This is the first of two posts about Disney movies and why I don’t like my daughter to watch them. Part two should be up sometime next week.
Obligatory disclaimer before I even start writing this post: it’s about Disney movies, and, more specifically, Disney Princess movies. I realize that Disney has other movies and that Pixar’s owned by Disney, but for most people, when you say Disney, they hear “princesses”. So that’s what we’re talking about.
It comes up, from time to time, that Maura isn’t really allowed to watch Disney movies. This is less stridently enforced than it used to be, partly out of necessity—it was one thing when she was with me all of the time, but it’s another thing entirely to tell her daycare provider that she’s not allowed to watch Disney, especially when every other kid in the group knows and loves all of the movies already. But still, we only own The Little Mermaid and The Princess and the Frog, and those aren’t standard viewing fare.
To most people my age, it seems, this is a completely heretical stance. Everyone pities Maura, whose crazy, crazy mother doesn’t want her to watch Disney movies. I have yet to find anyone who responds with “oh, thank god, my kid isn’t allowed to watch them, either.” (I have hope, though—surely someone else is bothered by this, right?)
Here’s the thing, though: I really, really hate Disney movies. Almost across the board, the Disney movies (at least those with people in them—I admit that I’ve seen very few of their animal-based animated films) hold up marriage, usually to someone completely inappropriate, as the holy grail. I remind you that these are films being marketed to children, and that the overwhelming message in the end is this: Be pretty and kind and good, and maybe someone who is wealthy and powerful will want you for his bride.
Note that I didn’t say his partner, or even his wife. No, he’ll want you for his bride, his beautiful trophy.
Usually when I try to explain this to people, they immediately demand to know if I’ve seen
For those of you who’ve not read the original poem upon which the movie was based, the whole point of the poem is that no one knew if she was a man or a woman, and it didn’t matter because in war we are all affected. Her comrades didn’t know that she was a woman until after the war was won, when she returned home clad as a woman. When this happens, it’s pointed out again that it doesn’t matter that she’s a woman, and that it’s society, not nature, that separates the two sexes.
So Disney’s interpretation of this—one in which she is outed as a woman early on, one in which it’s a plot point that she is a woman, leaves me cold. Mulan starts out promisingly: she’s not great at the feminine arts, and she runs off to join the army in her father’s place. And, okay, she’s made to look a fool in the early military training, but she soon proves herself and is as good and as strong as any of the men. That’s pretty awesome.
And then she falls in love with her commanding officer, Shang. Okay. It happens. Maybe he’ll respect her for her skills and abilities as a warrior! …Or, on the other hand, maybe she’ll single-handedly win a battle for the Imperial Army and save Shang in the same battle, getting badly injured in the process. When it’s revealed that she’s a woman, the Emperor’s advisor orders her killed. Instead of standing up for her, Shang suggests that they just leave her–wounded and alone–at the snowy mountain pass so that she can find her way home. I think that we’re meant to feel that he’s saved her life, but realistically, he’s just condemned her to a slow, painful death. Despite Shang’s betrayal, when Mulan finds out that her comrades are in danger because the Huns weren’t actually dead, she rides back to warn them. She gets there and Shang—oh. Well, that’s embarrassing. He brushes her off. After all, she’s just a silly girl. But then the Huns show up, and Mulan defeats them. Again.
This time, the Emperor commends her, and Shang…does basically nothing. She heads home with military honors, and the Emperor comments to the love interest that hey, she’s pretty special, huh? And then Shang goes after her, and is pleased to find that she’s no longer clad as a man, but now looks appropriately womanly. She is, of course, delighted to see him and, as with all Disney movies, the implication is that they’ll live happily ever after.
So first he leaves her on an isolated, snowy mountain pass that’s recently been overrun with Huns who may or may not be dead. Then when she shows up to warn him that the Huns are coming, he ignores her. After she saves the day yet again, he still has to be told by the Emperor that he might want to consider her as a potential partner. I’m sure that it’s a fantastic match for Shang—after all, she’s already proved that she can pretty much do for herself if need be, plus there has to be some social cachet to marrying the only decorated female war hero in the country, right? It’s less of a fantastic match for Mulan, though, married to someone who doesn’t respect her or trust her judgment.
Mulan is hardly an isolated example, either. A brief rundown:
The very first Disney movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, is—like many Disney movies—based on a fairy tale. I’ll recap the fairy tale, for those of you who’ve forgotten. Beautiful child, evil stepmother, hunter unable to kill her, goes to live with the dwarves, poisoned apple, glass coffin. Check, right down the list. Prince shows up and begs to be given the coffin, and the dwaves—somewhat inexplicably—agree. They start to move the coffin, and the movement dislodges the poisoned apple stuck in Snow White’s throat. And yes, she eventually marries the prince.
So, really, it’s not all that different from the Disney version. Beautiful child, evil stepmother, hunter unable to kill her, goes to live with the dwarves. In both versions, her time with the dwarves is spent cooking and cleaning and taking after them. The inevitable poisoned apple comes, as does the glass coffin, and then comes the prince. You’ll note that he’s referred to only as the prince; his name, it seems, is less important than making it quite clear that he is someone of power, someone of wealth. And, of course, he saves her: Disney’s version is quite clear that it’s only the kiss of her true love that can wake her from her tragically beautiful, endless sleep.
What, then, does Snow White teach us (or our impressionable five year olds)? To be fair, it’s a bit more nuanced than some of the other films—though Snow White’s beauty is ultimately her savior, it’s also what sets the Evil Stepmother after her in the first place. Still, we come away with the knowledge that she was so beautiful and pure and womanly that the prince (who is, don’t forget, important and wealthy) fell “in love” with her the moment that he saw her. And, in turn, he’s her “true love”—despite the fact that they’ve not spoken a word to each other. After all, what could be a better marriage than childlike, subservient beauty and wealthy, manly power?
Cinderella was made over a decade later, but it falls into many of the same traps that Snow White does. Cinderella herself is good to a fault, friends with all of the animals and creatures of the forest. Every other (human) female character is evil, though, providing us with plenty of reminders of how good Cinderella is compared to all other women. Through the eventual intervention of her fairy godmother, Cinderella is turned “beautiful”—that is, she’s given a fancy dress, a carriage and all of the trappings, and a curfew. She heads to the ball, where the Prince (again nameless) has been rejecting every woman he meets. He sees Cinderella and is immediately in love with her, chasing her as she runs out of the castle, desperate to leave before curfew comes and she reverts to her normal state. Of course, in the end, it’s discovered that she’s the beautiful woman from the night before, nuptials ensue, and the happy couple ride off as the narrator intones “and they lived happily ever after”.
All well and good, though again, I’m forced to wonder what on earth the Prince and Cinderella could have in common. While I’m sure that it’s a step up for Cinderella, the idea that she “lived happily ever after” seems suspect to me—lived happily ever after doing what? With whom? With the prince, who she’s only known for a few hours when they decide to wed? The movie assumes that we won’t care, that we’ll fall for living happily ever after as surely as Cinderella fell for the promise of a life better than the one that she knew.
