From the Deprivation to Liberation of Gender Roles The common fairytale portrays the stereotypical “damsel in distress,” who is helpless until her male savior typically rescues her. Many fairytales address the theme of gender roles as well as many others. The female character takes on the feeble, desolate role, while the male character takes on the strong, hero role similar to the stories of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. However, Elizabeth, the protagonist of The Paper Bag Princess defies typical gender roles as a female character and becomes the hero of the story. Cinderella and The Paper Bag Princess share many qualities, but have major differences as well. Cinderella is an example of a woman who occupies traditional, domestic roles, but she does not portray the modern, liberated woman Elizabeth exhibits.…
In the adaption of the classic fairy tale, Snow White, as told by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm the authors portray the feminist topics of the obsession with beauty and gender roles. In the story, a young girl named Snow White is target by her evil stepmother, the Queen, due to her beauty. In the story Snow White is deemed helpless and needs the protection of men. Both the treatment and actions of Snow White symbolises the gender roles and stereotypes of society.…
In James Poniewozik’s “The Princess Paradox”, he introduces the idea that young girls find becoming a princess appealing, even if they are raised to be an independent woman. Poniewozik, who is a media critic for the Time magazine, seems intrigued by the evolution of princesses and how it uses feministic views to create a pleasing appearance to the younger generations who are being raised with feminist ideals. Poniewozik claims that feministic themes find their way into our culture and as a consequence creates the twenty-first century Cinderella, a strong woman who still enjoys her gown. So although some feminist may denounce Poniewozik’s assertion that independent women find comfort in being treated as a princess, evidence throughout his essay could point towards the idea that self-reliant women still want to be saved into sovereignty.…
Comparative Critique In the "Princess Paradox" James Poniewozik starts out his article by taking a stance against the princess movement, but then throughout the rest of his article he talks about how the movement is good for young girls by showing that they can control their own destiny. Unlike the "Princess Paradox", Peggy Orenstein 's article "Cinderella and Princess Culture" takes a stance against the princess movement by stating that the movement is ruining the minds of young girls. Although both authors have feminist points of view, they have opposite opinions on how the princess movement affect young girls, which they try to prove by using different approaches to prove what their opinion is.…
Poniewozik and Orenstein have conflicting claims in their articles as both define Cinderella differently. Poniewozik does not see an issue with the Cinderella story and believes it does not have any negative effect on girls, while Orenstein would have to disagree because of her strong feminist beliefs. This leads Orenstein to believe that the "princess culture" does indeed have a negative effect on girls.…
Poniewozik begins by stating that it is a nightmare for the young girls wanting to be princesses today. Society expects every little girl wants to be a princess. Poniewozik blames Hollywood for this. It’s true in recent decades that Hollywood has produced quite a few cinderella stories and also many other fairy-tail type projects. It’s not a bad thing for them to do this because they’re making a large profit off these projects. Princess fairytale stories and movies are surprisingly popular today. Poniewozik claims that we have come a long way from the girls-kick-ass-culture of just a few years ago (Poniewozik 666).…
In "The Princess Paradox" James Poniewozik suggests that being a princess is much different now than it used to be. But many daughters will always want to be princesses, no matter how much the idea of "princess" has changed over the years. Poniewozik starts his article off by stating that people often try to keep their girls from wanting to become princesses. But in the end they always will want to. Poniewozik states that girls used to want to be a princess with a pampered life. But to him this wasn't what princesses want anymore. They don't want help when they're in trouble, some of them go looking for trouble. No need for a prince to come save them, they can do it on their own. In fact, Poniewozik says that the princesses would much rather "save Prince Charming, thank you" (324), because they feel as though they can be independent and confident in life on their own. They don't always need a prince charming, unless they chose to have one.…
