Gender Socialization in the Media from Childhood to Adulthood
Geena Davis has been a long-standing advocate for the analysis of media images and gender socialization. She founded the See Jane Project in 2004 and the Geena Davis Institute of Gender in Media (GDIGM).
In 2005, Geena Davis and her institute partnered with the esteemed media analyst, Dr. Stacy Smith at the Annenberg School of Communication at USC. Prompted by Davis’ informal observations regarding the portrayals of gender in media directed at children, GDIGM and the research team organized under the direction of Dr. Smith watched over 5oo hours of children’s programming that summer.
Research showed that in 101 top-grossing G-rated movies released between 1990 and 2005, three out of four characters were male. Girls accounted for only 17 percent of the film’s narrators and 17 percent of the characters in crowd scenes. Only seven of the 101 movies were nearly gender-balanced, with a ratio of less than 1.5 males per 1 female character. “Although many people would argue that things seem to be getting better, our data shows that this is not the case,” says the principal investigator, Stacy L. Smith, an associate professor at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication, where the research was carried out.
What was revealed was not only the disparity of images between male and female characters but the typical gender socialization that continues throughout adulthood. As media analyst George Gerbner pointed out many years ago, it is not the introduction of one image or message that causes a change in one’s attitude of one’s self or the worl they inhabit that is worth noting. It is the repetitive and continuous stream of images that consistently reinforce the same values and norms from our earliest years throughout the life course. This concept is know as cultivation. Cultivation refers to the stability of these prolific messages versus the change-oriented model.
When one considers the process of cultivation in a media saturated culture, it is the seemingly benign, obvious messages that we don’t consciously take note of that constructs our sense of reality. In turn, this framework informs and shapes our expectations of who we and others should be and we consider these attitudes and behaviors as normative and natural.
Considering the work of Stacy Smith, Jackson Katz, Byron Hurt, Sut Jhally, Jean Kilbourne and many others that have actively studied gender and the media, it is not surprising that media directed at children hardly differs from media directed at adult men and women. Cartoons aimed at girls and boys carry the same messages/plots/themes/characters that “chick flicks” and “dick flicks” reinforce in adulthood.
Girls/women are encouraged to focus on beauty and relationships with men, After all, you must be beautiful to get a guy. Boys/men are encouraged to be tough, adventurous and independent. Considering the prolific and ubiquitous nature of the contemporary media, it is no surprise that young girls strive to be beautiful through more and more extreme measures. They are repeatedly told early on that girls/women must be beautiful in order to be validated in order to be considered worthy of a relationship. Boys/men are told repeatedly that real boys/men are tough and independent or they are considered weak and effeminate.
Essentialism, the notion that gendered behavior is inherent and “natural,” is not surprising considering a climate that cultivates attitudes, behaviors and expectations of girls/women and boys/men within a structured environment that provides a steady stream of images that constantly reinforce themselves. The images become unremarkable or un-noteworthy.
In this mediated cultural climate, negative sanctions in the form of derogatory names and physical punishment is also unsurprising. If gendered characteristics and their expected behaviors are sen as inevitable and natural, punishment for one’s transgression is seen as inevitable. And, that’s where the danger resides.
[...] than 50 years, Barbie has remained an emblem of idealized femininity and a key element of gender socialization. Barbie fan Danielle Scott, 16, said: Playing with the hair, the brushes, switching outfits. It [...]
Pingback by Doll Parts: The “Barbie Executioner” Strikes Back : Ms Magazine Blog — July 29, 2010 @ 12:52 pm
I find it so odd that I’ve never realized or noticed the extent to which Disney movies revolve around sexism, strength, and dominance. I never thought to question these movies as they were masked by different lessons of life for young children, and ironically do the opposite. I always believed there could never be anything negative shown in a Disney movie, but I thought wrong. The way sexism is so casually addressed in these films seems so normal that you would never even think twice about it. As young kids, we’ve been socialized to this type of gender associations and it’s time we change our childrens’ movies around.