Sleeping Beauty takes us to 1959. According to Wikipedia—and this lines up with my recollections of the film—the titular character is on stage as an adult for less than eighteen minutes of the seventy-five minute film. Which, I suppose, is appropriate. After all, the title tells us everything we need to know about her: she’s beautiful. Beauty, nee Aurora, is born, and is immediately betrothed to Prince Phillip, which I’m willing to buy as part of the pseudo-Medieval thing that the movie has going on. Her fairy godmothers queue up to bestow their blessings upon the child, and they cover all the important stuff, making sure that she’ll be pretty and able to sing. Then the evil fairy shows up and casts the curse: death by spinning wheel on her sixteenth birthday. Good fairy the third isn’t powerful enough to counter that, so she changes it to eternal sleep by spinning wheel. Then the good fairies take Aurora to live in a cottage in the woods, trying to keep her safe. On the day of her sixteenth birthday, she meets a handsome boy in the woods and falls immediately in love with him. She’s called away before she learns his name, though, and goes home only to find out that she’s a princess, and also cursed, and also engaged to some guy called Phillip.
Apparently unable to hold out the single day it would take for the curse to not happen, the fairies take her back to her parents’ castle, where Maleficent lures her to the spinning wheel. She, inevitably enough, pricks her finger. The kingdom falls asleep just as the fairy godmothers realize that the boy Aurora is in love with is, in fact, Prince Phillip, her betrothed. Happy coincidence! He’s been captured by Maleficent, but aided by the fairies—and the “shield of virtue” and “sword of truth”—he defeats Maleficent, makes out with the sleeping Aurora, and gets his happily ever after.
To summarize: Aurora is a good singer. Also, really, really pretty. All of the adults are idiots, since apparently none of thought to keep an eye on her on her potentially tragic sixteenth birthday. Phillip likes to dance in the woods, and is also truthful and virtuous, except for when he sexually assaults cursed princesses. Most importantly, he will someday be king, and he will have a beautiful wife who can sing. Excellent. I know that’s what I was looking for when I sought out a partner.
The next Disney “Princess” movie jumps forward three decades—suddenly, it’s 1989, and The Little Mermaid is heralding the revival of the animated film. You’d think that maybe, after thirty years, there’d be some passing nod to women who do something other than look pretty and cook and clean and sing, but you’d be mostly wrong. I say mostly because Ariel does not, to my recollection, cook or clean—she just looks pretty and sings.
I’ll be honest that I’m none too fond of the original story (which is a Christian allegory in which the mermaid is desperate to become human that she might gain an immortal soul), but Disney took a bad concept and made it worse. In the movie, sixteen-year-old Ariel longs to become human—partly because she thinks that they’re fascinating and probably less restrictive than her father, but (and this is apparently the more pressing concern) also because she’s fallen in love with a boy.
Don’t be silly—she hasn’t spoken to him or anything like that, but she did save his life when he got washed overboard. She swam him to shore, and then she sang to him until he regained consciousness. Predictably, he has fallen in love with her on the power of her voice alone.
Ariel heads over to the Sea Witch and trades her voice for legs, then heads off to win the boy’s heart. She gets three days. Wacky hijinks, mostly on the part of Sebastian the Crab, ensue. There’s a bit where Ariel almost succeeds in kissing Erik–which, in Disney movies, means that they’re in love–but not quite. Her failure gets her turned into a sea vegetable, or would if her father hadn’t shown up and proved himself to be the worst king in all of existence, dooming his kingdom to be ruled by an evil witch by taking his daughter’s place as a sea vegetable. Ultimately, everyone gangs up to kill the Sea Witch. Because it’s clear that Ariel and Eric’s love is so pure and true, everyone supports it, and Ariel’s father turns her into a human so that she can marry the boy she’s known for three days and never actually spoken to.
I’ve heard The Little Mermaid billed as a trans fairy tale before, and while I certainly see that interpretation, I think that the ultimate message of the movie remains the same: in order to win the person of your dreams and fit in society, in order to be what you want to be, you need to silence yourself. It’s not just her singing voice that she loses, it’s her ability to hold a conversation, or to stand up for herself, or to ask for a glass of water if she’s thirsty. None of those things matter, because the important part is that she be beautiful and willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her fairytale love story.
Next up is Beauty and the Beast, which several people have pointed out to me as a Disney movie that’s not horrible. I can’t do much other than look at these people in bewilderment, though. Sure, we have Belle, who’s smart, bookish, and—by princess standards—fairly normal-looking. She’s brave, too: when her father is captured by the Beast, she goes to find him and tries to break him out. Then she offers herself to the Beast in her father’s place. So far, so good, right?
From here on out, it’s all downhill. First the Beast goes into a rage because she—understandably—doesn’t want to dine with her captor. After his temper tantrum, he declares that if she won’t eat with him, she won’t eat at all. Then he storms off to sulk. She sneaks into the West Wing, which is strictly verboten, and he catches her and has a tantrum so ferocious that she flees the castle, running into the woods. She is, of course, promptly chased by wolves. The Beast comes and fights them off, then they head back to the castle, where Belle tends his wounds and thanks him for saving her life. Eventually, Belle’s kind and gentle nature tames the emotionally abusive, violent monster who’s imprisoned her, and he allows her to go to visit her father. When the townspeople find out that there’s really a beast, they set up a raid, but once he knows that Belle came back to him, the Beast manages to fight his way out. Until he gets stabbed in the back and collapses, that is. No worries, though, because Belle whispers that she loves him, and he’s restored to the beautiful prince that he used to be, and the castle is restored to its former splendor, and there’s a meaningful waltz. Everyone lives happily ever after.
Beauty and the Beast is, I think, a fantastic movie about Stockholm Syndrome. It’s basically telling people that if you’re just nice enough to someone who’s abusing you, eventually they’ll turn into the princes that they really are. Which would be great, if it were true. The National Domestic Violence Hotline receives over 600 phone calls per day, and a quarter of women in the United States will experience some form of domestic violence in their lifetime. We need a movie that tells people that it’s okay to leave if he’s treating you badly, and that there are places to go for help, not that you should just stay and be really nice and hope that he stops.
We’ve just covered the whole Princess franchise. I know, I know–technically, there’s also Aladdin and The Princess and the Frog, and, really, Pocahontas ought to be considered, too. We’re going to cover that in the second part of this post, so please just bear with me. The primary princesses are Aurora, Snow White, Belle, Ariel, and Cinderella, and princess-branded merchandise is always available branded with those five characters. The remaining three are rotated in, but don’t have nearly the popularity that the big five do.
So we’ve talked about why I find the movies, in and of themselves, problematic. But hey, there are a lot of problematic movies out there, and I’m sure that Maura’s seen her fair share of those. What is is about Disney movies, specifically, that I find so offensive?
When I was little, it was made clear to me–as I’m sure it was made clear to many others–that my primary job in life was to grow up and go to college so that I could get a nice, smart boy to marry me. No one ever said that, of course, but it was clear that that’s what people, girls, did, and once they did that, their lives would be good and middle class and easy. I know that it sounds stupid, but part of me is still trying to get over the fact that this is just inherently not true, that even if you win the lottery and marry someone totally awesome, life will still be hard. That you have to work at relationships, and even when you have a great relationship it’s still hard. That even if you’re rich, life is still hard, because life’s not fair, and bad things will happen and you’ll have to deal with it, and sometimes all the money in the world can’t make that better.
