Rivas

Emely Rivas
English 115 Hon
Professor Lawson
23 November 2016
Research Paper Essay: Final Draft
2362 words
Disney, Brainwashing Stereotypes into Children
All of the children I grew up with watched Disney Princess Movies as well as other
Disney related films. As we turn on the TV and begin watching these films, the image of a
seemingly amazing girl appears as the protagonist on the screen, typically portrayed as a princess
or damsel. The princess is placed in a difficult situation in which she cries out for help, as the
villain goes to great lengths to cause her harm. The film progresses and concludes with a
handsome prince heroically challenging the villain in order to save the princess. As the prince
saves the day, the film depicts the story of them falling in love shortly after meeting and living
happily ever after. This has been a core factor of a stereotypical plot for the animations in Disney
films continuing since the first long movie, Snow White and The Seven Dwarves (Walt Disney
Animation Studios). As parents raise these children, they come across the concerns about how
their young kids will face their self-esteem, the peer pressure seen everywhere and how their
figure looks.
Disney Princesses characterize some of the earliest examples of publicity to the thin ideal
(Mcbride) in which it has led to the spread of a common desire amongst the young audience.
Children view these heroes as role models, which leads them to strive to be like the fictional
characters on screen. Young kids acquire this gender stereotype and are influenced by watching

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others whether it would be through movies, the media, their parents, teachers, or their friends.
Since these Disney princesses are women, the popularity most expect would be to demonstrated
highest among girls rather than the boys. Mostly towards the females who highly identify
themselves with these Princesses in Disney (Coyne).
Disney Princesses follow the same model in every film that has been produced. The
princess in the film is always drawn as a thin girl with curves and a personality that reflects
humility. Seeing as these women are seen as literal appearances of perfection, the societal
inflections can be hazardous. These films teach young girls that they have to look like a size 0 in
order to be beautiful or else their prince, portrayed as a slim muscular male, will never come
and wont be able to live happily ever after with their true love. This gives the thought that
those body features portrayed in the movies are the average body type in real life and are the
expectations we need to meet in order to be beautiful.
Society has placed this pressure on people to conform to this certain beauty ideal. No
matter where people go there are types of imageries as well as media usages that can be seen in
which they demonstrate what society believes we should be as an individual. These Disney films,
set this typical gender type ideal and project it with these animation characters. At the start of an
early age, these stereotypes are placed into our heads and portray how each gender should be
according to societys views. In the study from Child Development, 96 percent of young girls
and 87 percent of young guys watched the Disney Princess films and it demonstrated that girls
with unhealthier body appreciation involve themselves more with the Disney Princesses
throughout time, perhaps looking out for role models of what they consider to be beautiful as
well as with the interaction of princess toys(Mcbride).
In the Disney film The Little Mermaid, Ursula sings a song to the princess character Ariel

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in which she says, Youll have your looks, your pretty face, and dont underestimate the
importance of body language, giving the idea that physical appearance is what us women only
have to offer to others, especially men (McNaney). This song brings down the quality of
intelligence in a women and the idea of personality since the whole time the idea is to appear as a
beautiful girl who has legs instead of a fin. Young girls have this image of princesses in their
heads, in which they must be beautiful, skinny, stylish, and find their prince charming who will
save them in order to find their happiness and true love.
In the Disney film Cinderella, Cinderella, throughout the first half of the movie was a
domesticized maid. Most often in the movies, the prince is the one who chooses the princess and
has her fall in love agreeably and in a few days end up getting married (Welsh). After Cinderella
meets with the Prince and dances with him at the ball, her whole life changes from being a
servant to a princess. This Disney film reinforces that marrying a rich man can change your life
completely into a happily ever after and that its whats on the outside that counts (McNaney)
when in reality this happily thought wont always occur and the audience should know that not
always marrying a rich man will change their life for the better. There are many situations in
which marrying a person for their money will lead to many adversities and wont guarantee them
their happiness.
Similar like Cinderella, Belles life changed after finding her prince. In the movie, Beauty
and the Beast, the underlying supremacy of masculinity and sexism is transmitted through the
transformation of a man who was cursed into a beast. The Beast was exposed as a large figure in
which he didnt care about much and always had anger outbursts. Even though the beast was a
prince, since his appearance was of a beast and his personality was always in a bad mood, it
gives children the idea that bigger people are typically angry and mean(McNaney). Belle,

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growing up with a staunch pro-tradition father, is expected to aspire for marriage. Luckily a
prominent male figure in their tiny community, Gaston, assumes she will marry him since there
is no other man like him in town demonstrating his self-centered masculinity.
Gastons character in the movie is designed as a manly male figure whose physical
appearance is greatly muscular. The Disney creators made the character of Gaston to overshadow
the others and emphasize his supremacy. The town villagers greet happily and sing No ones
slick as Gaston. No ones quick as Gaston. No ones necks as incredibly thick as Gastons
describing his qualities that make him attractive and continue on for theres no man in town half
as manly. Perfect, a pure paragon, you can ask any Tom, Dick or Stanly, and theyll tell you
whose team theyd prefer to be on (Beauty and the Beast) worshipping his muscular strength as
well stating that he is the only one in the village with that appearance and everyone else is
viewed as less or unattractive. Gastons character also demonstrates sexism when he deliberately
throws Belles book into the mud and states that she should focus more on other meaningful
things in life like him. He displays the customary belief that women shouldnt consider the
thought of being educated and becoming independent leading back to the patriarchal beliefs that
were portrayed and rather be housewife.
There are developing young women, in which they self-identify themselves through these
princesses in which they are less desired to work, place more expectations towards traditional
household labor, and set a larger worth on qualities, like appearance (Coyne). The Disney
characters highlight these gender standards society has placed, as well as demonstrating the
patriarchal beliefs anterior, in which the men would depower women. Princess characters are
placed into the films as helpless and dependent on a man, the prince, to come rescue them.
However, there are some recent Disney films in which these Disney female characters challenge