Comment by Sharon — October 3, 2010 @ 3:10 am
This post brings to light an accurate phenomenon wherein children are from a young age predisposed to view gender roles in one specific way. This is not only harmful to themselves, but it no doubt affects the way they will interact with other people and the way they see themselves in society. Children are so impressionable and Disney, as a major force in childhood education and influence, should be more wary of the potentially negative affects that their media has on children, and by extension, society as a whole.
Comment by Ben Einstein — October 3, 2010 @ 2:03 pm
This articles just confirms how there is still such a big seperation between boy & girls and women & men. It is also extremely sad to see how early this all starts with the media telling girls that they must beautiful to get a boy and that is their goal in life. This creates a really messed up situation becuase it instills these horribly ideas in our heads that we should all be a certain way, and even worse this leads to eating disorders in girls at a very young age for they strive to fulfill this image of beauty. Our kids aren’t even safe from these message and that is sad and unmfortunate.
Comment by Debora Rabieian — October 4, 2010 @ 1:57 pm
unfortunetly its sad to see this image being protrayed to young boys an girls, but there is nothing we can do except not show it to our own childern, but even then in schools they are exposed to this by the other students.
Comment by Delyla M. — October 4, 2010 @ 3:21 pm
It’s nice to see another side of gender socialization’s influence on boys aside from it’s affect among girls. Disney is a popular brand that is widely recognized by people globally around the world. Children are visually stimulated at a young age and they’re the easiest demographic to manipulate and disney knows that. The images sought off from disney are divided between male and female. Unfortunately, the image of women sought after by disney often times depict a character of vulnerability, beauty, and sympathy. Meanwhile, the character for a male bestows courage, pride, and power.
Only until years later did Disney decide to make a few changes in it’s gender message by creating characters like Mulan and the Hunch-Back of Notre Dame to show that women and pull off masculinity and that men don’t have to be handsome and physically superior to get the girl. However, in the end, Mulan goes back to being a regular girl and withdraws from the army, and the hutch-back ends up being alone rather than getting the girl.
Nonetheless, I feel like Disney wouldn’t have achieved its success to this day if it weren’t for the messages that it portrayed of men and women. If the concept of homo-sexualism was to be introduced in its animation back then I don’t think it would have received positive attention or parent approval. For this reason, the idea of homophobia and teenage insecurity is spurred from the media. We see clearly the grave influence media has in shaping the way children grow up to interact with each other and other times we also see how media encourages children to shun individuals that are different from the values depicted on screen into isolation.
Comment by Joanne S. — October 4, 2010 @ 8:41 pm
Not only disney, but many other movies portray women as subordinate characters that the man or men in the movie are looking to win the heart of. Disney movies tend to create a standard which to this day many boys continue to believe and follow as opposed to the many different ways one can live his life and still be considered “masculine”. It is unfortunate that these movies not only promote insecurities to men who aren’t ripped and handsome, but also women who aren’t beautiful and delicate. The way each gender is portrayed should change in order to promote open-mindedness within the society.
Comment by Justin D — October 4, 2010 @ 9:14 pm
It is horrible to see that from such a young age, little girls and boys are given subliminal messages in their favorite childhood movies about how they should act and who they should be. Most parents look at disney as good wholesome movies and television shows and push their children to watch these movies,but i wonder that if they knew the messages sent by Disney if they would still want their boy or girl to watch these shows. this article shows how the media is trying to instill in us certain gender roles in order to sell a product or idea.
Comment by Sadaf Abrishami — October 4, 2010 @ 10:51 pm
This is unfortunately true and continues to this day. I learned more about this in Socio. 34 and watched documentaries which pointed out all the gender and racial biases found in Disney productions. I also relate this to the game of house that is commonly played by toddlers and kindergartners which gender roles are set and reinforced at such a young age. This is all due to the cultivation found in the media and the post has great points.
Comment by Dalal C. — October 4, 2010 @ 11:02 pm
I cannot believe the messages that are being sent through Disney films. Further, I cannot believe that it has taken me 18 years to realize the subliminal messages being sent across and the unconscious attributes I gave both genders as a result. It is interesting to see how media has affected our perception of who we are and how we are supposed to be, without us even realizing it. Until re-watching these scenes from my favorite Disney films, I was completely clueless as to how women and men are depicted. Thank you for writing such an enlightening article.