I mean, I’m a reasonably intelligent woman. I’m reasonably self confident, capable, and independent. I own my own power tools and I don’t back down from fights; I can grow and can my own food; I’m not afraid of the dark. But I still struggle with the fact that my life, as much as I love it, isn’t easy and probably never will be. That no one’s going to stride out of the metaphorical forest brandishing their sword and somehow make everything awesome and sparkly. It’s not ever advertised that adulthood isn’t really all that, that you might be single for a long time, that you might be married and still be desperately lonely, that you might divorce, that you might be in a non-hetero relationship that the government and your employer won’t recognize, that you’ll base where you live on where you can have health care for your family and where the schools are good, that your job might suck, that even when you try your hardest there are sometimes bills that you just can’t pay, that life isn’t easy.
It’s never mentioned that life doesn’t have to be easy to be good.
The other reason that I’m not comfortable with a lot of these movies is because they’re aimed at kids. And I mean kids, children–not even middle-schoolers, but three, five, eight year olds. Kids who aren’t anywhere near pubescent, kids who, frankly, don’t need to be thinking about finding a partner (or, in Disney parlance, their prince) and living happily ever after. am desperately, desperately uncomfortable with the way that we market romance to small children. When you’re six, you shouldn’t be worried about being pretty so the boy who sits next to you in kindergarten will want to be your boyfriend.
Happily ever after has always suck in my craw, too. Let’s face it–fewer and fewer people get married with each passing year, and the divorce rate is something like fifty percent. The odds that anyone’s going to get married and live happily ever after are incredibly slim, but it’s still held up as the holy grail of life; the one true path to absolute happiness. I don’t think that it’s healthy to be telling small children that what they should be aiming for in life is to get some rich, attractive boy to like them.
Films aimed at kids should be about finding your place with your family, with your friends. I’ve heard people argue that this, somehow, isn’t interesting, but I think that those people are maybe not watching the right movies. The Incredibles was awesome. Spy Kids. Quest for Camelot. Sure, they’re less common than the yay-a-prince films, but they’re better. They’re more interesting, and there’s more to them–they require stronger characters and more of a plot than “we saw each other and fell in true love and lived happily ever after”.
Ultimately, it comes down to this: I don’t want my child watching Disney movies, because I want her to have strong female role models. I don’t want her watching Disney movies, because I want her to see people with full and interesting lives, regardless of if those people are married or not. And, more than anything, I don’t want her watching Disney movies because I want her aspire to be something more than being a beautiful bride; to want more out of her life than just a wedding.
Incredibly well done. I’m proud you put it out there. *share!*
Thanks, lady!
I think you are a complete nutjob! Sheltering your child from completely innocent movies isn’t going to help her at all when she has to face the real world, and as bad as you would like her to not see bad things, it’s going to happen so she should be able to enjoy her childhood like anyone else. She will just end up completely clueless as to what to do when she becomes an adult,and anyways these are just made up stories right? So she can watch them as long as she knows they are just FAIRY TALES. You don’t have to freak out like Disney is trying to brainwash children!
Oh, this is splendid! And it really explains so much. I feel a bit brainwashed by those movies now…
Well done! And thank you very much!
Thanks! It’s one of those things that when I looked at it as an adult, I was really sort of horrified by how much I’d internalized the messages, you know?
My uncle’s stepdaughter’s were super excited about my wedding. He told me that all they talk about is their own weddings and what they will be like and he was confused by it. I asked him what kind of movies they were watching at his house. He had a lightbulb moment.
I think a lot of women also rush into getting married because of those ideals, to be a bride, to be a princess for a day, not thinking that a wedding is just one day of a lifetime commitment. And one just one day, at that. Seriously, anyone can get married (even if it’s not recognised) – not everyone can be happy, learn, run a marathon, get a degree, achieve great things. Why don’t we applaud those things more often?
I think a lot of women also rush into getting married because of those ideals, to be a bride, to be a princess for a day, not thinking that a wedding is just one day of a lifetime commitment.
This. This, this this. If I could give this comment a gold star, I totally would. The emphasis isn’t even on having a relationship, it’s just on getting married and being a princess, which I think is a horribly unhealthy thing to promote.
Does Maura ever express a wish to watch girly movies for kids without the creepy Disney messages? Because I have been pleasantly surprised by the Barbie animated movies that Eris was into when she was smaller.
“The Princess and the Pauper” has love interests for the two leads (both played by “Barbie”), but they’re not typical love interests, and the story has surprising feminist undertones. One of the leads turns down an offer of marriage to follow her career ambitions, the other follows her career ambitions in a way that enables her to propose to the man she wants, instead of the man she’s supposed to marry. Oh, and Alessandro Juliani (Felix Gaeta from Battlestar Galactica) voices one of the male leads and sings beautifully, so that’s a bonus.
In the Barbie Fairytopia movies that I have seen, there’s no love interest at all.
The animation and script quality are not the best, but Eris wasn’t all that discerning at that age, so Maura might not be either.
Of course, Maura may not want to watch girly movies, or you may not want her to. But girls often do like the occasional girly movie, and I think the Barbie ones are less harmful than the Disney ones.
Hee! Coincidentally, I have a third post lined up (well, partly written) praising the Barbie movies. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how pro-girl they are. Barbie and the Three Musketeers was especially pleasing–Barbie wants to be a musketeer, and she and a few other girls team up and ultimately save the prince…who immediately asks Barbie out. She basically says yeah, not so much, because she has important musketeering to do. I love it.
We don’t have The Princess and the Pauper yet, but I’ll add that to the list–thanks!
My daughter (7 years old) has seen 0 of the 5 big princess movies. She has seen Mulan and Aladdin. One thing you haven’t mentioned that really bothers me about so many Disney movies is the missing parent. All these evil stepmothers and in 4 of those 5 movies the mother has died. And as you mention, in the one with the mother she doesn’t even bother to make sure her daughter is safe on her cursed 16th birthday.
I believe it’s the “Happily Ever After” that is the main polluting factor in Disney stuff. Life isn’t happily ever after. It never is. It’s hard. And you have to suck it up and deal with your problems if you want anything, especially relationships to work. I’m not opposed to letting children hold onto their innocence as long as humanly possible though. I don’t think they necessarily have to be exposed to the harsh realities of the world at age 6. I sure don’t want a Disney fairytale to come out where we suddenly find out that the prince and princess are going to get a divorce. Although…since so many children do have to deal with these situations maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea. Maybe if the prince and princess got married, had kiddos, and got a divorce and still had a healthy relationship with their kids and the fairy tale was focused around the kids and less around finding a relationship that might be a fantastic way to go.
I really enjoyed The Princess and the Frog. They were such both flawed but lovable characters. And their flaws ended up balancing each others out in the end. And I liked how they didn’t just fall in love at first sight which seems so very unlikely. Lust at first sight sure! But love? Come on!
