As previously mentioned, Sleeping Beauty's Aurora is really a secondary character in the story. She sleeps through the majority of the movie, and what little conscious time she has is spent daydreaming and crying over her bad luck. In today's society, she would probably be the worst Disney princess because of her lack of realistic ideas, domesticity, and overly emotional character.
Snow White. Oh, Snow White. She is in close contention with Aurora for the worst Disney princess. Similarly, Snow White spends a good amount of the time sleeping and brings little to the story. She is the image of domesticity and the '50s poster wife. She cooks, she cleans, and she sleeps. She has no ambitions other than to get married. In today's society, she would be viewed as very backward and lacking substance. Also, she moved in with seven men. What's up with that? She's more of a promiscuous housekeeper than a heroine.
Cinderella is better than Snow White but not by much. She, again, is very domestic but not by choice. The plot of Cinderella is very woman-driven (at least on a civilian perspective) and, although Cinderella spends a good deal of her time crying over her problems, she finds the courage to act against her injustices with some help from friends/family. She could be improved as a character if she had found the strength and ability to help herself as opposed to relying on others. In today's society, Cinderella would be a victim of domestic abuse and probably quite messed up throughout her life. Other than that, we don't really know that much about her and can't draw too many conclusions.
The Little Mermaid's Ariel isn't much better. This was upsetting to me because The Little Mermaid was my favorite movie growing up and viewing this movie as an adult made me reconsider my admiration for her. Sure, she's adventurous, curious and talented but what else does she have going for her as a character? Again, the majority of the time she spends arguing with her father and whining or crying about how life isn't fair. She's better than Aurora in that she takes action to achieve her goals, but she does so by getting involved in a crowd that she knows is not the best. In today's society, she would probably be an emo teenager who runs away with a group of drug addicts to escape her pain. Quite depressing.
Aladdin's Jasmine is a step in the right direction. She still has the whiny daughter aspect in that she spends a good deal of time arguing with her father and complaining about her being forced to marry. But she clearly loves her father and is fighting against the ideals of arranged marriages and takes action in finding a life of her own. In today's society, Jasmine would be a snobby rich girl who runs away from home to live a poor, but happy life as a stay-at-home mom and/or world traveler (because lets face it, other than wanting to see the world, her only ambition is to marry someone she loves).
Beauty and the Beast's Belle is a unique Disney princess in that there is a strong focus on her intelligence as opposed to her destiny to marry. She wants adventure, freedom and knowledge. She has a strong love for her father and sacrifices much save him. She has the ability to see potential in people and refuses to follow the stereotype of marrying the most attractive brute of a man. In today's society, she would be a bookworm who always does the right thing. She wouldn't necessarily think of things in terms of feminism but in terms of right and wrong. She would make you feel like a horrible person in comparison.
Pocahontas is another Disney princess that shows more substance because of a huge sacrifice she makes for someone she loves. Again, there's a clash with her father as seen in other Disney princesses but she works for the overall peace and happiness of two rivaling communities. In today's society, she would be a member of the Peace Corps and a superhero. Again, you would feel bad about yourself in comparison to her.
And then there's Mulan. Mulan is by far the feminist's superhero in the Disney world. She knows what she wants, acts out against backwards ideals, honors her family and elders, and manages to bring peace and justice after all conflicts in the story. She proves herself an equal if not superior to her male peers and makes a significant step for women's rights. In today's society, she would be a hardcore feminist who you would not want to mess with.
I sense an undertone that implies being a feminist is ideal. What's wrong with viewing love as the ultimate goal in life? Just because feminists have told us that being a housewife is the wrong goal to have doesn't make it true.
ReplyDeletePersonally I think feminists have ruined things for women. Yes, there was a need for the feminist movement at one point in time. But once they got us the right to vote, they should have left things alone.
I'm not necessarily advocating any ideal. I'm just taking Disney movies and looking at them from a more modern perspective. There's nothing wrong with viewing love as a goal in life, but the idea of having your only purpose in life as being dependent on someone else seems a bit off to me. I'm not knocking women who want to be stay-at-home moms, I think it's great if that's what they want to do. To each their own. I'm just pointing out that almost every Disney princess seems to view that as the ultimate goal, which isn't very diverse or realistic from a modern woman's perspective. Granted, these aren't modern movies which is why this whole post is anachronistic and meant to be humorous. I don't like to make political statements and this post was meant to be purely humorous and fun, but I think women should aspire to a little more than just being able to vote. Women were able to vote in some places further back than 1920 and there were still issues like job discrimination, etc. Again, I don't want to advocate any political message and didn't want to spark a huge debate, but if feminists or women in general would have stopped at the right to vote, we wouldn't have many talented doctors or lawyers we have today. Sorry if I offended you in any way, but please try to take these posts as what they were written for- comedy and a skewed perception of something not examined often.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't offend me - I just wasn't expecting the perspective that I read (which is why I made the comment). To be fair though, you never really indicated that the purpose of the post was comedy, and clearly the point of view you were coming from was a personal one in some way (based on your response).
ReplyDeleteAgain, not offended or trying to spark an argument either. Just making a point. :)
Probably a bit late and I don't know if Mallory's ever going to see this, but WOW, how wrong you are.
ReplyDeleteGet us the vote and then leave well enough alone? You have to be joking. You might be happy to be given cursory respect and then enjoy living a traditional life of marriage and motherhood, and no one is telling you you can't. But what about every girl who DOESN'T want that? Just because you've got what YOU want, the fight should be over? What a desperately narrow view of the world.
I respect your right to choose a traditional feminine path, but you ought to respect my right to want full legal equality, respect in positions of leadership, recognition of my biological needs such that they do not cripple my career progression, and the right of every woman living in the developing world to aid, protection, healthcare and the message that they deserve more than they're getting.