Comment by Jennifer Saeedian — March 22, 2011 @ 10:27 am
Although I did know about the whole Disney Princess phenomenon, i didn’t realize the extent to which it reached boys. i always viewed the dashing princes as the norm but now i realize that definitely isnt the case.
Comment by Shawn S — June 1, 2011 @ 5:18 pm
The disturbing thing is that I watched all these movies but never remembered any sexism in the movies. It just seemed natural to me at the time. Many of the ideas I have now have probably been instilled in me by Disney Movies from a young age.
Comment by Joshua Beroukhim — October 5, 2011 @ 8:01 pm
It’s true. There are favorite Disney films of mine that I’ve watched countless times. There are songs I can still sing the lyrics to. Also, there are messages conveyed in these films that have still impacted me to this day. They’ve idealized these standards of perfection (beauty, talent, etc) that I thought I’ve always wanted to live up to. Except those “perfect” standards came at the cost of living in the shadow of a man. Looking at Disney Movies from a newly-feminist perspective leaves me in disgust. Knowing that it is reinforced everyday through chick-flicks and society leaves me in disgust. There is so much damage to repair.
“If gendered characteristics and their expected behaviors are sen as inevitable and natural, punishment for one’s transgression is seen as inevitable. And, that’s where the danger resides.” <——————-BRILLIANT. Too many of us have become numb to this sort of thing.
Comment by Biana B — October 9, 2011 @ 10:10 pm
Such an eye-opening article. The message being sent to girls and boys at a young age by such movies is not subtle. They are expected to act a certain way and look a certain way. These movies define society and gender roles. Women must be beautiful and vulnerable and med must be built and violent. These are impressionable children watching Disney movies and forming definitions and perceptions of society.
Comment by Tiffany Majdipour — October 9, 2011 @ 11:31 pm
This is so true! At an early age we are told what and how we should be, and are pretty much not given any other options. As a female, looking back at what my favorite Disney cartoons were as a child, I would definitely say that it has “shaped” me and determined my views on things. I never even realized that the same thing is done on boys. Something obviously has to be done. There has to be a change so that children can feel that they have an option as to who and how they want to be when they are adults. I think that some guidelines are needed, however in a reasonable way and amount.
Comment by Tandis Shams Fard — October 10, 2011 @ 1:20 pm
I so agree with this article and how children and adults are subliminally taught to fit into their designated gender roles. It’s quite interesting to be able to look back on the movies of my childhood and dissect their meanings through a gendered lens. The theme of a damsel in distress and a chivalrous male who rescues her, whereby they live happily ever after is a classic. From an early age, girls are taught to wait around and beautify themselves, while boys are encouraged to explore the world and pursue heroic feats. What especially spoke to me in this article is how underlying gendered themes are encouraged in adulthood. Thus, the childhood favorites instill in us gender designated roles that are continually reinforced. We are constantly bombarded and jaded by the same ideas, thereby making it quite difficult to even criticize and protest the gender specific messages delivered to children.
Comment by Nilu V. — October 11, 2011 @ 12:39 pm
I thought that this article was so insightful. As a young adult, I realize that “chick flicks” and “dick flicks” do have a big role in shaping the way males and females think of their identities in gender roles. In these movies (and in other types of media) as adults we are all expected to act, look, think, and live ways that are supposed to be so “inherent” to us in the first place anyway, when really these ideas are just gendered themes that pop culture brainwashes us with. But being a Disney fan myself, I had never thought up till now that there are so many “hidden” ways that kids from a young age experience gender socialization in our culture. When I look at these movies and books now I feel completely appalled about what messages they carry. It’s disgusting!
Comment by Jennifer S — October 12, 2011 @ 8:14 pm
I have never realized the cartoons that we watched several times when we were child, were dictating us how to be a perfect male or female! It seems that everything, like toys, Disney movies, and children cloths promote masculinity in males and femininity in females. I think now is the time that we really should change our children’s environment.