All this being said, I’m a HUGE Disney fan. I even have a Disney credit card for heaven’s sake. LOL
I don’t know how much you know about Southern culture, but down here our Mama’s start talking about our weddings when we’re literally little girls. It’s the assumption that some day we’ll grow up and get married and have babies. I remember having these conversations as a little girl. I always assumed I’d work though. That I’d have a life outside the home. I remember being a teenager and another girl saying that she wanted to get married and stay home with her kids when she got out of high school. I was aghast! I do now understand it a little more though. I wouldn’t mind not having to work at all while my babies were little, though I can’t at ALL complain about the work situation I have. I am wonderfully gifted with the opportunity to work part time and from home so it’s just splendid. Gets me away from them for a little while but I don’t have to put them in daycare. (though some days I feel like that’d be a heck of a lot easier!)
And since you mentioned same sex partnerships. Gosh darn it why can’t we have some fairy tales where two princesses or princes fall in love and get married?! I guess that wouldn’t sell very well to the majority of the Disney consumers. But who knows the world is a-changing. Maybe in a decade or so they’ll be ready for it!
I feel like I’ve been really stream of consciousness here… To sum it up, I know that Disney movies are flawed but I still love them. Beauty and the Beast was my favorite until The Princess and the Frog came out and The Little Mermaid. I think their flaws can be found in a lot of other places as well. Romance novels often present a happily ever after ending. That’s why I like series where you see the previous heroes and heroines majorly po’d at each other, but still managing to somehow work it all out. That’s life. It’s hard, but if you really love someone most of the time you can work it out. At least if you’re ridiculously stubborn like me… LOL
While I do get where you are coming from, I will have to say this. Disney gets blamed for the problems of all of these stories, but no one talks about the fact that most of the princess movies come from stories that are ages old. They weren’t made by Disney originally, just interpreted. Also most of these stories are coming from ages that are not friendly to anything but the heterosexual, man’s the boss and women and children just need to be quiet and follow them eras. There is also the fact that anytime Disney changes a little piece of the story they get skewered because of it.
I did grow up with the Disney Princesses (but really more of the animal movies as I have liked animals better as long as I can remember), but never felt pressured to the “fairytale ending”. In fact I never thought of getting married until I met my husband. I will also say this, I am not sure I grew up in the typical family for the area that I grew up in.
I do have a problem with how early we are sexualizing our children. (Some of the clothes I have seen for little girls are outrageous and I have also seen baby onesies with references to women’s chests and worse) I would also love to see movies with stronger female characters and characters who work to improve their lives, families, and communities. Even though I do not have a daughter, I also want my son to be influenced by strong women. I want him to find someone who is not afraid to speak their mind and who makes him happy (regardless of who they are). I want him to know he should treat all people with respect and generosity.
As for Disney movies my favorite is Lilo and Stitch. I also love Anastasia and Quest for Camelot (but neither is Disney).
(In reply to your final paragraph)
My mother read a book where the author wrote nearly the same thing and both of us agreed with the author (sorry I do not remember who the author was or what the book was called). Both my mother and I watched Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, which is a movie I guarantee you will find suits your liking. While watching this movie, the two of us were relieved to find that the main character, Tiana, worked for a living and worked hard. To make things better, Tiana ended up coming to the rescue of the “man” in the story, versus the man always having to save the woman, assuming that women cannot save themselves and rely on men to do nearly everything besides cleaning and cooking (which is another point the author in the book I mentioned earlier talked about). Judging by your comment, I assume you would find The Princess and the Frog appropriate, so if you have not already, I suggest renting the movie. And if you would like me to find the title and author of that book I would be happy to!
Awesome. As usual. Coherent, logical, but more important, I like the life lesson for everyone, that life doesn’t have to be easy to be good, and finding a place in a bigger community of family and friends is more important than finding The One. Can’t wait for Parts 2 and 3!
Your posting above is eloquent. I do not let me 5 and 8 year old daughters watch Disney programming either (Hannah Montana, princess, etc.) for the same reasons. Thanks for such a thought-provoking post. Looking forward to coming back here for more great insight!
I wouldnt let my daughter watch Hannah Montana either. Those disney shows suck these days. Not only is Miley a bad role model for little girls. Her movies is lame and there is rudeness on her show. There is rudeness and disrespect on these other disney show like Zack And Cody. Disney was good 15 years ago. Now the only good disney movies I can think of is Up and Cadet Kelly. I personally think the Princess And The Frog is a chessy movie. What wrong with nickelodeon? The show on there is 100 times superior then the disney shows. I dont know who makes some of these other awful movies such as Knock-Up, Bring It on First Flight To The Finish 2009 (rather watch Degrassi in college), and Camp Rock I rather watch Zack And Cody all day rather then that crap.
so you dont know to much about kid and how they learn and grow. if you would read this to a five year old. she flat out wouldnt understand… FOR A LONG TIME! your kid is five and doesnt need to think that way cause that wouldnt be normal. imagination and dreams are a way they learn.
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I found this post because I was trying to figure out my own opinion on this issue, especially since I just found out I’m having a girl. I linked to your post on my own blog as I tried to grapple with it, and I’ve decided I agree with you, especially the in-depth analysis of each major plot line. I know that I won’t be able to watch my daughter watch these movies without thinking about the messages they’re sending. My hope is that there are enough movies with positive messages to keep her occupied and not feel like she’s missing out on experiences her peers are having. I look forward to your follow-up posts on this topic.
I always said The Little Mermaid could be summed up with Ursula’s song: You’ll have your looks, your pretty face…It’s she who holds her tongue who get’s a man. Probably the most honest villain song.
I can’t remember where I read this, and I haven’t seen the movie since to see how much I agree with it, but they talked about the fact Sleeping Beauty has probably the most female agency, when you consider the three good fairies (who have to save the Prince).
Dang, I couldn’t find the second Disney post. Too bad, cause I figured you’d cover the racial aspects of the “Other” princesses.
And Disney outside of the princess subgenre, like Pixar movies, are not necessarily much better about providing a female role model. Though those don’t tend to have the HEA issue.
This is pretty slow in coming, and I’m sorry–I wanted to let you know, though, that the second part of the Disney post is up here. I’ve had a bad couple of months and it’s taken me a long time to get around to it. Thanks for your interest!
I’m going to step forward and say thank-you, and also, I’m the other mom out there who won’t let her daughter watch Disney princess movies. I have exactly the same problems with them as you do, and agree that it’s limiting to girls that no matter how adventurous and positive the heroine is, she ends up as a meek wife to the love interest. Let’s hear it for Moms who are trying to make a difference in their daughters’ lives!
