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SelinaNnadede
English115
ProfessorLawson
28November2016
FinalDraft
WordCount:2022
DisneysProblematicContent
WaltDisneyPicturesisanAmericanfilmproductioncompanythatiswidelyknownand
recognizedforshowcasingdecadesofanimatedmotionpictures.Disneyisknownforcreating
filmsthatappealtochildrenduetotheincorporationofwhimsicalcreatures,beautiful
princesses,andtruelove.However,thesefilmsarenotsettinglessonsthatyoungchildrenshould
takeawayandimplementintotheirfuturelives.WaltDisneyPicturescannegativelyaffecthow
childrenthinkandseetheworldbecauseofhowoversexualization,bodyshaming,historical
inaccuraciesandlackofgenderempowermentareimplicitlyincorporatedintothefilms,yet
theseissuesareglorifiedaslightheartedcontent.
Bodyshamingandglorifyingeatingdisordersareindirectlyincorporatedinwhatis
consideredtobeafamilyfriendlyflick.AnimatedDisneycharactersareknownandcreatedto
lookbeautiful.Thesecharacters,especiallythePrincesses,haveextremelyandunrealistically
proportionedfiguresthatyoungchildrenandteenagersaspiretohave.Forexample,almostall
Disneyprincessesandfemaleprotagonisthaveacinched,definedwaist,smallfeet,longlegs
andaconsiderablebust.Strivingtoachieveasizethatisphysicallyimpossiblecouldresultwith
apersonsufferingfromeatingdisorderslikebulimia,anorexia,andbingeeatingatanearlyage.

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FivetotenmillionAmericanwomensufferfromeatingdisorders.and80%ofchildrenwho
are10yearsoldareafraidofbeingfat.(PBS)Childrengrowuptoidolizeandbelievethatthese
animatedfiguresarenormal,wheninfact,theyarent.Notonlyareoverweightpeople
underrepresentedbutthismessagegivesofftheideathatanyonewithanundefinedwaistshould
notberepresentedatall.AccordingtoWebMD,Obeseboysandgirlshavesignificantlylower
selfesteemthantheirnonobesepeers.InthearticleBodyImageTheRhetoricofDisney,
ananonymous,authoranalyzesDisneysportrayalofbodyimageandbeautythroughthe
famousPrinceandPrincesses.Theanonymousauthorstates,Disney'srhetoriconbodyimage
bothreflectsandimpactssociety'sperceptionofbeauty.Theidealofathinbodythatissodeeply
ingrainedinourcultureandoutletslikeDisneyonlyworsentheprevalenceofthestereotype.
AnabundanceofhistoricalinaccuracieswasdiscoveredinoneofDisneysmost
wellknownanimatedfilms,P
ocahontas.Inthemovie,anAmericanIndian/NativeAmerican
woman,whoalsohappenstobeaprincess,fallsinlovewithanEnglishman.TheEnglishman,
CaptainJohnSmithdiscoversherwhileheandhismentakeajourneytotheNewWorldtohave
afreshstartonnew,discoveredland.Pocahontassfather,ChiefPowhatan,disapprovesof
theirrelationshipandeventuallytriestomurderJohnSmith.Longstoryshort,thefeudsbetween
theEnglishandtheAmericanIndian/NativeAmericansreconcileandPocahontasgetsthe
ultimateDisneyhappilyeverafterwithCaptainJohnSmith.Thestoryoftwodifferentcultures
comingtogetherasonesoundsbeautifulandromantic.However,thetruestoryofPocahontasis
anythingbutthat.Matoakawastheactualnameofthecharacterintheanimatedfilmbuther
nicknameactuallywasPocahontas,whichmeantthenaughtyone"or"spoiledchild".Shealso
wentbythenameAmounte.Inthemovie,Pocahontaslookedlikeagrown,fullfiguredwoman