Comment by Negar Azadbadi — October 18, 2011 @ 3:44 pm
Having grown up with Disney movies as a child, I am definitely able to see the sexism within disney movies. There is not one disney movie that features a female character that does not focus on beautification, or “getting the prince.” The primary example of this is Snow White, who spends her days singing about when her prince will come, or Sleeping Beauty who can only be saved by her true love (a white males) kiss. Not only do these Disney movies further gender stereotypes, they also further racism. Of the Disney classics there has yet to be an actual ethnic princess or prince, and there has yet to be a female character of power. Unfortunately by targeting young children disney movies have a lot of power when it comes to gender socialization.
Comment by Chloe Shenassa (women studies 10 scholars) — December 6, 2011 @ 5:46 pm
[...] than 50 years, Barbie has remained an emblem of idealized femininity and a key element of gender socialization. Barbie fan Danielle Scott, 16, said: Playing with the hair, the brushes, switching outfits. It [...]
Pingback by Doll Parts: The “Barbie Executioner” Strikes Back | Adios Barbie — December 13, 2011 @ 9:20 am
I never really thought into how much of this is present in the Disney films that I grew up on, but in my Women in Film class I studied the aspect of this in non-animated movies from various time periods. The womyn is always desperate for a man, fighting for his affection, sad at some/various points because of her lack of companionship because, of course, that’s the only thing that’ll make her feel complete, and somehow always ends up punished in the end, and the male character–privileged. This shows through in children’s movies as well and it’s sad that it starts at such an early age. If only it could be stopped, maybe these children would stand a fighting chance and we could potentially see changes in children’s and young adult’s expressions of self worth and body image.
Comment by Breanna K — January 10, 2012 @ 6:37 pm
Gender stereotypes are not only harmful to girls, but boys as well. When young boys are exposed to dominance, violence, and physical strength in cartoon movies, these are the only characteristics they can associate with masculinity. When boys, and men, do not display these characteristics, they are insulted with stereotypical feminine qualities like “weak”, “emotional”, and “insecure”. Some boys are even called a girl if they don’t act strong or dominate. This says a lot about how society thinks about young girls and women. That women are weak, emotional, and insecure, and for some bizarre reason, this is bad. Cartoon movies need to start associating kindness and compassion to masculinity. This way, maybe the cycle of gender expectations will end.
Comment by Skye G. — January 11, 2012 @ 3:04 pm
WOW! Now that this violence and dominance is pointed out, it’s so obvious. No matter where you turn in today’s society male dominance is everywhere. And kids Disney movies would have been the last place to expect. For some reason this image of male dominance has been ingrained in our little brains since we were babies. Now what does this mean? Should we not show them to our own kids as they grow up? I knew of all the sexual subliminal messages that were placed in these same movies but now this. It’s a sad feeling you get thinking that there may be no hope. That this violence that brings rape, abuse and death may never end. All of this makes me think of the sick people who took part in creating these movies, and knowing what exactly they were implanting in the future generations.
Comment by Sarah R. — January 11, 2012 @ 8:45 pm
I like to share a personal experience with you all. It’s a very good point that the media is affecting us daily and building the society’s norm. I like to talk about action in movies. But people today like to see action and excitement and imaginary movies. They dislike passive and dislike old and caring movies. Why is that? Maybe it’s because they were raised as a child to like the action cartons. I once saw an old woman of age 67 watching Lion King. And she was impressed by the carton movie. I asked her if she finds it interesting and what are her thoughts about it. She said you know I didn’t have these when I was a child. I never got to see the action in movies, so now I find it to be enough exciting for me. Right then I noticed that when I was watching the lion king the week before, to regenerate the good old memories I have with the movie, I found the movie boring and wanted more action.
That clearly showed me that we raise the action tolerance with every single movie that comes out. I remember couples of years ago, movies were less action, but now every single movie that comes out has got some kind of murder, war, fight or some sort of physical conflict. Forget about all other messages that one movie contains. What can we do? In my opinion we should slowly take everything back. I think it will take about 10 years to fully go back to a normal carton movie, but I think it’s needed. We should lessen the action in every movie that is coming out.
