Not only do these Disney stories cast girls with unreachable expectations, boys also have a lot to amount up to. Most of the Princes are strong, good looking and fearless, some characteristics that are difficult to measure up to at times.
As close to our hearts as these stories might be, I think as educators we should be aware of the subliminal messages within them before we bring them to the classroom. We may think that a child won't interpret the story in the way that points towards the sexism, but that doesn't mean that those messages are not there and do not somehow get imprinted in our students minds. Thoughts??
For the record I am a guy. Firstly, I'll start with how Cartoons and most media reflect the social views of the time. For example, Fantasia with the Black Centaur, Tintin with the Imperialistic Views on the Africans in "Tintin in Congo" etc... I am asserting that society holds such gender stereotypical views that simply mirror themselves onto the Disney Films.
ReplyDeleteNow consider a situation where a male hits a female. Due to many reasons, this would be seen as abusive and most definitely wrong. However, if the reverse happens, the female person would be isolated as "Amazonic" or 'abnormal' and should be as if avoided. Note that this is an extreme social generalization. However, even our laws reflect that - cases with violence assume that females are defenceless beings. Why is it that a female in today's society cannot be an aggressor or a leader? Why is it that males cannot be shown to be gentle (instead of being quoted as "gay" or whatever coarse/insulting term describes them).
I believe that it is perhaps society that is to blame. I mean it isn't hard for one to simulate the life of a female; they are just as human as males and have the same aspirations and dreams to achieve. One cannot place a template over them and assert to them that they must grow up to look attractive to a male-mate and marry them. I cringe when talking to female students who basically state that they are not too worried about their education for they believe that they can "hook" themselves onto some "stud" who'd earn them money. As if their only possible objective in life is to look good and marry...
I don't believe that a film that a child watches at the age of 10 would be imprinted into their minds for their minds change a lot during their teenage years. However, it won't hurt to make films where a female protagonist helps out some incompetent male but them end it there without having them marry and "live happily ever after". We should try to teach them that they are the commanders of their own destiny and that they are not limited by petty bounds that society does its best to imprint onto them.
Now I hope to stir up debate. How could one structure stories and charicutures to defy these stereotypes?