Essay plan

Title
To what extent does 'Enchanted' problematise the stereotypical representation of women in Disney films?

Hypothesis
Despite the alteration of female roles in society, Walt Disney films have remained conventional in the representation of women. The idea of a damsel in distress is prevalent in ‘Enchanted’; Disney films depict women as passive.

My independent study focuses on the representation of women in Disney films; however Enchanted (2007) is my main text of reference because it highlights that despite the alterations in female positions- mostly triggered by Feminist movement- Disney constantly project women as merely searching for her prince charming and once rescued she depends on him for support financially and emotionally. The protagonist, Giselle, is an archetypal Disney female character and similar to her predecessors is in search for ‘the one’, but it results in Giselle choosing Edward instead. This element of choice is vital as it make the film more relevant because many films now portray the notion ‘of being stuck between two lovers’, yet Disney continues to suggest that women need a man and ignore modern concepts such as homosexuality and female independence. Disney remains traditional but raises the question: has the role of women altered that much? Or has their role just become modernised i.e. they have careers in addition to taking care of domestic duties? Regardless if the representation of women in Disney films is outdated it is exposed to children on such a grand scale that they emulate the gender stereotypes and from a young age children are begin taught that it is a true reflection of society.

Important texts in relation to my research are Snow White and the seven dwarfs (1937), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Cinderella (1950) as they are regularly eluded in the film and are relate to Enchanted (2007) in terms of historical context. Toys story (1995) and Ratatouille (2006) are also topical as they enable me to compare the representation of women across the animation spectrum. Lastly Princess Diaries (2001) is also a Disney film evolving around a real life (as oppose to animated) princess, therefore it encompasses similar ideologies meaning a new Disney parody genre has arisen but the underlying message remains the same.

Introduction paragraph: Drastic alterations in women positions have taken place over the last fifty years. However as censorship has decreased women’s nude body have been thrust in the media, seemingly women are being objectified. The traditional domestic Goddess as been replaced by a sexy independent type of female; yet Disney has remained conventional in its portrayal of women often liken them to children, with an ore of innocence. Moreover, females continue to be portrayed as damsels in distress yearning to be rescued by her prince despite historical events attempting to emancipate women from patriarchal stereotypes, for instance the suffragette movement.

The change in women’s positions:
•Feminist movement- it occurred whilst Disney was at its peak, fighting for women’s rights in society. Nevertheless, despite feminist progression Disney continue to have a major influence over children and yet perpetuate the same female stereotypes.
•Divorce- both men and women are now allowed to get divorced this has given women far more freedom and in contrast to housebound snow white Giselle appears to have far more liberation, yet she voluntarily decides to be a dutiful housewife.
•WWII- women had to take on male jobs which lead to them acquire more manual skills and the perception of femininity changed, it become social acceptable for women to smoke.
•Change in social attitude- the dark-side of the family is no longer a social taboo; issues such as domestic violence and neglect are openly acknowledged in society. Yet disturbingly the beast in beauty in the beast physically and mentally abuses Belle but she sees his rage as merely a bad temper without addressing the seriousness of his violence. It is simply suggesting that domestic violence is acceptable and encouraging girl to stay with violent partner because inside the monster is a ‘prince’.
•Binary opposition- contradiction between modern working Nancy - knowledgeable, wise whereas traditional Giselle is extremely naive, air-headed with a sense of innocence- but both of them strive for marriage.

The change in female representation in the media:
•Censorship- over the year’s censorship has been less restrictive so women’s nude bodies are legally allowed to be displayed. Therefore women are becoming more sexualized. Although women are not presented as overly sexualized objects they are merely for the males gratification and are expected to look immaculate for their partners; women are simply ‘eye candy’.
•Haralambos and Holborn (2004) suggest that the representation of women has remained the same and these portrayals will never disappear because old programmes are recycled on satellite and cable.
•Mulvey’s male gaze- the theory suggests that audiences are forced to view texts from the perspective a heterosexual male, films constantly focus on women’s curves and events that happen to them are portrayed at a male angle.
•This opposes Mulvey’s theory and has implied that certain texts can be seen through the females gaze rather than the males. Gamman and Marshment feel that patriarch can be challenged sometimes and a female gaze can be possible. They describe the media 'as a site where meanings are contested and dominant ideologies can be disturbed’. Therefore, it is not necessarily true that all media are created through the male gaze
•In the 1990’s 89% of television voiceovers for television advertisements were males- probably because males represented ‘authority’. However, it clearly shows that patriarchy is covertly still existent as women are simply ignores.

Disney’s changes to origin stories
•Maria Tatar, Harvard folklorist, also sees harm in the movies since “[Disney] capitalizes on the worst part of fairytales”.
•Prince charming did not kiss Snow White to wake her. Ariel never really loved Eric. The Beast was not angry and violent. Mulan never fell in love with her general. At least not in the original versions of the stories; all these changes were added by Disney to make a more interesting movie, or to forward a sexist agenda- Ali Wachutka
•Disneyfication is a term used by critics of the Disney style to describe the way in which a story is sanitised by the removal of controversial sexual, morally ambivalent, or violence content in order to make it suitable for family viewing. Disneyfication also involves the neutralising of cultural differences and variations, either through the creation of safe ethnic stereotypes or their elimination from the narrative. For example Pocahontas (Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg, 1995), a pro-colonial; narrative with stereotyped ethnicity and patriarchal values. The genocidal behaviour of early white settlers in their conduct towards Native Americans is conveniently sanitised.