Comment by Matan P. — January 13, 2012 @ 9:08 am
I am very surprised that I didn’t notice the stereotypes portrayed against men and women in Disney movies, probably due to the fact as a child I loved all the disney classics, and as an adult I still watch them. But to really think about it, all the Disney movies such as Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Hercules, The Lion King, all associate what it means to be a dominant man with brute, physical strength. It directly correlates to how male figures are seen in today’s society, for example you never see someone modeling for Hollister or Abercrombie and Fitch who either isn’t “ripped” or with six pack abs. Having a so called “beer belly” causes men to feel embarrassed because the norm for society is to have that perfectly chiseled body. And for young kids to watch these movies, it’s being embedded into their heads as when you grow up, this is how you should look and act, which in my opinion is totally wrong.
Comment by Eleazar Capuz — January 16, 2012 @ 2:11 pm
It makes complete sense to why men in today’s society act as the dominant adult within a relationship or family. It began as a child where boys experienced what it was like to be in control of women. Most Disney shows convey the strength and inner ability of power men have over women. The action the different types of movies bring to the media are exciting yet encouraging to men to act of that kind of brutality towards women. Women are supposed to act like women and men are supposed to act like men. But what does that really consist of? Well it is a very stereotypical thought to consider. After watching this short video, I have come to the realization that somehow people are the way they are from what they learn from such an early age. The gender socialization that comes to their heads are embedded forever on. If there was change in the way directions/producers made their cartoons it could make a huge difference in the way males and females act towards each other.
Comment by Alexandria S — January 17, 2012 @ 11:59 pm
It makes complete sense to why men in today’s society act as the dominant adult within a relationship or family. It began as a child where boys experienced what it was like to be in control of women. Most Disney shows convey the strength and inner ability of power men have over women. The action the different types of movies bring to the media are exciting yet encouraging to men to act of that kind of brutality towards women. Women are supposed to act like women and men are supposed to act like men. But what does that really consist of? Well it is a very stereotypical thought to consider. After watching this short video, I have come to the realization that somehow people are the way they are from what they learn from such an early age. The gender socialization that comes to their heads are embedded forever on. If there was change in the way directions/producers made their cartoons it could make a huge difference in the way males and females act towards each other.
Comment by Alexandria S — January 18, 2012 @ 12:04 am
i never noticed the stereotypes portraying men and women in disney movies until i just watched this clip. after watching this i realize that people come out to be what they are due to what they learn from their childhood. this image can stick to them forever. prodders should change the way they create their characters.
Comment by Jonteen R — January 18, 2012 @ 9:28 am
I had never put much thought in to disney fairy tales. I was so surprised to see that at a young age we are being taught the idea of patriarchy, as well as the characteristics of a male and female should be. The cartoons that we see when we are little have such an incredable impact on our perception when we grow up on the proper way to act. we should stop brain washing our kids with fairy tales and cartoon shows.
Comment by Mirian M — January 19, 2012 @ 8:30 pm
This is a very insightful article that reminds me of the negative ways in which our culture continues to affect our views of girls and boys who later grow up to be the women and men of the future. It is sad and appalling for me to read that the significant majority of characters in children movies are boys and men, and when girls are actually portrayed they are often shown as vain and weak. This implication is often one of the first interpretations young children are given while watching these movies, leading them to believe that this is the norm in our culture and society and “cultivating” this expectation into their future encounters. Unfortunately, these “rated-G” movies are negatively impacting the views that young girls have towards themselves which can be devastating to their future relationships and belief of their self-worth. After reading this article, I noticed that in the various children movies I used to watch when I was little, the main female character is in fact primarily focused on her beauty and male attention, and it saddens me to think that this is the perspective being presented to girls and boys from a very young age.
Comment by Camille Yona — January 22, 2012 @ 11:14 am
I feel this is sickening to the young who can’t really comprehend the subliminal messages that the media feeds them. The media starts molding the children at a very early age. With all the content behind disney movies i believe their ratings should be higher than a G rating. There is no hope for children to grow up with a good sense of values if the media keeps displaying these kind of subliminal images.
Comment by Payne T — January 23, 2012 @ 12:50 pm
I like painting my nails. Why? Because my mom taught me too. I also like chiseled abs. Why? Probably because Disney taught me to!
