First Draft Of Essay

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

Drastic alterations in women’s positions have taken place over the last fifty years which have also been projected in the media. The traditional domestic Goddess as been replaced by a sexy independent type of female- with laws on censorship becoming lenient the female semi- nude and nude body has been plastered across the media, making women far more sexualised. However, Disney has remained conventional in its portrayal of women often liken them to children, with an aura 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. According to some feminists the media creates female roles and justifies them through the way these positions are glamorised. Women then feel that it is their duty to conform to these roles rather than a natural instinct but because these roles are so often reinforced by the media women believe it is a natural way to behave without questioning it. 'A woman is made, not born' (Simone De Beauvoir) therefore women are made to feel they have a certain role but in reality women can behave as they wish. In continuation, Enchanted (2007) also enforces the old cliché of the tradition motherly nurturing position, akin to her predecessor Giselle embraces it. Thus women are moulded to fit in with patriarchal ideology and serve men’s needs.


First and foremost, the early 1940’s and 1950’s was a definitive period of history for women events such as World War II triggered an immense change in their societal positions. This change meant it became socially acceptable for women to take on traditional ‘male’ roles which empowered them. Similarly, Disney has adapted the films to incorporate these changes but despite being apparent they are extremely subtle, for instance Snow White (1937) appears to be housebound whereas Giselle (the protagonist) in Enchanted is portrayed as being far more liberated, yet she voluntarily decides to be a dutiful housewife. Clearly, it may be argued that Disney is implicitly suggesting that a woman’s desire is to be a housewife. Additional changes include recognition and awareness of the dark side of the family and relationships that were once considered social taboos i.e. domestic violence and neglect. This change in attitudes is demonstrated in Disney films; Beauty and the Beast (1991) directly highlights the physical and mental abuse that Belle endures from the beast. Yet, critics argue that disturbingly despite the violence she suffers Belle stills sees his rage as merely a bad temper without addressing the seriousness of his violence, suggesting that domestic violence is acceptable as a tame ‘prince’ lay behind the monster.

Correspondingly, the media alongside with religion, the family, education and healthcare are considered important in terms of socialisation but as society is becoming more reliant on technology the media is arguably the most influential agent. However, many accuse the media of reinforcing stereotypes and feminist feel it encourages patriarchy by 'teaching children in particular their appropriate sex roles...It is thought the media perpetuate sex role stereotypes because they reflect dominant social values' (hegemony). Therefore, as the media is largely owned by white males which has remained the same throughout history the portrayal of women has largely remained the same, for example in Disney films Snow white (1937) was the archetypical woman of the 1930’s, demonstrated through her attire and style she wore a dress which was common for everyday women. However, Giselle still wears a dress even when she is fulfilling domestic duties but unlike Snow White (1937) her dresses are overly flamboyant which could be indicative of the satirical nature of the film.

The position of women in the media has also changed dramatic in recent history with the presence of women increasing dramatically. However, even as recent as the 1990’s patriarchy was still prevalent with as many as 89% of television voiceovers for television advertisements were males- probably because males still represented ‘authority’. Similar to this despite the young female target audience the Enchanted (2007) trailer uses a male voiceover. Hence, a deep male voice continues to represent authority and this power is being imposed on young girls. However, Enchanted (2007) is a parody of traditional Disney films so in order to subvert stereotypes of women they need to be illustrated.

Although women are becoming increasingly sexualised and audiences are becoming desensitized to this making it acceptable for women to only serve as ‘eye candy’ but Disney seemingly creates a non-sexual image of women. In contrast to this, it has been argued that in actuality Disney’s flawless outstandingly beautiful female characters exemplify the objectification of women. Therefore women’s only contribution to the narrative is their beauty in Snow White the evil witch’s motive for killing Snow is because she is the “fairest one of all” and her life is spared by the hunter because she is to beautiful to be killed. This suggests that beauty is the key to success and teaches young children to associate ‘ugly’ (usually long noses and warts) with evil this can be harmful message to inflict upon young children. Nonetheless, Disney has maintained the same image of beauty from Snow White to Cinderella to Belle (Beauty and the Beast) to Giselle in Enchanted all of them are large busted, small waists and are curvaceous but arguably with issues such as anorexia and obesity rapidly increasing Disney’s image of women is irrelevant. Yet, Haralambos and Holborn (2004) believe that the representation of women remaining the same is inevitable and will never disappear because old programmes are recycled on satellite and cable.

