them — often repeatedly, either while as children, as adults, scholars, teachers, or with our children. As such, I think this is a valuable discussion that needs to be expanded.
There has yet to be a decidedly feminist/pro-feminist/feminist-influenced Disney movie.
It cannot happen as long as Disney wishes to make a profit/reach a mass audience; there are too many constraints. If we want alternatives, we have to look elsewhere, as many commenters have already pointed us towards, or we have to create the better stories ourselves.
All leading women characters in Disney’s world are of an ideal body type, from Ariel in her seashell bra to Jasmin in her whispy pants to, most likely, Maddy. (We could examine Snow White (1937), who could be construed as being of a slightly more full/rounded figure. But that is one out of too many other small-waisted, large-breasted, demure leading [and supporting] gals.)
As for Disney’s gender re/presentation they sell to children (and adults), the leading characters are all pretty, feminine princesses, whether at the start of the film or by the ending, and the leading men are beefcakes. Regardless of what the women have done, experienced, and accomplished, they return to their role as woman-to-be-married, woman-to-remain-a-doting-woman, and woman-as-innocence.
In interviews with children on their take on Disney movies, what usually sticks out is how well the princesses succeed in getting their man and acting right — and the color pink. I highly suggest watching Mickey Mouse Monopoly: Disney, Childhood, and Corporate Power (2001) and checking out the works of Henry Giroux on the effects of media on children/childhood/education/culture (e.g., The Mouse That Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence [2001]).
As is mentioned in the documentary (a short intro of which is on YouTube), we can also examine the “global storytelling” that Disney conducts and the spectacle of innocence that is featured in the films — a fantasy world which is never questioned. Through the stories of Disney, children learn about the world through the diluted Disney Corp lens, which never represents history/herstory, cultures, and ethnicities accurately — only in stereotypical, misinformed manners. The effect is the creation of a skewed belief system imparted to children about the world and misinformation about its histories and realities (e.g., Pocahontas, Mulan).
Also to be examined is Disney’s effect on childhood imagination and creativity. Through marketing and cross-corporate deals, Disney toys and other merchandise are found everyfuckingwhere. In play, for example, children merely recreate the movie story through the figures/dolls. The princess gets the prince (woman’s “agency”) or the prince gets the princess and they live happily-hetero ever-after.
While no one can find fault in Disney finally showcasing a black princess (at least not yet; we have to see the film), as one commenter pointed out, we do have to realize Disney is a global corporation, the name of the game is capitalism, and the men in charge may simply have finally realized there is an untapped market with lots of money to be made.
Modern Disney characters may show more so-called agency (”they seek their princes instead of being sought after”); the reality is that they are agents only insofar as they select the right preconstructed option which reinforces gender binaries, heterosexism, and obedience to authority.
This is why Anne is graduating with honors and I didn’t.
UPDATE: Jenn has more.
I never much liked Disney, growing up: it didn’t catch me. I think, in some way, I was very class conscious and in some way I blamed Disney and McDonalds that no one had anything of value. Just endless plastic Disney characters. It seemed tawdry.
I like Pixar, although I’m not sure it does better for women. Although it doesn’t have princesses, and I am roundly allergic to princesses.
I really feel like the movie Lilo and Stitch is getting short shrift here. Perhaps that’s because it’s not being marketed as part of the princess franchise, so it’s not being discussed. I think Lilo is ultimately a great little-girl role model. She’s weird and different, but by the end of the movie, she manages to find a place for herself. Nani is also a great character. She’s actually drawn with a more realistic body type (still has a small waist, but a larger lower body), and while she has a romantic interest, she’s much more focused on trying to take care of her sister. I guess that’s still a domestic pursuit, but watching a nineteen-year-old trying to figure out how to be a mom to her sister makes for an interesting plotline, certainly more so than a princess looking for a prince.
And while they’re all aliens, it’s kind of cool that the big boss of the Galactic Federation or whatever it’s called is female.
Amen. Liked this bit:
We can’t let our nostalgia keep us from going the full distance a feminist critique can provide us.
Put another way, we can’t let the good be the enemy of the best. And we have to do what you suggeset, which is distinguish between a few cosmetic improvements, a few woefully modest concessions to modernity, and real authentic feminism.