Preview

Snow White Gender Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1334 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Snow White Gender Analysis
For generations, Walt Disney films have been a “must watch” by parents, children and their families. However, these people may not see the hidden meanings behind Disney films. Currently, children are constantly exposed to media and opinions inherently presented within television, films, radio, books and more. Disney films are no exception. The films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty all reinforce traditional gender roles, and the idea that lightness is supreme and will help when it comes to goodness conquering evil. The first feature film by Disney, Snow White, is the story of a young girl who fulfills societal roles of being a woman who is happy to stay home to cook and clean all day long. This film explains …show more content…
Once again, it is up to her fairy godmother and the prince to rescue her from a life of cruelty. Marriage is her ultimate goal, as it is seemingly her only chance at escape. The movie revolves around beauty and impressing others. Cinderella could have easily gone to the ball in her everyday clothes, but instead she knew that she needed to wear something fancy to impress the men she might meet. Additionally, the prince falls in love with her before they even speak, contributing even more to the idea that beauty is the most important. Despite the fact that she disobeys her step-mother’s orders to not go to the ball, Cinderella still manages to embody innocence and remain submissive to those around her (Baker-Sperry …show more content…
The princesses are all fair in nature in terms of their skin color and beauty. While they are capable of doing more, they all want to get married and be the housewife that cooks and cleans all day. These girls all live their lives, unaware of the privileges they have due to their beauty, race, and social status. While Cinderella is forced to be a maid, she still lives in a castle and receives help from her fairy godmother. Privilege is not something usually thought about, and judging from the actions (or lack thereof) by the princesses in these films, they seem to be unaware of the privileges that surround them from their fairness (McIntosh
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Good And Evil In Disney Movies
    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Good And Evil In Disney Movies

    Disney has successfully given viewers of their movies comforted and warm feelings in their hearts because there is always a happy ending. Disney productions have also taught young children the difference between good and evil. Films such as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” and “Cinderella” are two of their earlier movies that are vastly different but share similarities as well.…

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Disney Princesses
    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Disney Princesses

    Claire Crumback CMCL-334 7 November 2012 Response Paper 2 Over the course of the past 80 years we have seen major growth in the company of Disney and the way it presents itself to the rest of the world. One of the many ways Disney presents itself is by the animated films they produce, more specifically, the princess films, that we all know and love. In this paper, I will explore the role and functions of the Disney princesses over the past 80 years and discuss their differences. In particular, the femme fatales we see when Walt Disney was in charge, and how it is the princess rather than the hero who becomes the central figure in these films. On the other side, I will look at Team Disney and how they turn the princesses from damsels to more democratic.…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stereotypes In Walt Disney's Snow White
    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Stereotypes In Walt Disney's Snow White

    Walter Elias Disney, born December 5, 1901, was a cartoonist, voice actor, producer and overall a man way ahead of his time. This is a man who came from humble beginnings, he dropped out of high school to join the military but unfortunately was to young therefore was sent to France to drive an ambulance for a year. Even with what little he had this is someone who had a dream to do something great. His passion for art was something that could not go unseen therefore everything he imagined little by little he with the help of his brother and those around him accomplished it. Walt Disney represents imagination, laughter, creation and self-made success in life. He was someone who brought people closer to the future while telling of the past. He will never be forgotten wherever you go you will see a little bit of Disney in the world.…

    • 1238 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    "Sleeping Beauty vs. Snow White"
    • 878 Words
    • 3 Pages

    "Sleeping Beauty vs. Snow White"

    Every little girl pretends to be a princess and prances around imagining a prince charming. Even when they grow up and become a woman, they're still waiting for that prince to come sweep them off their feet, so they can fall crazy in love and live happily ever after. This fantasy is much because of Walt Disney movies such as "Sleeping Beauty", "Snow White", "Cinderella", "Little Mermaid", and many others. These stories have been passed down for centuries and numerous versions exist today. There are many interpretations of the stories and their meanings that most people don't even recognize. Though the stories all seem different, some of them still have similar meanings. "Snow White" and "Sleeping Beauty" are two stories that have a common meaning.…

