Contexts 2000 Dissertation Plan– OGR

The Little Mermaid

How are women represented in Disney’s female villains

Introduction
In this dissertation the female antagonists of Disney’s animated feature films particularly
1989’s The Little Mermaid as a focal point for exploring the subject of this essay. The female
protagonists of the animated films are compared and contrasted to their villainous
adversaries as well as their male counterparts to demonstrate any disparity between the
gendered roles and how they may have changed over the decades in the wake of historical
and social changes. To support the claims and evaluations made in this dissertation on the
chosen subject matter, I have selected and researched various sources ranging from articles
from media websites including The Odyssey, and Time Magazine, and Roger Ebert.com,
academic documents from websites such as ScienceDirect and Academia, published books
and essays from Laura Mulvey’s Visual pleasure and narrative Cinema, From Mouse to
Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture, and Diversity in Disney films: critical
essays on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability by Johnson Cheu. The goal of this
essay is to thoroughly appraise the cultural significance of films from a renowned company,
representation of certain groups of people, how that has changed over time, and to what
extent it the importance of the history of film and diversity.
The Little Mermaid and Disney’s Progressive Renaissance
“One is that Ariel is a fully realized female character who thinks and acts independently, even
rebelliously, instead of hanging around passively while the fates decide her destiny. Because
she's smart and thinks for herself, we have sympathy for her scheming” (Ebert, 1989). Use
quote to emphasize the cultural importance of The Little Mermaid (1989) and how the
character Ariel compares to the villain Ursula. The image below to provide some memorabilia
from the time period in which the film came out.
 Fig 1. The Little Mermaid (1989) poster

Women and Disney before the civil rights movement

“She could do this best, it was thought, by remaining at home to take care of her husband
and children, and refusing to pursue a career. Thus, was a link forged between traditional
gender roles and national security” (Khan Academy, 2016). I will use this quote when
discussing the more apparent representation of women in earlier Disney films including Snow
White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty and the socio-historic context behind it. The image
below will be used to clarify the claim stated in the paragraph and act as visual representation
of the subject.

Fig 2. A “nuclear family” from the 1950s.

Princesses, villains, heroes and the male gaze

“According to the principles of ruling ideology and psychical structures that back it up, the
male figure cannot bear the burden sexual objectification”, “the man’s role as the active one
of forwarding the story makes things happen” (Mulvey, 1999). “So, as her primary attribute
is often considered a superficial quality as well as being saved from eternal sleep by the
Prince, the movie could be seen as anti-feminist”. These quotes will be used to discuss the
role of women vs men in popular media and how the female characters of Disney’s films are
represented. The images below will be used to establish a visual examples for dissertation’s
statements.

Fig 3. Aurora, the sleeping beauty Fig 4. Prince Phillip

Female Villains as progressive and untrustworthy
“Even though her actions, which remain “evil”, The Evil Queen is in a position of power. Her
position may also be of rebellion against the what Betty Friedan would argue as “The Problem
That Has No Name”, which brought attention to the limitations of women’s role in society to
happy housewives” (Ourri, 2017). This quote will be used in conjunction with the socio-
historical context and the essay’s claims that an otherwise progressive, transgressive
representation is viewed as vile and untrustworthy. Image below will be used to show
examples of villains.

Fig 5. The Evil Queen Fig 6. Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Queer coding in Disney’s films
“Dramatic and daring, the villains often outperform their heterosexual rivals, setting up a
transparent comparison between “normative” and “deviant” gendered behaviours, but also
connecting the villains’ transgenderism with sarcasm, selfishness, cruelty, greed, and
brutality. Many of the female Disney villains are subtly masculine— their faces, body shape,
and behaviour lend “mannish” traits to their characters” (Cheu, 2013). This quote shall be
used to explain and broaden the argument that the female villains of previous Disney
productions have traits that aren’t associated with traditional gendered roles.
Ursula, her influences and LGBT culture

“This included criticism of negative, homophobic images in the media, including the popular
camp stereotypes of sitcoms which were seen as damaging (queering?) the image of gay and
lesbian people”, “images and narratives of self-worth, pleasure and style may have advanced
the prospects of groups or individuals whose positive image fitted in with straight mainstream
culture” (Spargo, 1999). “not only does she give Ariel legs she schools her in her disruptive
reconstruction and harbors her voice in the feminine home of jouissance. Ursula teaches Ariel
that performance and voice are manifestations and liberations of gender” (Bell, 1995). These
quotes will be used to demonstrate the real-world character of Ursula, her connections to
real LGBT figures and how she plays a larger role in representation of LGBT groups within
Disney’s antagonists.
 Fig 7. Ariel and Ursula
Out of villainous vanity

“the Evil Queen in Snow White can’t stand that she’s no longer the “fairest one of all”; Cruella
De Vil in 101 Dalmatians wants to make herself a fur coat; the Red Queen is jealous of her
sister the White Queen’s benevolence and beauty in the 2010 version of Alice and
Wonderland; and mother Gothel kidnaps Rapunzel in Tangled because she wants to stay
youthful and Rapunzel’s hair has magical properties” (Dockterman, 2014) . “I really felt
distressed at not receiving an invitation” (Geronimi, 1959). By using this the statement made
within the essay have some form of evidence to show how culture and media has changed in
the years since the release of The Little Mermaid (1989) as well as to compare the characters
within other productions. Image used below to show examples of various characters whom
share the theme of pure vanity as their motivation for their villainous deeds.

Fig 8. Maleficent, The Evil Queen, and Cruella de Vil

Age and representation in villainhood
“The findings indicate that while the majority of older characters are portrayed as positive characters,
there is still a large percentage that is portrayed in a negative manner. These results help explain why
children have negative feelings toward older people” (Robinson, 2007). Quote used to reinforce the
statements claim that representation plays into how women are displayed. The utilization of the
image of the Disney Villain Ymza from the film The Emperors New Groove (2000) will help show as an
example of the representation seen within Disney’s films.
 Fig 9. Ymza from The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)

Bibliography
Bell, E. (1995). Where do Mermaids stand? In E. Bell, From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film,
Gender, and Culture (p. 182). Indiana: Indiana University Press.

Cheu, J. (2013). Diversity in Disney films : critical essays on race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and
disability. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc.

Dockterman, E. (2014, May 22). What Do All These Female Disney Villains Have in Common?
Retrieved from Time Magazine: http://time.com/104890/maleficent-female-disney-villains/

Ebert, R. (1989, November 17). THE LITTLE MERMAID. Retrieved from Roger Ebert.com:
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-little-mermaid-1989

Geronimi, C. (Director). (1959). Sleeping Beauty [Motion Picture].

Khan Academy. (2016, June 21). Women in the 1950s. Retrieved from Khan Academy:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/1950s-
america/a/women-in-the-1950s

Mulvey, L. (1999). Visual Pleasure in Narrative Cinema. In L. Mulvey, Film: Psychology, society and
ideology (p. 838). New York City: New York : Oxford University Press.

Ourri, A. (2017, June 21). The Construction Of Evil. Retrieved from Academia:
https://www.academia.edu/33697731/The_Construction_Of_Evil_-
The_Evolution_of_Disney_Villains_from_the_Golden_to_the_Revival_era

Robinson, T. (2007, August 2007 1). The portrayal of older characters in Disney animated films.
Retrieved from ScienceDirect:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890406507000047

Spargo, T. (1999). F O U C AU LT + ? = Q U E E R T H E O R Y ? In T. Spargo, Foucault and queer theory

(p. 30). Duxford, Cambridge: Icon Books Ltd.