My one exception, because my daughter is so obsessed with mermaids, is Ariel’s Beginning. As far as I know, this is the only Disney princess movie with no love interest in the plot. Sadly, all Ariel still isn’t allowed any female companionship, so I think the movie still supports the stereotype that special beautiful girls can’t have female friendship, only male attention. Still, it’s far better than the other Disney princess movies that I have seen…
I AGREE!! disney movies are SEXIST,UNFEMINIST…ECT ECT ECT!! and they ALL have happy endings.. kids(like me im 12) need to learn that not evry thing always turns out happy….ya no,cuz theres drunks,suicids,suicidals,rapists,abusers,and more and DISEY is saying that “the world is a safe place…its all gonna be ok!”well thats not true. cuz like i said there are rapists and abusers and suicids and ect! and the wrlds NOT SAFE! ALSOOO…ALMOST ALL the disney movies are about girls and there “beauty”….i say they are UGLY! TRUE BEAUTY IS THE THING!!TRUE FEMINIST!and NO disney “princess” has that! they are all SEXIST films! they all might have RAPES, they all almost have ABUSES,they almost all have SUICIDES, and they almost all have suicidal tenchenson!!BAD IINFLUECES BAD IMEGES! THEY MAKE KIDS INTO SLUTS I SAY!
I grew up on the Disney princess movies. One of my favorites was The Little Mermaid, but I loved them all. I never had any false ideals about life because of these movies. If you think that your child will see all the “bad” things that you see, you’re underestimating your child. True I wanted to be Ariel, but it had nothing to do with the happily ever after or the prince. I wanted to be Ariel because she lived in the ocean and I loved the water. They’re called fantasy because we know they’re not real and don’t show realistic images. I never felt that my “role” in life was to marry a prince. I knew from a early age that I wanted to get married, but it had nothing to do with these movies. I wanted their clothes, but I never wanted to be them. I never thought that I had to be pretty and sing well in order for someone to like me. Chances are you didn’t look at these movies they way you do until you were an adult. Children look at these movies differently than adults.
The people who are saying, “These movies aren’t harmful to kids because you didn’t look at them this way till you were an adult,” are really missing the point. Kids aren’t stupid. These messages are subliminal and become part of their unconscious understanding of the world. They not only reinforce but glamorize and romanticize the sexist gender norms that they’re taught in their everyday lives. We can easily point out the sexist underpinnings of Disney movies as educated adults because we’ve been taught the skills sets necessary to see the problems and pull them apart. That doesn’t mean that everyone who can’t, kids included, miss the signals. They see them, they just can’t analyze them or identify them as problematic. And that’s dangerous.
I don’t have kids, but hope to some day, and I’ve really gotten a headache over thinking about how to help my kids navigate the world. So many bad messages, and it’s so far from obvious about how to give them the tools to navigate through these bad messages and come out empowered.
I loved reading your article! I’m writing a paper for college english about how Disney movies show hyper-masculinity and all of your informaiton fits perfectly with my paper. I even quoted you in my paper(I hope that’s alright) when you’re tlaking about Beauty and the Beast and about abuse. It was the perfect quote for my paragraph! I can’t wait to read your part 2!
I wanted to say that I think your view is interesting even if I dont completely agree with all of it but im also a just teenager so you may say I just don’t understand. But i will say that I grew up watching some of the Disney cartoons and movies (not pirates of the carribean or any of the movies that are a little more mature,…i watched those just a few years ago actually) and I never thought half of the things that were mentioned above to be honest. As a kid I never thought these stories were bad or anything like that. If anything, they inspired me to be different like Belle or to be strong like the Lion King or Mulan. It sounds silly but growing up where evrything around me is sex, drinking and drugs, I still look to silly things like Disney to encourage me or just to relax me and give me laugh. I also do lots with music and I absolutly love singing or playing Disney music because its not filled with dirty stuff. Its just fun little tunes to me.
My parents were always very cautious on what I did watch. I wasnt allowed to watch all the shows on Disney channel and I remember being so embarrased when I had to leave the room when they wanted to watch them, haha. I used to get mad at my parents and want to rebel and watch them anyways (though I didn’t). But as time went on I turned my life around a little and started being different from the “crowd”. (kinda like mulan, haha, she always inspired me to stand up for what I believe in even if others make fun of me or try to knock me down.) Ive grown up and have surrounded myself with good friends, and adult leaders. I have become active in church and service and in many other things. My parents don’t worry about what I watch anymore because I choose what I see, hear or do very strictly. But I still have tons of appropiate fun. :) I have always always always loved Disney and it has taught me to dream big, and even if I fall I know that at least I still persevered. I know life isnt a fairytale. I have gone through lots in my life and so have my friends. And I know that so many adults will say your just a kid what would you know about life but sometimes you may be surprised. Growing up with both parents having cancer and friends trying to kill themselves and being offered drugs or sex etc, you start to realize that life is no fairytale. I may not have a job or have to raise a family etc. but I definately know that life is no where near a some perfect Disney film. But I personally believe that we need some dreams in our life. In less then 2 years, I go to college and then im in the real world. I want to go into telecomunications. And I want to be a missionary also. I know those jobs arent exactly great for getting money and living the glamorous life, but I love doing stuff like that and im learning that with a lot of hard work I can do whatever I put my mind to. I dont know if i’ll succeed but I know that everybody in history who has done something great has started from where I am, or like a Disney characters. :) I dont think Walt Disney wnated to corrupt childrens minds by his cartoons. He was just a guy who loved what he did. he loved drawing cartoons and making stories. And besides, theres not much else for kids to watch that is appropriate in my opinion. Overall I love Disney and I dont think I turnes out bad because of it. Thank you very much for giving your opinion and also thank for listening to mine. :) Have a blessed day. -1 John 4:9-10-
WOW you guys are stupid think that Disney movies are sexiest. wow that all i can say. i guess u guys don’t have anything else to do. First of all i grew up with little mermaid and beauty and the beast and i don’t bleave in rushing in to get married and i think instead of blame TV for you children doing bad you should look at yourself first.
I agree with you Kristen, I too grew up with Disney movies and there is nothing wrong with me. I have never seen any child so called brainwashed from a harmless disney movie. All kids need to have imagination,as it is a process of learning and Disney just gives hem ideas of games to play, like of they wanted to play Ariel or Cinderella. If you teach them right, they will know that these characters aren’t real, and they are only made up.
I lol’d when I read the above comment. Honestly, Kristen, you really expect people to think you’re intelligent when you use that kind of grammar?
Just because YOU didn’t get influenced doesn’t mean that OTHERS don’t get influenced. Jesus Christ, even if women DON’T get influenced at all, it doesn’t erase the fact that these movies are completely sexist.
I honestly think if you take Disney movies to heart and get influenced by them, there’s something wrong with you. Just saying. lol. They’re DISNEY movies. Geez.
I’m 16 years old, so I grew up with most of the movies you listed there. I didn’t became brainwashed into thinking: “Be pretty and kind and good, and maybe someone who is wealthy and powerful will want you for his bride.” As a child, I never thought about those things. I just watched the movie because it was entertaining and fun. Disney movies were a good part of my childhood and I’m glad I grew up watching them!
You know you can’t shield your daughter from everything all the time. When she gets older and has friends who watch disney movies what will you do then? Not let her have friends? There are far worse things in life you should protect her from instead of cartoons. At least 95% of kids in American grow up watching Disney movies and guess what, a majority of us did not grow up messed up only thinking of being pretty and getting married (and those who did, well, it wasn’t from Disney..probably from bad parenting). Instead of worrying what cartoons will be your kids role model, maybe you should be the role model. I bet your daughter will rebel when she’s in high school and will probably get married when she’s 18. That’s what happens when your too overprotective, they rebel and you get the exact opposite of what you wanted. Not that this post will change your mind or anything.