    • 878 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Snow White Archetypal Theory
    • 299 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Snow White Archetypal Theory

    • After failing the first two tests, Snow White is successfully brought back to life by the Dwarfs.…

    • 299 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Analysis of Grimm's Cinderella
    • 795 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Analysis of Grimm's Cinderella

    I find the moral of the story the authors were trying to get across is that good will triumph evil, even in what seems to be the most impossible of situations. It all began with Cinderella suffering the death of her mother, who was quickly replace by an evil stepmother and her two daughters. They tell her cruel things and force her to do the household cleaning as “He who wants to eat bread must earn it; out with the kitchen-wench.” With that one sentence they have explicitly made it clear they feel she is beneath them and if she wants to eat she will earn her keep and meals. They take all of her possessions and give her, mock her, and even taunt her. She is forced to work in kitchen from the morning to nighttime, force her to sleep in the ashes by the fireplace. She has been reduced to nothing. She has nothing and is made to feel as though she is nothing, even to her father. The ways I can relate to her aren’t the exact same circumstances, but similar nonetheless. At one point I was in a relationship that was very abusive. I was to do all the cooking, all the cleaning, and under no circumstance was I allowed to say a negative word and I was never to go anywhere alone. I was called Cinderella as well as Tina; in reference to Tina Turner. Everything I had owned no longer belonged to me, if I wanted to eat than I needed to cook and clean the house or go without. Cinderella throughout this tale never says an ill word to her stepmother or stepsisters. She perseveres through the impossible tasks her stepmother gives her, simply to go to the King’s ball. Although she was…

    • 795 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Snow White Sociology
    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Snow White Sociology

    Caroline Clark Sociology of Religion Final Essay Snow White: Then and Now Kids across the world have all admired the stories of Walt Disney. The multiple full-length featured films were conveniently put on VHS and DVD for the young ones to watch the stories whenever he or she pleases. Sounds great right? What people don’t realize is that there are more to these tales than what one sees at a glance. The majority of these movies have strong undertones and your children are watching these films over and over again. What are children really watching? To be more specific, the Disney 1937 flick Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is much more than a young girl singing to happy hygienic forest friends. There are multiple religious signs in…

    • 1142 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Katie Lopreore Gender Roles Essay
    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Katie Lopreore Gender Roles Essay

    Transitioning on from the perspective of a communications graduate, we move on to see how gendered roles are portrayed in Disney Princess movies and how they affect young children, from the perspective of a psychology graduate. Katie Lopreore, the psychology graduate from Middle Tennessee State University, writes about how the influences of the Disney Princess films shape children through their gendered characteristics, in her journal Gender roles portrayals of modern Disney royalty: stereotypical or androgynous? Lopreore starts off with an evaluation on how many children are exposed to the Disney Princess culture, she writes “Disney brand, found that 97% of children they surveyed between ages 2-11 years old were familiar with Cinderella, one…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Stereotypes In Walt Disney Movies
    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Stereotypes In Walt Disney Movies

    A young princess is stolen from her parents by a vain old witch in the dead of night. The magical long haired princess, Rapunzel, is locked up in a tower only to be discovered by a thief on the run. Her world is flipped upside down, by finding out secrets, going on an adventure of a lifetime and falling in love. Walt Disney’s Tangled is a modern day take on the German fairy tale Rapunzel that revolves around a princess with long hair. Walt Disney films are a classic childhood staple for young boys and girls alike. They are exciting, colourful and will pull at your heart strings, yet serve valuable life lessons. Disney has made a tremendous impact on the lives of children by teaching them they can achieve anything they put their minds to, to…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Princess Culture
    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Princess Culture