This can be seen as a push for feminism in the movie because it doesn’t focus on her being because she’s a girl. Also it changes how things are normally executed in fairytales. Some examples include Tiana rescuing Naveen, the princess also being changed into an animal, Prince Naveen being a playboy and they changing into a hard worker, and Mama Odie who says to think about your wishes and if that’s really what you want. These are probably introduced into the movie because Disney is looking to find a prompt that will make people watch and buy the movie. Viewers want to have a role model that will be a good example for small children and make them change themselves for the…
In today’s society women are always looked down upon, vulnerable, or expected to dependent. Fairy tales show how the gender roles in fairy tales are damaging to young women in society. In the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty, the female character is put in danger and cannot save herself. She must rely on the male character in the tale to save her. “She shall fall into sleep that will last a hundred years. At the end of that time, a king’s son will find her and awaken her by a kiss.” This fairy tale is just one example of the many that portray similar stereotypes. This influences women in society that relying on men is okay and they have no power to be…
In The Woman in Fairy Tales, Marie-Louise von Franz studies the feminine representations in fairy tales. She bases her study on collective symbols assumed to be present in these stories to shed light on the various facets of the anima. This book points at the fact that even if fairy tales are generally seen as a form of distraction, these stories have also a psychological function which expresses the psychic processes of the collective unconscious. This is of a capital interest to analyze the instrumentalization of the princesses in the advertising campaigns.…
Regina Moore English 104 February 4, 15 Short Essay: Perrault’s Cinderella Folklore, modern media, and historical events within the western world have shown us time and time again that women are meant to be the fairer and weaker of the two sexes; while reiterating the idea that men are strong, valiant, and ultimately the saviors of all women. This notion has been used to fortify the difference between the two genders, asserting the claim that women cannot save themselves or each other, and can only find their “happily ever after” with the help of a man. Perrault’s “Cinderella: or The Glass Slipper,” is the story of a mistreated, but kindhearted, girl who eventually marries a prince and goes on to live happily ever after. Within Perrault’s “Cinderella,” women are illustrated as powerful, and are the sole characters that drive the plot. While the male characters within the story remain flat and generally unimportant, therefore challenging the gender dichotomy that has depicted women as demure, and men as being critical in the lives of women.…
As Peggy Orenstein’s three year-old daughter entered the “princess phase,” Orenstein became increasingly frustrated. As a feminist, she worried about the negative effects the princess obsession would have on her daughter and other young girls in their futures. In “Cinderella and Princess Culture,” Orenstein sets out to discuss these effects. She discovers that although it seems as if this princess craze is creating negative gender stereotypes at an early age, maybe princess enthusiasts are really benefitting from their obsession.…
In this essay, firstly, I will be addressing the impact media and marketing has on society, in particular children, and how female heroines shown through these methods can conflict with what we want to be representing as a ßrole model. I will then be analysing the evolution of Disney princesses and their representation of females in 20th and 21st century post-feminist ideologies. I will start from 1937, all the way to the last release in 2013. I will be deciphering their progression and examining whether there has been successful change in these heroines to break traditional gender conventions and tropes.…
Today, Walt Disney is a household name. You will be hard-pressed to find any person who has not seen, in their life, at least one Disney film. They are well-liked by children and parents alike, and provide a fun escape for the viewer. However, they are not without their problems. This essay will explore in particular some of the problems surrounding the female characters within Walt Disney Animation Studios' shorts and features, concentrating particularly on the Official Disney Princesses. We will also explore how the advances made by Disney’s princesses has reflected the progress of women in the real world.…
In the 1980s and 90s the female protagonists were designed to be wilder, more intelligent and more impudent. THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989) stars Ariel, who shows ‘new’ features in her assertiveness and independence, but embodies submissive characteristics as well. I will compare certain elements of THE LITTLE MERMAID to BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991) who’s heroine, Belle, was promoted by Walt Disney as ‘modern’, ‘active’ and even ‘feminist’. I will study whether Ariel (and Belle) really is more independent, or if these traits are just restricted to a certain part of the film.…