Representation of women early Disney films compared to current Disney films
•Explore the move from simple 2-D (two-dimensional) animation to realistic 3-D animation and/or real life non-animation i.e. from Cinderella to Princess Diaries- Relevance to female’s i.e. curvaceous animations. This is significant as the women are now touchable/ realistic so girls feel that aspiring to these princesses is far more attainable.

Love and marriage
•Love is a concept that is explored in every mainstream Disney film and is presented as an emotion that is the root of all happiness. However, love is usually on the man’s terms meaning he chooses his ideal princess that he must fight through obstacles (usually a wicked witch) to win his prize (corresponding to Proppian character).
•Love is also considered the solution to a difficult problem and a woman’s ultimate desire is to be wanted and loved by a man (heterosexual ideology).
•After finding the ‘perfect’ the all get married and ‘live happily ever after’ in Disney films. However unlike Disney films Dreamworks Sherk explores the difficulties of marriage such as child rearing and arguments; and unconventionally it does not depict marriage in a blissful light. Ultimately marriage is the best solution in films appealing to young children. Thus, teaching naive children marriage it is the ideal life choice.

Gender stereotypes
•Males are portrayed as the superior sex in comparison to their weak dependent female counterparts. Clearly there are segregated gender roles- women are housewives and the males are the breadwinners.
•Disney still portrays women as the weaker sex although over time female Disney characters rebel against male authoritative figures in the end they succumb to their commands. Females are often large busted, small waisted curvaceous, white with long waist length hair and these stereotypical images have been prevalent in early Disney films.
•But Wilmott and Young feel that domestic duties are becoming symmetrical and an increase in domestic equality.
•'The media act as socialization agents...teaching children in particular their appropriate sex roles...It is thought the media perpetuate sex role stereotypes because they reflect dominant social values” Van Zoonen, quoted in D. Strinati, An Introduction to the Theories of Popular Culture.
•'A woman is made, not born' (Simone De Beauvoir) - women are socialised to conform to societies expectations of how they should behave.

Comparing Pixar and Disney’s representation of women
•Pixar are responsible for producing many original fun family films such as Finding Nemo, Ratatouille and Toys story. However, it has been suggested that the ultimate message has damaging message on children and akin to Disney projects the harmful message that girls are inferior to boys. Shockingly, to date Pixar cease to produce a film that has a clear female protagonist- often women are placed as sidekicks to their male counterparts.
•All of the classic Disney movies that we all grew up on, like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, are character-driven stories. And more than that, they are uniquely female character-driven.
•All of the highest grossing classic Disney movies are about women, and generally women who are significantly disadvantaged. The women of these stories are clever, and somehow manage to overcome great odds, sometimes with a little help from friends, and often with their own cunning. Therefore Disney is not a suppressive tool for women but it enables them to succeed in society which is said to be the main focus of the films.

Disney’s power- large scale
•Children cannot escape Disney’s influence (especially in America) as Disney cooperation owns a large sector of the media, ranging from television channels to magazines. Therefore the only messages being shown to children are from an old white male’s perspective which is the reason Disney film paint an incomplete picture of reality.
•Christopher Jamison, the Abbot of Worth in West Sussex, has accused the corporation of "exploiting spirituality" to sell its products and of turning Disneyland into a modern day pilgrimage site.

Disney controversy (Racism, subliminal messages)
•According to the documentary Mickey Mouse Monopoly racism is also prevalent in Disney films with racial generalisations being put forward in them. It is disguised through the use of animal characters such as the cats in Lady and the Tramp as they embody characteristics associated with Chinese people like slanted eyes. Yet it is so careful constructed that often it goes unnoticed, subtle racial stereotypes empower the white man like Tarzan who is the white heroic saviour whereas ethnic minorities are portrayed as strange or unpleasant. Automatically children learn that non-white citizens are corrupt individuals which is an outdated perception as it embraces the white saviours.
•Artist Joe Grant, who is also Jewish, agrees. "Walt was not anti-Semitic," Grant told an interviewer. "Some of the most influential people at the studio were Jewish.
•Floyd Norman, an African-American story artist, also rejects the racism accusation. “Personally, I never felt any prejudice from Walt."
•It can be argued that subconsciously Disney is corrupting children and teaching them incorrect values. Critics of Disney believe that the films encourage the ideology of patriarchy as women are depicted as dependant on their male love interest.

Conclusion- summarise key points, refer to question (does Enchanted (2007) portray women in the same light as previous Disney films) - conclude how true this statement is.

Bibliography:

Daily Telegraph: Bishops deliver damning verdict on Britain under Labour rule, 28th December 2008.

Giroux, Henry A (2001): The mouse that roared Disney and the End of Innocence