A simple maiden transformed into Princesses is assumed to be “every girls dream” according to Disney films. Cinderella was miserable and discontent with her life until she had a make-over and married the rich prince. Women appear to be materialistic and strive for affluent lifestyle. Through the hypodermic needle model children the idea of consumerism is being injected into children, in particular girls. In addition to this, girls are taught that through marriage they can gain status and Enchanted indirectly tackles social status but opposes the traditional narrative because Giselle comes from a rich background, looking down on Robert saying ‘you’re not my prince’ to end up in a middle-class environment. As young girls are begin exposed to this money- orientated lifestyle they want to purchase the merchandise that Disney sells. On the contrary some observers believe children can challenge texts and realise that women are stronger mentally. Overall, the increase in celebrity culture with people like Paris Hilton and Victoria Beckham becoming more prominent in the media the correlation between females and consumerism is arguably present.

Moreover, Disneyfication is a term coined by critics in reference to the way folktales/ stories are neutralised by Disney in order to be deemed suitable for family viewing. In contradiction to this, many believe that Disney’s adaptations of the traditional tales are harmful as it seems that Disney “capitalizes on the worst part of fairytales” (Maria Tatar). Comparably, Prince charming never did kiss Snow White to wake her, the Beast was neither angry nor violent and Mulan never fell in love with her general in the original stories. Therefore suggesting that Disney’s interpretation of the stories has portrayed women as being damsels in distress and teaches young audiences that males are superior, implying that Disney has an overall sexist agenda. In spite of this, akin to any business Disney is mainly concerned with profits and their interpretations of stories creates large profits- since opening their princess line in 2000 and in just one year they reached $300 million in sales, after three years their sales reached $2.5 billion (Healy). Thus, Disney has maintained the same image of women as it continues to be popular and generate profit.

Nowadays however, Disney recognise the absurdity of the traditional role in society and in Enchanted Giselle’s character continually pokes fun at this, for instance in the scene that parodies Snow White draws attention to the impracticalities of animals cleaning the house in a satirical manner. Additionally, traditional Giselle is juxtaposed with the modern Nancy which further demonstrates the lack of meaning the protagonists portrayal has in contemporary society. Unusually not all female characters are depicts as weak and passive there is an evident Binary opposition between Giselle and the bus driver. Despite being a woman, the black bus driver stands her ground as 'nobody stabs [her] bus'- her strength and larger frame show that she embodies male characteristics. Therefore, the depiction of women is determined by race and according to Disney white women are inferior and weaker than men.

Furthermore, femininity is represented as an attractive quality and all Disney female protagonists are represented as ‘feminine’- but Amelia (Princess Diaries) is very clumsy and unkempt at the beginning of the film inevitably in the end she becomes ‘feminine’ which leads to her success. The initial message being perpetuated by Princess Diaries is “in our fairy stories, the little girl's first lessons in romance: a kitchen girl, she learns, can only win a prince if she has a comprehensive make-over and some glamorous new clothes" (Leroy 262). Equally, Giselle epitomises femininity and her dainty persona and delicate mannerisms coincide with her girly image. She often bursts into song and her gentle voice even attracts the animals- akin to all mainstream Disney films the catchy theatrical songs in Enchanted are part of the audience interaction, in the scene where Giselle is in New York park she appears to lead the crowds of people to sing; this can be perceived as Giselle being strong with leadership skills and is in control. In terms of uses and gratification theory it perpetuates a personal relationship with the audience. This relationship has intensified with the shift from hand drawn images to computer generated images to the total abandonment of animation in the early 2000’s. Significantly, this change has meant that young audiences consider the Princesses as touchable so aspiring to these princesses is far more attainable. Thus, bringing the patriarchal ideologies that some feel Disney reflect closer to the audience, showing that they are applicable to everyday life and that the passive representation of women is achievable, making it relevant to modern times.

On the other hand, Pixar is another institution with the same audience demographic as Disney but in 2006 they were taken over by Disney. Nevertheless they are responsible for many original classics prior to 2006 such as Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and Toys Story. It has been suggested that the underlying message is just damaging to children and akin to Disney projects the idea 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. However, it is difficult to claim that Disney films are sexist and Susie Kopecky noted in her article Disney is NOT sexist that:

“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.”

Moving on, the Disney cooperation owns large sector of the media ranging from television channels to magazines which enables their ideologies to dominate critics feel that Disney has a monopoly over children’s lives. In relation to this, Jean Baudrillard compares the Disney co-operations power to “Big Brother” as it has immense control which they misuse and ‘believe[s] that behind the smiling eyes there lurks a cold, ferocious beast fearfully stalking us." Similarly, some people have even compared Disney to a religion by “exploiting spirituality" to sell its products and of turning Disneyland into a modern day pilgrimage site. Unfortunately another issue related to Disney’s ownership like the majority of the media it is owned by white males and therefore the messages being portrayed are mostly from one groups, painting an incomplete picture of reality. Thus, an inaccurate representation of women is being publicized.