When she gets older, I believe the hope is that she will have much better judgement than she did as a young child because her mother took the time to educate her on these types of things. She will understand better how Disney doesn’t care what your beliefs are, only that they profit. And the things corporations will do for profits are beyond what anyone would like to believe.
Hmmm, 95% of kids grow up watching Disney and you say there’s nothing wrong? Let’s see, there are glass ceilings and walls in corporate/business America; we (as women) outnumber men, yet we are grossly under-represented in politics; we still haven’t had a woman as President when most of the other industrialized and progressing nations have; I personally was not a fan of Hillary but to hear how men mocked her was insulting; women who enter fields largely dominated by men are ridiculed and harassed; the poorest sector of our society are women… Shall I continue?
If you think these movies don’t have at least some impact on the socialization of our children and the cultural values they impart, then you are sorely mistaken.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU!! I`m going to be a new mom (Due In August) & trust me, those movies have hidden subliminal messages in them (Sex,sex,sex) ! Alot of movies due now a days, espeically kids movies! Everyone should google the hidden messages Disney potrays !!! I agree with you 100%..Im just wondering how Im going to handle the critizm Im going to get from society ..Hm
I’m 17 years old, so I’ve basically seen every Disney movie there is. I didn’t notice the so called hidden messages until I was told or when I really looked for them, my main priority when watching any of the Disney movies was for entertainment and that’s it. I love Beauty and the Beast, but that doesn’t mean I think I should act in a certain way and expect anything from it. I believe that when you’re a little girl watching the movie you just love the story behind it, not the technicalities behind it, just the love story and the moral of being kind to others and not selfish and self-centered. When you analysis the movies when your older sure you notice things and you understand that the events in the movies don’t happen in real life, but when your little full of dreams and wishes you love to be able to escape into the world Disney has created. Granted I know now that there are things that are in the movies that I don’t agree with…like the Jim Crow in Dumbo, but as you get older you learn more and understand more, but I not going to tell someone not to watch it because in the end its their choice. Just like in the end I can say whatever I want, but to be honest no one has to care and I can’t make anyone do anything. I only hope that you know once your child grows up he or she will watch a Disney movie, maybe at school or at a friend’s house, you can’t really stop it. Like I said, I can’t make anyone (even if you take the time to read this long message) change their mind into allowing their children to watch Disney movies
In response to Becca Eff’s comment,
Do you seriously think your kid is going to notice the hidden messages in the movies? When I was little I didn’t notice a single one of them and I watched a lot of Disney movies when I was younger. Come on, it’s kid. Stop worrying so much.
While I understand what you are trying to get across, i think it’s a little extreme to ban these movies completely. My 7 year old daughter has seen all of these movies, and all of the Barbie movies. I have to say, the Barbie movies are really not much better. They use the same base stories in a different manner, but in the end, many of them turn to the “marry prince charming” ideal. You seem to be especially disappointed in the likes of The Little Mermaid. Would you have preferred Disney tell the story as it was written? Remember, she didn’t trade her tail for legs. Her tail split in two, and she nearly bled to death dancing for the princes amusement. When the prince decided to marry another women she was offered the chance to murder him in order to live. As if that weren’t enough, she eventually sank to the bottom of the sea and became seafoam. I guess if you’re not looking for a happy ending, you can relate that story to your children. Each princess was also their own individual. This is the premise behind Disney’s marketing of the Princess brand. So life isn’t a “happily ever after” situation. How does censoring a child help that situation? I choose not to censor my children, and yet my children have a firm grasp on how life really works. Of course, maybe we need to label every movie as being “for entertainment purposes only”.
Okay. First, I grew up in a horribly and painfully abusive household where my mother was a nagging, emotionless, un-nurturing shrew who hated Cinderella and Ariel. I saw how other little girls got to play outside, and got decent medical care, and didn’t get hit or screamed at or had to live in a hoarded and filthy home–because FEMINISTS DON’T CLEAN!!! Oh no!
I am 26 now. I was lucky–I got out alive. Unlike you women, I found a happily ever after. Don’t knock true love unless it happens to you.
These movies helped me SURVIVE. “Cinderella” and “Tangled” make me cry like a baby because I see so much of my “mother” in it. And “The Little Mermaid” probably had a big influence on me becoming Dianic Pagan (although the Disney version, despite being favorite DP film is least favourite Mermaid film). I might also add that most people my own age I’ve known who like the genre are *oh my Goddess!* GAY MEN. Haven’t met a single one who didn’t love Ariel or Cinderella. You chicks totally need to chill. I can understand the motivation but women are superior because we’re warm and gentle and compassionate–not typical traits of men. If you cave and act/think/talk/dress like a MAN you’re defeating the purpose.
Okay just going to point out that Quest For Camelot is even more sexist than both Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid. And Beauty and The Beast should at least get brownie points for Belle actually developing love over time for Beast, rather than just having it. And also should be noted that he held her captive for not normal reasons, and it can be said that they were just actually giving us depth to our villains in it.
But I really appreciate how you raise your child. The only reason I wouldn’t do similar is because I speak in pop culture references and talk about tropes constnatly, so my kids will need to understand all that, but I’ll also most likely do what my mom did and let my children watch horror films. I’ll most likely be criticizing the films while watching them, though.
Oh, and I forgot to add, saying Beauty and The Beast is bad because Beast becomes beautiful is like saying The Man Without a Face is bad because at the end you don’t see the guy’s face, or like having an unexpected happy ending is bad. Okay, deus-ex-machinas are typically not a good thing, but come on.
I think you’re cruel.
You are the most miserable parent I have ever seen… You are a paranoid who wants to control their daughter’s life in every little way. I cannot fathom how depressing and ignorant you must be to find these harmless Disney movies stupid. They teach kids life lessons and allows them to have more imagination which is important for kids who are growing up. I understand if you don’t like these movies… but to ban your daughter from watching them JUST because you hate them is just plain childish and selfish. I feel sorry for your kid and I’m eternally grateful that I didn’t end up with a paranoid control freak parent like you…
Do you mind if I quote your writing on my Wiki Site? I think your writing would suit my readers perfectly. Well ya, thanks for posting this article.
While everyone is welcomed to their opinions you seem to be one of those people who over thinks everything. Is it so wrong to just live life and enjoy the little moments with your child in today’s economy??? My niece loves Disney movies, one and all. She’s two and denying her the right to watch a movie that goes over her head is just silly. Yes, life is not all sunshine and roses. Prince charming may barely make enough and life may be tough for some. But keep in mind these movies are fictional bits of fantasy loosely based off (at times) of fairy tapes that were rather grim and ballets. Disney would get more crap if they had a politically correct movie because someone will always find something wrong with the film. Sadly on another note you kind of need to loosen the leash you have because children will do and see what they are told not to. Don’t think they won’t.