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this patriarchal idea and place the princesses as strong and independent, like the films Frozen and
Mulan. Many Disney films and images in which this gender stereotype is demonstrated and
placed on the viewers. Many of it is placed around the idea of women dressing very nice and
having to depend on the help of a man in order to do anything and as Orenstein

said in

Welshs article "were still uncomfortable with a strong female character unless she exhibits
some pretty traditional submissive behavior along with her strength (Welsh).
The Disney film Mulan, challenges this idea society has made for these gender
stereotypes. Mulan was a powerful, brave and independent Disney princess. She breaks this
typical guideline by deciding not to be this perfect woman and decides to pretend to be a man
(Duong). She resisted the stereotypical female roles and portrayed a male character in order to
fight in place of her father to save him. Mulan is the only Disney princess character who
demonstrates taking on a male role rather than a typical princess in distress waiting to be saved
and find her love. This Disney film is different from the other Disney films since it is not like the
other typical love story in which the princess depends on her prince charming. Mulan didnt need
the help of a man to come to her rescue but rather becomes her own hero as well as of her family.
The Disney film Frozen, although it has controversial points whether it promotes
stereotypes or not, also portrays a pro-feminist view since the two main characters of the film are
both female (Stavis). The film can promote some stereotype since in the film, the first song when
Anna meets Kristoff is about true love even though they just had meet not too long ago, but
throughout the whole movies supports the idea of having Anna go in search for her sister alone
even though she is a princess and leaves behind Han instead of depending on him to help save
Elsa, the castle, and all of Erindale. Towards the end of the film, Elsa saves Anna not by the
typical true loves kiss Disney films usually tend to perceive but rather through the power of

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the love of a sister (Stavis), in which Elsa gives a loving hug to Anna, freeing her from the ice.
Disney's Princess Pocahontas also characters a strong, independent, and compassionate girl who
follows her intuition. Pocahontas falls in love with a man named John Smith and stands up for
him from her own father, saving his life. This particular film demonstrates the opposing of roles
in which Pocahontas didnt need the help of Smith to save her but rather she saved him
contracting the rules of her father.
Growing up, most children watch Disney movies and view themselves as being one of
the Disney characters whether it may be the princess or prince. At a young age, mostly since 4 or
5, the children who view these movies are placed with the idea of how a girl should dress and act
as well as the boys. Without notice, these stereotype are placed into our heads and are seen
anywhere. Not only are these children placed with the thought of stereotypes from the characters
in these Disney movies but can also be seen through the people who without consent, are calling
these girls princesses. Adults usually tend to call a little girl princess when they see her in a
cute outfit or even looking at a picture. Since they grow up they hear people calling them
princesses and dressing them in cute dresses or outfits.
Disney Princesses always are made to look attractive while the villains are usually
unattractive since they are evil and want to cause harm to these beautiful girls. These characters
embody who we want to be as we grow up, and that society has made people believe that who
they are and or what they look like isnt enough and should change to how these characters look
like. These Disney characters all illustrate that a woman is domestic and should marry a well
man, their appearance are valued more than their intelligence, and are helpless with the need of a
man to protect them. There are multiple fundamentals that have been changed in the screening of
appearances, gender roles, and traditional images of a princess in Disney films. Disney has

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reflected images of women accordingly to the particular decade in which they are filmed. These
films contain the traditional gender stereotypes society has formed. However as new releases
come out, they reflect the time period and the particular stories that can be related to the decade
it is released.
As time evolves, Disney princess movies evolve as well, but still contain this gender
stereotypical view in which children are gaining from a young age and carrying it on as they
grow. There is a difference in the characters traits, as time forwards, from the films made
around the 1960s which include Cinderella and Snow White compared from the ones released
around the 1990s such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, and Mulan.
Those made before the 20th century show a difference in the characters compared with the ones
made recently like The Princess and the Frog, Brave, and Frozen. The principal feminine
characters portrayed in the former movies demonstrated exceptionally stereotypical womanly
characters as those in later films which featured more traditionally manly attributes.

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Works Cited
Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast Gaston Lyrics Classic Disney. Song Lyrics. 29
Oct. 1991. Web. 25 Nov, 2016.
Coyne, Sarah, Jennifer Ruh Linder, Eric Rasmussen, David Nelson, and Victoria Birkbeck.
"Pretty as a Princess: Longitudinal Effects of Engagement with Disney Princesses on
Gender Stereotypes, Body Esteem, and Prosocial Behavior in Children." Child
Development, 87.6 (2016): 1909-1925.
Duong, William. "Mulan and Gender Roles." Rhetoric and Pop Culture. 01 Feb. 2013. Web.
Mcbride, Jon. Study finds Disney Princess Culture Magnifies Stereotypes in Young Girls.
PHYS. 20 June. 2016. Web. 13 Nov. 2016.
McNaney, Brittany. 5 Classic Disney Movies that Reinforce Gender Roles. The Odyssey
Online. 25 Apr. 2016. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.
Stavis, Elizabeth. Analyzing Gender Stereotypes Using Disneys Frozen. LinkedIn. 14 Apr
2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.
Welsh, Jennifer. Disney Princes and Princesses Still Slaves to Some Stereotypes. Live Science.
01 Apr. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.