Some Disney movie lessons are positive.
Toy Story shows Woody putting aside his jealousy to save Buzz and
become his friend. Lady and the Tramp shows us that love can cross
class boundaries.
But what about the other, less than
positive messages?
Take a look at five examples of
terrible lessons taught in classic Disney movies:
5. Mothers are expendable, stepmothers
are evil.
Mothers in Disney movies get a bad rap.
If mothers don't die on-screen, there's a good chance they are
already dead or just won't be mentioned at all. If a stepmother is
introduced she will likely be the jealous villain of the movie.
Missing mothers may gain sympathy for
main characters, but time and time again Disney movies show that an
absent mother is an easily surmountable obstacle. (If she is
mentioned at all.) Fathers, on the other hand, are often shown in
vital, supportive roles.
It appears that, in Disney’s worlds,
both mothers and stepmothers need to disappear for the hero to gain
independence and live happily ever after.
4. A woman's life purpose is to find
her prince charming.
Every Disney princess is matched to her
ideal prince. The quest for true love is a common theme for many
films and even more so for classic Disney movies where the prince is
often seen rescuing his princess.
The earliest Disney movie
princesses--Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora--were the classic
damsels in distress. They were in danger and needed a prince to come
to their rescue. Later Disney princesses--Ariel, Belle, and
Jasmine--had definite ideas about who they would or would not marry.
Yet in the end: Prince Eric defeated Ursula, the Beast defeated
Gaston, and Aladdin defeated Jafaar. The princesses may have helped,
but it was the princes who saved the day.
While Disney has been making an effort
to create stronger female characters, many of their classic movies do
a good job of teaching little girls how to become perfect damsels in
distress.
3. Deals with the devil pay off in the
end.
If you can't get what you want on your
own, make a bargain with an evil sea-witch. In the Little Mermaid,
Ariel dreams of leaving her underwater world to live on land with the
humans, particularly with Prince Eric.
Instead of understanding the inherent
problems of a mermaid/human union, Ariel trades her own voice for a
chance to become human for three days and win Eric's "kiss of
true love." It all leads to an epic battle, with both King
Triton and Prince Eric stepping in to save Ariel. Yet, after Ursula’s
defeat, King Triton uses his own magic to make Ariel human.
Apparently, if you want something bad
enough to make a deal with the devil, and almost get yourself and
your loved ones killed, you must deserve to have it.
2. Physical beauty equals good;
unattractiveness equals bad.
Beauty and the Beast's Gaston may be
the villain, but his attractiveness has gained him the respect of the
village, unlike his bumbling, short, fat sidekick. Cinderella is
beautiful; her evil stepsisters are awkward and unattractive. Even in
The Lion King, Simba's evil uncle is named for the scar on his face.
Disney females are all drawn to the
impossible standards of tiny waists, attractive figures, and
beautiful faces. Their princely companions all have trim, muscular
physiques, and striking good looks. In keeping with this tradition,
villains are typically old, ugly, fat, scarred, or otherwise
unattractive. The Queen is initially beautiful, but she becomes an
ugly, old crone when she decides to kill Snow White.
In the Hunchback of Notre Dame, one
might argue that the unattractive Quasimodo is the hero, but does he
get the girl in the end?
And, finally...
1. An abusive man just needs a good
woman to tame him.
The message in the original Beauty and
the Beast fairy tale is that you should not judge someone by their
appearance. However, the Disney version of the story makes an
important change that shifts the entire meaning of the story.
In the fairy tale, the Beast is kind to
his captive, despite his monstrous appearance. In the Disney movie,
the Beast treats Belle (and everyone else) horribly. He roars at her,
intimidates her, and there is a clear threat of physical violence.
When he attempts to restrain his violent temper it is only as a
self-serving means to seduce Belle into breaking the curse.
The message is clear in the Disney
narrative: It is the woman's role to look past a man's abuse and
bring out the prince within. And that is the same message that traps
women in abusive relationships.
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