I went and saw The Lion King 3D in theaters a few days after we talked about Disney putting gender ideas and roles in children’s heads. Since this idea was fresh in my mind, I noticed more things in the movie than I have ever noticed before!
First, whenever Nala and Simba were wresting, Nala would always pin down Simba. This idea is different than many views of boys having to be stronger than girls. Nala was clearly stronger than Simba, which I think could positively effect young girls and boys who think they have to be the weak one or strong one because of their gender.
Next, at the beginning of the movie, the male Lions were the ones who hunted for food and i am pretty sure the female lions just hung out around the rock. After Scar took over the land though, the female lions were the ones who had to go hunt for food. This went against classic gender roles and was interesting to me. However, I remember Scar saying something to a female lion who couldn’t find any food that she wasn’t finding it because she wasn’t trying hard enough, which was not true because there was no food available. This idea goes along with classic gender roles of females not being able to or not suppose to provide for their families for various reasons.
I personally think that the Lion King did a decent job displaying various gender roles, but this movie definitely still contributes to adding gender roles and ideas to children’s heads.
I agree that "The Lion King" is a step up in the world of Disney stories. Nala, at least as a child lion, is strong and not afraid to tackle her male counter part. She is sassy, and not at all submissive - which is a quality a lot of times linked with women unfortunately. Nala as a child is a pretty good role model for children! She is brave and not afraid to speak her mind.
ReplyDeleteHowever, like you noted, the females lions in the movie were designated the role of finding food for their families, like the stereotypical house wife role that is placed on so many women today. The female lions also seemed a bit helpless after Mufasa, their king, died and Simba left. When and only when Simba returned were they able to overthrow the bad guy (the lion Scar). It was almost as if they could not live in peace because the right "alpha" male was missing - yet another idea about how important it is to have a strong, smart man in one's life.