Hello! I’m living proof of growing up Disney-free. My mother wouldn’t let me watch Disney movies because of the same reason you stated–they are unreasonable. I grew up watching anything that Jim Henson put together and was read to rather than parked in front of a TV. I can safely say that I turned out normal (and with a great sense of humor, thanks to Mr. Henson) and I do not consider my mother to be crazy or to have gone overboard with my upbringing. I grew up with a best friend who was a diehard Disney fan. I dont know if this is a normal occurrence or not, but I think the ideals of Disney movies may have swayed her opinion on marriage and being independent. She is constantly searching for a boyfriend and always talks about marriage, while I am focusing hard on getting my BS in biochemistry and not focusing on making a family at ALL. I think you’re making a fantastic choice. I came out to be normal, don’t listen to what these people say about you. you made a good choice! Plus Disney movies are tacky.
im 18 years old and grew up watching all these movies. Most people who i know have not been negatively impacted by disney movies. Adults want to overanalyze everthing children watch, although i do agree that most shows on the disney channel are not exactly the best for kids. I watch disney movies with my younger sister all the time, never have i felt influenced by them. I have always watched them because they were fun to watch and for most kids are an escape from reality. These movies don’t infuence the decisions children make it’s what they are taught from their parents. Im not saying that you should change your decision on what you do with your children but just realize that these movies arent as bad as people make them out to be. They are JUST movies and should be taken for what it is, a children’s movie.
adding to what i said before, these movies should not be used in place of raising your child. These movies are made to make people feel good and are for entertainment purposes only! Anyone who thinks that children are going to look this far into a movies is completely insane and should seek help if they think these movies are going to harm their children in any way!!
Like Jessica said, if your gonna look far into Disney movies, you might as well cut out the t.v and computer.
I’ll just say my point of view from a kid whose mother acted in a way similar to Meghan. She didn’t like the messages she saw pop up repeatedly in the Disney “princess” movies, and while not banning me from them, didn’t actively make them part of my childhood.
The reoccurring themes that disturbed my mother most were the role of mothers, and the role of marriage. All but, what, one? had a living or recognized mother, and if they had a stepmom she was an evil despicable human being. My Mother raised my Father’s children from his previous marriage and loved them unconditionally and was very bothered by the evil stepmother role being reinforced to children, especially when we live in a society with such a high divorce rate.
Next, she was upset by the fact that none of these girls took more than a few days (if any time at all)to get to know the men they married. While yes, my parents are part of a religion that GREATLY values the importance of marriage in a young persons life, and my childhood wasn’t exactly devoid of being pointed in the direction of finding the right husband, My mother wanted me to value my own individuality, and value my own intelligence, and then value the companionship of someone who would take the time to get to know me and love me for who I am, NOT someone who relied solely on what I looked like and how charming/domestic/whatever else I was to gauge my value.
I will say it kind of creates a bit of a social gap between myself and my piers who reminisce and will often have movie nights watching favorite Disney movies of which I have no significant memory (or real desire to watch at 20), and seeing as my mom got me into reading instead of watching movies (I get it, when your kid is 2-5 (or any age really) its hard to get them to want to do anything other than watch the stupid T.v.) when I think of stories I liked when I was little, they really have nothing to do with what most people my age would have read. It does however make for a bit more creative effort in finding out what you really have in common with other people. And hey, I read. WAY more than most people my age have, in addition to an active social life.
I think moms who are willing to step outside the norm, in a well thought out, constructive way, to provide what they feel is right, are awesome.
“I think moms who are willing to step outside the norm, in a well thought out, constructive way, to provide what they feel is right, are awesome.”
+1
I think it just goes to show that the young ladies who’ve posted on here who were raised without Disney movies (and probably much of the pop culture media) have turned out to be far more mature and intelligent at their young ages than most of the other posters on here who are demonizing this woman for her opinion.
Kudos to these young ladies and their moms!
To be honest, I could not finish this article. I grew up with Disney movies my entire childhood and, while I do daydream of my “prince charming” now and then, I know that these movies can be unrealistic and that that is not entirley reality. However, Disney gives you happy stories that expand the imagination and are happy and fun to watch. As a child, you do not analyze the movie bit by bit like adults do and find content that is unrealistic or degrading. Children just watch it for pure enjoyment. Now, as an adult watching these films, I am able to pick up the little comments or actions that, in today’s society, can be viewed as a form of discrimination. But, for kids, they are fun, happy movies that no child, I believe, should go without.
Okay, first off, I have to disagree with you. If you really look at little girls in general, most of the time they talk about wanting to be the Princess, they don’t really care about being with the Prince and such. Young girls are more into the “prettiness” of the Princess, their dresses, etc. Also, as some have said, children mainly watch them for enjoyment and the fantasy, NOT for seeing it as adults do. I used to love the Little Mermaid so much I had the entire movie memorized word for word. However, it was never about the Prince or finding love, it was about being Ariel and being a princess.
Second, as far as Beauty and the Beast goes, the Beast was rageful and sometimes vicious BECAUSE he was a Beast. He was never like this back when he was human and it was part of the curse the witch placed on him, which he since lost when the curse was broken and he regained human form. ALso, Belle did not suffer from Stockholm Syndrome:
1~ She was not held prisoner by the Beast long enough for it to even develop.
2~ He did NOT cut her entirely off from the world outside and nor did he keep her completely locked up. Stockholm Syndrome only really develops when said prisoner is completely and entirely cut off and locked away for only the captor to know.
3~ When he roared at Belle to get out of his tower after she broke his rule, she RAN from him. Those who suffer from Stockholm Syndrome will not run, they would try to make amends.
Lastly, there are several reasons Shang was angry and left Mulan after she was revealed to be a woman. First of all, it’s part of their culture. Second, it was moreso the fact that her “Ping” identity was a LIE. Shang came to view “Ping” as a good friend and even a real comrade, but finding out “Ping” was really a woman, is what hurt and angered him. Also, he didn’t leave her to die, if you remember afterwards, she rode the horse back into town, which she could’ve done at any time, because Shang opted not to kill her (in return for saving him during the attack from the Huns). Also, Shang didn’t listen to her about the Huns because he was still CLEARLY hurt and upset about her lie of being a man. You really can’t expect someone to get over being lied to just like that, you know. As well, when he did come to accept her as a partner, I’m pretty sure he does respect her now, after what she did for China. Just because he was hurt got mad one time does not mean he hated her >_>.
Also, as I said before, most little girls (and boys) don’t really care about the whole love factor or the deeper issues in the movies. They just like the fantasy of it all.
Lastly, what’s so wrong with kids actually wanting to find love? It’s not a bad thing for them do to do, I mean, wanting and finding love is literally part of humanity as a whole. Maybe not 3 yr olds, but 5 yr olds and older might begin to think about it. Just because they’re prepubescent does not mean they have to be shielded from that. Everything comes in stride and as they get older, so does their understanding of everything around them. It’s just how it is.
~ Raz
You all seem kind of jaded to me. I would never tell my our year old granddaughter Happy Endings don’t exist. Yes, life is hard. Yes, life isn’t fair; but, it is life. Honestly, you sound like you have a chip on your shoulder. Let me tell you, I married my childhood sweetheart 35 years ago and it was love at first sight.Those storied do exist and I am sorry if life has not been kind, but I suggest not being so bitter and ruining it for the rest of us.