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wheninfactMataokawaselevenyearsold,whileCaptainJohnSmithwas28yearsold.
AccordingtoDavidMorenussarticle,TheRealPocahontas,PocahontasandJohnSmithdid
notfallinloveinthewilderness,oranywhereinthatcase.Morenuswrites,Disneywasmore
interestedintellingagoodstorythaninstickingtothefacts.Mataokawascapturedandheld
hostageinacolonycalledJamestown.ShewasforcedtochangehernametoRebeccaand
marryofftoanEnglishtobaccoplanternamedJohnRolfe.Shewasforcedtobearchildrenfora
manwhocalledhercultureaheathentribeandliveinaplacewhoreferredtoherasa
civilizedsavage.Mataokaeventuallydiedof(possibly)tuberculosisattheageoftwentyone
yearsold.Disneyattemptedtonotonlyrewritehistorybuttoalsosexualizeandromanticizea
characterwhowasachildthatwasrobbedofherculture.
VillainousandheroiccharactersinDisneyanimatedfilmsbothhavedistinctappearances
thathaveadeepermeaningthanonemaythink.Thesemoviesshowasubliminalpatternof
havingtheantagonist/villainintheplotlookgrotesqueandnotunappealing,whilethe
protagonist/heroisattractiveand/orhaseveryfeaturethatsocietywoulddeemasbeautiful.The
useofphysiognomy,definedastheartofdeterminingcharacterorpersonalcharacteristicsfrom
theformorfeaturesofthebody,especiallyofthefaceisprevalentineveryfilm
(Dictionary.com).Inthepast,itwasbelievedthatapersonsphysicalfeaturescouldindicate
theirpersonalcharacteristics.Forexample,ifsomeonehadanosethatwastoocurved
downwards,abroadforehead,orslantedeyes,theywouldbeconsidereddeceitful,sinful,or
unreliable(TheSocietyPage)Avillainandaherocanalmostinstantlybepointedoutjustby
lookingattheirfacialfeatures.Forexample,inT
heLionKing,theheroiccharactersMufasaand
Simbahavegoldenfurwithabold,redmane.Ontheotherhand,thearchnemesisofthe

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animatedfilmwasScar,whohadsickly,browncoloredfur,ascarrunningdownhislefteye,a
blackmane,andnightmarishgreeneyes.Whatisthispatterntellingtheiraudience?Its
conveyingthatinordertobeconsideredaherooragoodperson,youmustlookthepart.If
yourephysicallyunappealingtosocietyorjustflatoutugly,thenyoureavillain.Itisvery
problematictoyoungviewersbecauseitteachesthemthatgoodcharactercomesfromlooks,
firstandforemost.Italsoteachesthemtoprejudgeothersbasedontheirfacialfeatures.
AllDisneyPrincesandPrincessesfollowcertainstereotypicalstandardsthatpurposefully
showhowagenderissupposedtoact.Forexample,mainmalecharactersaresupposedtobe
strongandmighty.Malemaincharactersareallowedtobeaggressive,mischievousandwitty,
butnothingmuchelse.Maleviewers,particularlyyoungboyswhomthesemoviesinfluence
greatly,areencouraged,nottostrivefortheirdreams,butinsteadtofightviolentlyforexactly
whattheywantusuallymoney,power,orawoman(TheRhetoricofDisney).Forwomen,
fallinginloveandbeingrescuedbyahandsome,bravemanistheultimatehappilyeverafter
ShouldDisneyreallybeteachingyounggirlsthatinorderforthemtoliveinhappiness,they
mustdependonamantorescuethemfromturmoil?Femalecharactershaveanopinionand
somepowerbutnottoomuchpowerorelsetheywouldbeconsideredavillain.Thelackof
genderempowermentforwomeninmostofthefilmsisdisheartening.Insteadofteachingyoung
girlstohaveambitions,findingtrueloveandgettingmarriedseemstobetheonlygoalthata
womanshouldhave.Forexample,Ariel,inT
heLittleMermaid,willinglytradedhervoicefor
legsjustsoshecouldfallinlovewithahandsomePrince.She,withnohesitation,gaveupapart
ofherselfandcompletelychangedheranatomysoshecouldbewithaman.Tosumitallup,
EmilyLighezzolostates,Arielaltersherappearancetoconformtoaman'sexpectations"inher

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article"DisneyNoLonger'Frozen'inAntiquatedGenderStereotypes".Longingforamanisnot
somethingthatshouldbeconsideredahappilyeverafter.AnotherexampleishowCinderella,
inC
inderella,wasweak,forlornandwishingthatshecouldgotoaballtomeetthemanofher
dreams.Beingweakandfrailisdeemedasasignofbeautyandgentlenesswhenitactually
showsthatwishingandhopingforamiracleistheonlywayyoullgetwhatyouwant.
Parentstendtoblameanddespiseadultmediaforshowcasingsexualorrisqucontenttominors,
but,littledotheyknow,thesamesexualcontentisincludedinmoviesthatweconsidertobe
childrenfriendly.Disneyprincesseshavebeenoversexualizedtolookmoreattractiveand
appealingandtoalsocatertootheraudiencesbesidesyoungerviewers.CharacterslikePrincess
JasminefromA
laddinwearclothesthatarenotonlysexualizingherbodybutarealso
historicallyinaccuratetowhatMiddleEasternwomenworein550BC,whichisthetimethatthe
animatedfilmissetin.Sowhyshouldwe,asasociety,careaboutgirlsgettingsexualized?
Oversexualizationleadstoobjectification.AccordingtoSmritiSinhasarticle,ScientistsHave
DeterminedWhatReallyHappensWhenMenObjectifyWomen,Psychologistshaveconcluded
thatobjectificationisanotherofdehumanization.Theauthorstates,Menwhoreadmagazines
thattendtoobjectifywomenarelesslikelytorespectsexualboundariesbecausetheircontent
givesthemafalseimpressionaboutphysicalexperiencesandconsent.Massmediaandother
popularentertainmentconglomerates,likeWaltDisneyPictures,canpotentiallyalterhowone
perceivesandbehavestowardssomethingorsomeone.Thepowerthatthisfilmcompanyhas
shouldbeusedtoteachtheiraudienceidealisticvaluesratherthandisguisingoversexualization
aslightheartedcontentforchildren.
Disneymoviesgoagainstthevaluesandstandardsoffeminism,whichisdefinedas[an

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organizedmovement]advocatingsocial,political,andallotherrightsofwomenequaltothoseof
men(Dictionary.com).Womenareunderrepresentedinleadingrolesoftheentertainment
industryoverall.MostofDisneysanimatedfilmsdonotpasstheBechdelTest,whichisatest
thatassessesthepresenceofwomeninfilms.Therulesofthetestare#1:Ithastoatleasthave
twowomeninit,#2:[thetwowomen]talktoeachother,and#3:Theytalkaboutsomething
besidesaman.(BechdelTest)SinceDisneymovieshavearecurringthemeoffallinginloveand
livinghappilyeverafter,havingafemalecharactertalkaboutsomethingbesidesamanwouldbe
closetoimpossible.Thefactthatmostoftheirmoviescatertomaleleadingrolesandfemale
charactersalwaysfantasizingaboutamanshowsthatthesemoviesarentfitforyounggirlsto
lookuptoorfindinspirational.
DiehardfansofDisneyPrincesses,orDisneymoviesingeneral,wouldarguethatthese
childrenfriendlyfilmsarenotproblematictoyoungerviewers.Theintentionsofproducing
thesemoviesarenowherenearharmfultochildren.AccordingtoMinotPettinatosarticle
Disney'sPositiveEffectsonChildren,femalemaincharactersinDisneyanimatedfilmscan
empoweryounggirlstobesmart,noble,andstrongwilled.Asoflate,someofDisneysnew
animatedfilmsdofeaturepowerfulfemalecharactersthatchildrencouldlookupto.However,
recentfilmslikeU
p,Ratatouille,andW
ALLEdonotpasstheBechdeltest,whichautomatically
concludesthatgirls/womenarestillbeingunderrepresented.
AllysonCarangioBrandtclaimsinherarticleInDefenseofPrincessesthatthesefilmsalso
canteachchildrentobekind,brave,obedient,etc.Innocenceandnaivetyisnotsomethingyou
willwantyourchildtogetridofanytimesoon.TheauthorbelievesthatwatchingDisney
moviesisnotgoingtomakechildren(especiallylittlegirls)growuptobeanylessstrongwilled

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becausetheyteachthemtofollowtheirheart.Disneyhasathemeofshowinghappyendingsin
theirfilmstoencouragechildrentobelieveandhope.Iopposethisclaimbecausechildren
shouldntbetaughtthatiftheyhopeandwishforamiracle,thenitlleventuallycometrue.
Childrenshouldbetaughtthatworkinghardandputtinginasignificantamountofeffortinto
somethingyoureallywantcangiveyousuccessfulresultsintheend.
Thechildrenofthepresentaretheadultsofthefuture.Thosesamechildrenwhowatchand
idolizethesecharacterscaneasilybeinfluencedtothinkacertainwaythroughouttheirfuture.
BringinguptheseproblematicissuesthatareinDisneysanimatedfilmscouldpossiblymotivate
WaltDisneyPicturestoendthispatternandstartmakingrelevantandinfluentialcontentthat
theirtargetaudiencecanwatch.

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WorksCited
Brandt,AllysonCarangio."InDefenseofPrincesses."AllEars.ALLEARS,22Nov.2011.
Web.19Nov.2016.
Castillo,Paul."TheNegativeEffectsofDisneyonChildren."TheSundial.TheDailySundial,
04Dec.2006.Web.18Nov.2016.
"feminism".Dictionary.comUnabridged.RandomHouse,Inc.Web.28Nov.2016.
Feministfrequency.TheBechdelTestforWomeninMovies.Onlinevideoclip.YouTube.
YouTube,7December2009.Web.28Nov.2016.
Frankenfield,Gay."ObesityPlusLowSelfEsteemMayLeadtoRiskyBehaviorinTeens."
WebMD.WebMD,14Jan.2000.Web.29Nov.2016.
Lighezzolo,Emily."DisneyNoLonger'Frozen'inAntiquatedGenderStereotypes."The
Artifice.N.p.,03Feb.2014.Web.28Nov.2016.
PBS."PerfectIllusions:EatingDisordersandTheFamily."PBS.KCTSTelevision,2003.Web.
29Nov.2016.
Pettinato,Minot."Disney'sPositiveEffectsonChildren."O
urEverydayLife.LeafGroupLtd.,
2016.Web.18Nov.2016.

"physiognomy".Dictionary.comUnabridged.RandomHouse,Inc.Web.28Nov.2016.
Reese,Mr."TheTrueStoryofPocahontasasNOTToldbyDisney."A
ncientOrigins.Novus
WebSolutions,3Nov.2013.Web.24Nov.2016.

Rothschild,Sarah.ThePrincessStory:ModelingtheFeminineinTwentiethcenturyAmerican
FictionandFilm.NewYork:PeterLang,2012.Print.

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Sharp,Gwen."Physiognomy:Faces,Bodies,andtheScienceofHumanCharacter."The
SocietyPages.SociologicalImage,30Jan.2015.Web.29Nov.2016.
Sinha,Smriti.ScientistsHaveDeterminedWhatReallyHappensWhenMenObjectify
Women.Mic.N.p.,27Aug.2014.Web.28Nov.2016.
"BodyImage."T
heRhetoricofDisney.Weebly,2016.Web.24Nov.2016.