I grew up with Disney, I grew up imaging I was Cinderalla, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, Mulan, Jasmine, Pocahontas, you name it, in my mind I was every Disney princess. Or, I thought I was every Disney princess, except for one minor fact, they didn’t look like me. They were all white, or too light to resemble my skin colour. Even Pocahontas, she was too light to be me. I was never a real Disney princess, I just thought I was. Then came along Princess Tiana, Disney’s first every black princess. And, she was too dark to be me. You see where I’m going? While everyone thinks that Disney’s first black princess is remarkable, I think brown girls are underrepresented, or not even represented. I mean, by no means I am saying its bad to have a black princess, it’s about time Disney became for multicultural, but I think that the whole Obama’s girl’s hype must have had influenced this decision. Otherwise, why now?
Do I want a Tamil princess in Disneyland. No, I don’t, because Disney’s ideologies are so sexist, so classist, so demanding and degrading to young girls. They teach young girls at such a tender age that happiness lies in beauty, and finding a husband. Prince Charming will come, and he will sweep you away with all your problems, but – let’s face it, no one can solve all of anyone’s problems. By embedding this idea in the minds of young girls at such a young age, we are setting them up for failure, because being in my twenties, I know that I have agency as a woman, and I cannot find happiness in someone else, if I cannot find it in myself. It begins with me.
So, what I am saying, I’m saying, Disney needs to change. Not only in terms of representation of races, but of values, and instead of reinforcing gender stereotypes, and reproduce notions of ideal beauty, and patrichary, Disney needs to work towards empowering young girls to become strong girls, not girls who will be afraid to get their dresses dirty.
Here are some quotes from Disney films that I mean reinforce gender stereotypes: They teach women to use their bodies, that they should stick to domestic roles, that they should wear dresses and that beauty will get them places, all while advocating for a hyper-masculine male.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kLHZ2xGmUk
by: Vaanmathy
Tags: Cafe