My children, and I have 4 girls, 1 boy, grew up watching Disney movies. Not a single one of them thought the way you all are. That is your thinking, not your children. All you are doing is stealing hope and belief that there is good in the world. You are no better than the parents who tell their children to “grow up,” when they are just kids.
Your synopsis of Mulan was what got me the most. It was very ignorant. You did not count the culture at the time, or the stands that feminism had in China during that period of time. You did not consider that in that time period, he DID do a major favor and that her accomplishment was HUGE.
Yes, love at first sight is rare and foolish, but these children aren’t watching these movies and thinking anything near what you all are thinking. Let your children be children.
And, The Incredibles and Spy Kids are Disney movies. The comment about Nickelodean was very interesting as well as I am a clinical psychologist. Studies have proven that children who watch this tv network are 72% more likely to have a lower intelligence and reasoning level. Studies have also shown that, with very few exceptions, that their shows are non developmental friendly to children. Do your research!
What are the statistics of the Disney channel? My son watches it sometimes and the shows seems pretty horrible. If he acted the way those kids acted, I would be sorely disappointed! I worry more about the shows that have real life characters than cartoons, simply because they can relate more.
If you have ever read “The King’s Damsel” in which Quest for Camelot is based, you will not have the same opinion about the movie, as well.
I am a 21 years old. I have watched almost every single Disney movie put out there. They are my childhood. My parents were rather strict with what I could and could not watch. I wasn’t allowed to watch Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, or most saturday morning cartoons. I was only allowed to watch PBS and Disney. The Disney princess movies are some of my favorite movies of all time. Beauty and the Beast in particular is a movie that I have always identified with. I loved Belle because she was so confident in herself and loved books. She didn’t care about what the villagers thought of her. She stood up to those that were mean to her and showed that she wasn’t affected by what they said to her. She was not dreaming about having a boyfriend or husband before she met the beast. She was worried about helping her father. I also loved Pocahontas and Mulan. In both of those movies the women were strong characters who did not follow what was expected of them. Pocahontas did what she thought was right even though her father disapproved. Mulan went and fought in a war because she did not want her father to die. I was teased a lot when I was younger. I was actually called Mulan at one point and I took it as a compliment because I was given the name of a woman who could kick the butt of any man who challenged her.
Also my mother always told me to not worry about getting married and to live life before getting married. She was divorced before she met my father and so she always encouraged me to think long and hard before marrying anyone. My mother was a huge tomboy and always encouraged me to do not only the girly things of dressing up but also climbing trees and playing with my toy gun. I am still proud of my less than girly tendencies.
I think that you can let your daughter safely watch the disney movies as long as you remind her that it is fiction and that there are so many other options out there.
This post concerns me. In today’s society, is this really what y’all are focusing on? I was raised on these movies. My family would have movie nights consisting of nothing but Disney movies. I was even allowed to watch the “horrible and frightening NICKELODEON!!” Big deal. I am now 20 years old, a junior in college, majoring in Psychology and I’ll be diagnosing you whack jobs in the future. Watching these movies never skewed my perception of the world or how things worked. If anything, they helped me. I actually had this thing called an “imagination”. And in today’s world, children need an imagination. They don’t need to understand everything that’s going on out there at their age. It’s too scary and confusing for them. Let them focus on their imaginations and being princesses and dressing up like queens. That’s what they’re supposed to do at their age. If they grow up to be needy and crazy and believing in all this crap you moms are throwing out there, it isn’t the movies fault. Re-evaluate the parenting.
Baillie Nickel nailed it.
You people are nucking futs. I watched every single one of these films as a kid and I’m appalled that you seriously look this deeply into cartoons. The idea of creating a completely disarmed, harmless, impossible-to-detract-negatively-from fairy tale is ludicrous.
Sure, children are impressionable, but they learn from HUMAN behavior, not cartoons. If your daughter, or any child for that matter, seriously thinks that she has to make herself pretty so a rich, handsome boy will marry her, I’d call that delusions of grandeur if not borderline retarded behavior. More likely, she will end up like her mother, hopelessly obsessed with picking apart DISNEY movies for every negative influence one could possibly pick out.
I’m not surprised that you never find other parents that aggressively shield their children from disney movies…do you know even one person that can realistically stand listening to your drivel about how disney movies are these terrible, dangerous films that teach our children horrible life practices.
Playing by your rules, children must also not be allowed to watch The Incredibles because it teaches them that torture is okay, abduction is fine, the male role in a relationship is to keep the female happy, and your boss is always an asshole. I’m sure you never made any of those imaginative leaps, and for good reason: THEY’RE RIDICULOUS. Your child (like all other children) doesn’t have the life experiences or the knowledge to cross these chasm-esque gaps in reasoning because they’re too YOUNG. Example: Kids believe in santa, but don’t even WONDER how he gets his fat ass down your chimney, not to mention every other kid in the entire world’s chimney in a single night. They don’t wonder these things because they’re not smart enough to, and since they don’t make these extrapolations on people they think really exist, why would they for some clamshell bikini-clad mermaid?
Furthermore, you’re obviously scarred from your less-than-stellar life experiences, as indicated by your aggressively-worded hate rants towards the prince charmings of the films in question. Why are they “marrying” the women? You’re wording it as if it’s something the man DOES to the woman, as if the man is always the person performing the actions and the helpless, defenseless woman is always the submissive housewife being forced into these unions. Why can’t the man and woman “get married” (or insert whatever neutral-toned phrasing you prefer). You’re probably the woman that refuses to go through doors a man opens for you, because it’s sexist and you can “do just fine by yourself, thank you very much”, or responds to a “hey guys and gals!” with an indignant “I’m a woman actually, thanks.”
But I digress…after all, what would the world be without overprotective mothers. You probably signed the petition to ban Harry Potter books because they promote witchcraft.
Seriously. Get help. Maura will thank you one day.
So what should Disney movies consist of?
-Homely or downright ugly protagonists, because not everyone is beautiful, and your children certainly shouldn’t think they are, because lets face it, sometimes people are hideous to look at.
-Absolutely NO GIRLS SINGING SONGS WHATSOEVER. We wouldn’t want our children to think that all girls should have beautiful voices, because most people can’t sing for shit.
-Female protagonists that are ALWAYS just as strong if not stronger than every other character on screen. We can’t let those stupid boys think that they’re physically or mentally superior. Male voice actors should be forced to whisper their lines while the female voice actor yells throughout the movie. After all, if you make a character that is unable to talk, our dumb kids might think that they’re not allowed to talk.
-IMPORTANT ONE: a male character can never save a female character, lest our impressionable children take a 90-minute film as gospel and suddenly begin asking their male classmates to save them from trivial things such as an endless sleep or wolves. Or, for that matter, overprotective parents…
You’re insane.
So the single mom hates prince charming stories?
shocker.
In history, mermaids were always unable to speak outside of water, much like the fish in Nemo were unable to speak when pulled from the ocean.
But of course you take this nod to historical fiction and turn it into a women’s rights movement. You should be ashamed.