It’s hard to concede the choices I make in life to the “training” and constant bombarding of messages passed along throughout my childhood but I think it’s hard to deny that’s a great part of who I am. I consider myself lucky to say that while I have been influenced to an extent I also have a certain critical consciousness that allows me to be aware of, and question, the choices I make in life. Most people aren’t so lucky. They are the victims of society at all times and have nobody to help them look into their decisions, their feelings, and their perpetuation of mainstream values.
I think it’s time Disney and other children’s companies start marketing strong, independent females who don’t fall into the traps of current characters. We don’t need to sexify our children’s role models or have them constantly searching for men; girls don’t need to stand down or remain submissive and males can show sensitivity without losing credibility. We are in an age where there’s no excuse for ignorant material to be so common and unacknowledged in their faults by their creators. Well-rounded, confident and positive characters ought to be the role models of the future and it would do just fine to start creating them now.
Comment by Antonia C. — January 30, 2012 @ 10:29 am
Disney is one of many examples of how typical gender socialization is reinforced in the media. It’s unsettling when knowing that these movies are targeted toward children. A lot of the times, they have a harder time differentiating from what is real and not real. These stable set of familiar and similar images of gender is continued throughout adulthood. In effect, it frameworks our reality and reinforces how normal it is when it’s really not that natural at all.
Comment by Jessica K — January 30, 2012 @ 3:18 pm
I am a Disney fanatic. I play Disney trivia games for fun, and have always loved Disney movies. I have found a lot of my general knowledge came from the movies, yet it is crazy how 10 years have gone by since my peak of Disney movies and I have seen the movies in a different light. I never really thought much of the gender roles, or messages that are sent to young children. But these movies have very distinct roles and ideas they send out to children from a very young age. It teaches women to be beautiful, and have a prince save them. And teaches them that their husband much be rich, handsome, and charming. Far from reality. I still love Disney movies, yet I now see the messages a little more clear
Comment by Yasmin M — January 31, 2012 @ 12:19 am
Magazines, articles, ads, commercials, movies etc demean women in many ways. In ads, women are frequently displayed as sex symbols. We see huge billboards of, for instance, a Dolce & Gabbana commercial and usually the woman in the ad is gorgeous and sexy. It is very rare to see ads with women doing something creative, it is always sexual. Magazines such as people magazine, cosmopolitan and any teen magazines are always based on the same things; “how to please your man”, “how to attract the right man in your life”, “How to lose 20 LBS in 2 weeks”, “How to get nicer and fuller eyelashes”, “How to get longer and fuller hair” it is constantly about aiming for perfection and focusing on women’s looks whereas men’s magazine are about: “how to become successful”, “How to make money”, “How to find the perfect job” etc. Why are men encouraged to succeed whereas women should not even think about their career they should just focus on how to find themselves a rich, handsome man as if us women can’t do anything for ourselves. Those are the messages that we are constantly surrounded by and exposed to. Even in Disney movies, the man is always the hero and he is strong whereas the woman is weak and dependent on the man to come and save her. It is hideous what I notice when I look more deeply into it; nothing has really changed. Society is still demeaning to women but it is not as palpable as it was 30 years ago, some things have changed but women are still just encouraged to look beautiful and find the right men. We never get to hear anything else. Even in movies such as “Mean Girls” we see the girl Cady Heron dumbing herself down to get the guy she wants, she starts failing classes and only cares about her looks and getting the guy she wants. We don’t notice but Media does downgrade women a whole lot.
Comment by Simone — February 1, 2012 @ 7:24 pm
As I grew up my ideas for gender socialization first came from my parents/adults, then siblings/friends, and then was heavily reinforced by any movie, cartoons, and TV series such as Spin & Marty, Rawhide, The Lone Ranger, Zorro, The Cisco Kid, Robin Hood, etc. Not only did the main characters, (all males), in every one of there series, movies, and cartoons “save the day,” they were also the hero’s, (even Robin Hood), and always rescued the beautiful maiden’s. The bad guys were defined by wearing black hats, while the hero’s were always worn white hats, reinforcing the notion that black is evil, white is godly. Guess I should consider myself lucky that Barbie did not exist when I was little. But I did have a baby doll that cried, drank from a baby bottle, and peed its’ diapers. I was being groomed for child-care, while my brother was playing with chemistry sets and Lincoln logs to become a scientist or an engineer.