Contrastingly, Disney films are very ethno-centric- Americanism and nationalism is reinforced in the films with America being likened to a promise land. Often this is over-exaggerated clearly proving that they are fantasies which means that Disney openly show that it is unreal. Akin to this, life appears simplistic and the films ignore the complexity of living and naive Giselle find it difficult to comprehend that people are unfriendly and Snow White cannot believe somebody hates. Serious issues such as money struggles are also unaddressed in Enchanted (2007) characters purchase objects without considering the cost. Lastly, the stories are usually about talking animal and fictional character (fairies, angels etc) and consequently it could be inferred that the representation of women is obviously far removed and inaccurate as the films are purely fantasies.

Similar to Enchanted (2007) Princess Diaries (2001) also uses real life as an alternative to animation. Amelia is depicted as weak in the scene where she is helplessly crying in the rain. She appears to be a damsel in distress that needs rescuing and in the end she is saved by Joseph; which means women are reliant on men. But Amelia does embody intellectual strength as she is an activist for Greenpeace and fights for her rights. Arguably, unlike Giselle Amelia appears to be extremely authoritative and take control of the situation she is in. At first Amelia is reluctant to be a princess so she is unwilling to participate in Royal training. Her tenacity and persistence highlights her strength. Giselle on the other hand appears to be helpless and is disjointed with the reality of the world. Although Amelia appears to be innocent, as she is a victim of bullying, Giselle is portrayed as simply minded.

Ella Enchanted (2004) and Penelope (2006) are non-Disney production however they convey similar if not, the same, messages. In Ella Enchanted (2004) the submissive Ella is so weak that a spell is put upon her making her obedient ‘which is a curse because she do everything she is asked even if it is bad’. This reinforces the passive nature of women but her love for the Prince breaks the spell, reemphasising the notion that conquers all. Penelope (2006) also puts forward the idea that beauty equals success and the curse that meant she had a pig-nose means she became housebound. Nonetheless, when she faces the public everybody is extremely accepting of her deformity and Max falls in love with her personality, but disappointed she becomes conventionally beautiful. Both have powerful messages and both Ella and Penelope break the curse but only with the help of their male counterparts.

Conventionally, in every mainstream Disney film the narratives are driven by love but it is usually on the man’s terms, meaning he chooses his ideal princess that he must fight through obstacles in order to win his prize. Cinderella is a prime example of this and the Prince stops at no length to find the one he wants, his ‘prize’. However, despite vaguely exploring love in Pixar films it is not significant to the narrative and is often based on equal love. In relation to Prop, Disney follows the traditional characters and Enchanted corresponds to this: Robert is the Proppian hero who rescues Giselle the Proppian princess from the Proppian witch Queen Narissa and the false hero Prince Edward- their pure love overrides evil. Yet the Proppian father is not prevalent which could be indicative of the modern twist. Unfortunately, this constant promotion of heterosexual ideology ignores contemporary diversity such as homosexuality but also the idea that not all women desire to be loved, implicitly proving that the portrayal of love and women is outdated.

However, it can be argued that Enchanted does explore the complexities of love and relationships. Giselle is torn between Prince Edward and Robert but Robert is confused about whether he should pursue a relationship with Giselle or Nancy. It is a realistic portrayal of the difficulty of love; they both have to decide if they should follow their hearts or their heads. After love comes marriage which results in the characters living ‘happily ever after’ in Disney films. Unlike Disney films DreamWorks Shrek highlights the difficulties of marriage such as child rearing and arguments; and unconventionally it does not depict marriage in a blissful light. Ultimately, though marriage is shown to best solution in many films appealing to young children. Thus teaching naive children the very conservative message that marriage is the ideal life choice, yet according to the Office of National Statistics, the number of weddings in England and Wales in 2006 was 236,980, the lowest figure since 1895, proving that marriage does not hold significance anymore. Enchanted unlike its predecessors does portray other relationship, for example Nancy and Robert’s co-habiting relationship and the reconstituted family with Giselle, Robert and Morgan. This exemplifies that Disney has adapted it’s ideologies in order to fit in with the times. In spite of this, the crucial sense is the final wedding scene Nancy and Edward return to the animation world Andalasia just before they are about to kiss to at the wedding her mobile phone rings but she throws it away- a shift from modernity to tradition values. Nevertheless, Giselle and Roberts wedding is a mixture of a traditional wedding with animals helping her but it has a modern twist. Both weddings are related to modern society because most women have a combination of old-fashioned and modern values.

In conclusion, Disney definitely portrays women as the physically weaker sex but mentally their strength enables to confront all the challenges they face. Nevertheless Disney recognises that the notion of Princesses and “happily ever afters” is one that is popular amongst young children and as a business it is in their interest to make a profit. However, Disney’s message that women are incomplete without men is echoed throughout the media and in future Disney should incorporate different types of females rather than typecasting them. Therefore this create a realistic more up to date representation of women as Disney is becoming outdated in the way females are perceived.