Walt Disney Sexism

This summer I took an IAH class focused on fairy tales and gender. Needless to say, there was a lot of discussion about the Disney Princesses, and how they may not be the best role models for girls. I am sure many of us grew up reading Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast, not realizing how sexist these tales might be. Take Cinderella for example, a woman who cooks and cleans and whose happiness is confirmed at the end only when she finally is chosen by the prince to be his wife. She gets made up into a well-dressed beauty, and only after that, when she is presentable, can she seek the male's attention.

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??