Additionally, I believe there is another influence that was, and is, generated which has perhaps been overlooked here – bullying, that was depicted in this posts’ video! This learned behavior did not just recently start happening. It’s only recently that it has begun to be addressed. Multimedia have been incorporating these negative actions into our main stream for a long time. Just watch one of James Cagney’s old movies. Parents have been passing this behavior along to their children for years. There are some parents who encourage their kids to engage in this type of behavior, while other parents are baffled as to where their children learned to bully. It’s this unchecked cultivation that seems to go unnoticed until it is ingrained into our unconsciousness. It is so pervasive and insidiously creeps into our everyday lives. By the time someone finally takes a step back to say “hey, wait a minute,” pulling all the propagandized materials together, the damage is done and it’s extremely difficult to reverse. We need so many more posts like this one, and the posts need to be every bit as mainstream as the multimedia in order to reverse the messages they have instilled. Fight fire with fire!
Comment by Suzy D — February 4, 2012 @ 6:19 pm
I really liked Disney animations when I was young. These animations are based on fairy tales like princess and prince. Therefore, most children dream of fairy tales, so did I. But it’s different than in reality. So these things make gender socialization in our society.
Comment by Youjung An — February 4, 2012 @ 8:09 pm
Disney, the owner of the “Happiest Place on Earth,” definitely has a lot invested in our patriarchal society. It can be argued that the proliferation of Disney films in the 90s, and the messages about Essentialism and society they convey, is reactionary to the efforts on part of the Feminist movement toward social equality and the ending of sexism. Disney is obviously a major contributor to the hyper-masculine and androcentric society we live in today, considering the gap between gender expectations is the largest that its ever been, and this very condition is found in the exaggerations of gender stereotypes displayed in Disney films.
I just wonder how Disney is supposed to and expects to benefit in the long run from this major cultural investment.
Comment by Taja Eddahbi — February 6, 2012 @ 10:41 am
I found the video very interesting and informative. I have viewed Mickey Mouse Monopoly which discusses the images of the submissive female looking for Prince Charming, even if it means converting an abusive Beast, as in Beauty and the Beast, but this is the first time my attention was drawn to the messages regarding masculinity in these films. It is true, as women are told by films such as Beauty and the Beast that if they truly love the Beast he will become docile, males are also told that they can be a Beast and it is the woman’s job to “tame” them. In an era of prevalent domestic abuse, this is a message we cannot afford our children to absorb.
As this blog points out, these images in Disney films are especially powerful because very young children prefer to watch their favorite videos over and over in endless loops, therefore reinforcing the power of these images to cultivate these stereotypes. Because most parents see Disney as “clean, child-oriented entertainment,” they often unquestioningly use Disney videos as babysitters so that children are exposed to these images with no adult filter. However, many parents, if they watched these videos critically, would realize that these films are imparting messages that they would not accept in other contexts and would stop financially supporting these Disney films and force Disney to create more balanced images.
Comment by SandraR — February 6, 2012 @ 5:05 pm
I found the video very interesting and informative. I have viewed Mickey Mouse Monopoly which discusses the images of the submissive female looking for Prince Charming, even if it means converting an abusive Beast, as in Beauty and the Beast, but this is the first time my attention was drawn to the messages regarding masculinity in these films. It is true, as women are told by films such as Beauty and the Beast that if they truly love the Beast he will become docile, males are also told that they can be a Beast and it is the woman’s job to “tame” them. In an era of prevalent domestic abuse, this is a message we cannot afford our children to absorb.
As this blog points out, these images in Disney films are especially powerful because very young children prefer to watch their favorite videos over and over in endless loops, therefore reinforcing the power of these images to cultivate these stereotypes. Because most parents see Disney as “clean, child-oriented entertainment,” they often unquestioningly use Disney videos as babysitters so that children are exposed to these images with no adult filter. However, many parents, if they watched these videos critically, would realize that these films are imparting messages that they would not accept in other contexts and would stop financially supporting these Disney films and force Disney to create more balanced images.
Comment by SandraR — February 6, 2012 @ 5:51 pm