    The downfall of Fairytales What would our childhoods have been like without Cinderella’s ugly stepsisters, or the seven dwarfs that accompanied snow white? These, amongst many other fairytales have been around and passed along for decades. The traditional Disney princess culture keeps being praised and applauded for the entertainment they bring to little girls. It is so widely accepted nowadays that most parents can’t even imagine not incorporating the Disney stories into their daughters’ lives. While the stories themselves tend to be appropriate for young girls, the subliminal messages behind them aren’t. Parents and guardians are so wrapped up in the fantasy themselves that they forget to ask themselves how their daughters may internalize the stories. At a first glance, these stories seem to be quite innocent but in reality these stories and basically the Princess culture, specifically in Cinderella and Snow White, encourages girls to be damsels in distress whose role it is to look good and wait for a handsome prince to swoop in, ‘save her’ and that after she’s saved they would live a life happily ever after. All of which are notions that shouldn’t be taught to young girls.…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Snow White
    • 1870 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Snow White

    “In Hollywood, both in the past and in the present, what decides whether or not a film will be made, ultimately, is whether or not a film will make money” (Davis 17). Typically, what kids want to see is a handsome prince and a beautiful princess that they want to grow up and be like. The lessons that are conveyed in Snow White by the fantasies of happily ever after and good vs. evil can have both positive and negative effects if society chooses to follow them. One of the positive gaains is that these fantasies create an idea that people can aspire too. The fantasy of happily ever…

    • 1870 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Walt Disney Princess Controversy
    • 2677 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Walt Disney Princess Controversy

    THE CONTROVERSIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE DISNEY PRINCESS FRANCHISE SAMANTHA GARCIA HARMON 05/04/2012 Princess themed fairytales have great influence on children’s books, movies, and television shows. In 1937 Disney released ‘Snow White and the seven dwarfs’ the first full length cell-animated film in motion picture history. It is based on the Brothers Grimm German fairytale, and it is also the debut of Disney’s very first marketed princess. Since then Disney has created their own princess line using characters from popular movies such as Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and so forth. Disney has received criticisms and created much controversy over the values instilled in these movies. Many of the Disney princess movies…

    • 2677 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Disney Princesses Franchise: Negative Gender Stereotypes
    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Disney Princesses Franchise: Negative Gender Stereotypes

    When Walt Disney created his first full length animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, he had no idea just how impactful his princesses would be. The Disney Princesses Franchise is one of the most successful and recognizable in the world however, these cartoons come with consequences. In what ways do the Disney princesses affect or young, impressionable girls? From negative gender stereotypes to lack of diversity, subliminally these Princesses can cause quite a few problems. One should be aware of just what exactly these young girls are being exposed to.…

    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Disney's Stereotypes
    • 1421 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Disney's Stereotypes

    Walt Disney Animation Studio’s productions are a “major contributor to shaping girl culture” (“Disney and Girlhood,” 1). Many young girls strive to replicate what they see in these princesses, and “unrealistic standards of beauty,” have a harmful impact on their self-esteem. From clothing to body types and skin color, classic princesses embody a stereotypical Caucasian, petite, and lavishly dressed woman. It is not healthy for this repetitive portrayal to be shown to young girls, who will look at themselves differently if they do not have the same characteristics (Booker 3). Unrealistic story lines, in which a male prince comes to protect the female “reawakened by true love’s kiss”, show no expense, truth, or redemption. Young children watching these films will ponder their own future, and think they will have the same experiences in their lifetime (Burns…

    • 1421 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Who Is Ella In The Film Cinderella
    • 1747 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Who Is Ella In The Film Cinderella

    Ella’s gowns throughout of the film truly signified each change that she went through as she blossomed from a country girl to a royalty wife and queen. Additionally, the other main characters also were properly introduced in the film basing on their outfit attires such as Lady Tremaine and her daughters, Fairy Godmother, and Prince Charming. Each of them have expressed how they would either create a balance or a chaos in Ella’s life. Like every previous fairytales, Ella life have has end with a happily ever after with her very own Prince Charming. The director of this film creatively uses the color palette in each character’s costumes to exhibit the character’s role while being consistent with the 18th century fashion choice with the exception of Tremaine’s daughters. Professionally, the color scheme have been remaining consistent throughout the film and strongly stay with each character, which is why Cinderella is such a great film for costumes and color palette film elements. Cinderella is a film that attempts to remake the original Cinderella 1950 to get viewers to embrace the fairytale hopes and loves in the realistic life in order to stay true to their own hopes and find love in the hopeless…

    • 1747 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics