Course Description

At the core of the course is the question how feminism has become a demonized and ridiculed “F-word” in an age when issues of gender and sexuality are at the center of constant, often explosive political debates. These debates often connect media representation and political representation but tend to do so in simplistic ways that bypass or distort decades of sophisticated feminist theory and practice. We will trace back such representations through the decades around case studies that encompass film, video, television and new media practices. The case studies come from the United States and beyond, taking into full account the global interconnectedness of media production and consumption as well as the transnational travel of feminist ideas. The main goal of the course is to evaluate how useful feminist thinking is to understanding the relays between media and political representation; and to develop a lasting critical apparatus to analyzing the politics of gender and sexuality in the media.


Friday, November 15, 2013

Happily Ever After: Disney Princess Films and the Construction of Gender Roles and Body Image

Adriana Fernandez
Professor Irme
CTCS 412 Abstract
14 November 2013

Happily Ever After: Disney Princess Films and the Construction of Gender Roles and Body Image

        "For with each dawn, she found new hope that someday, her dreams of happiness would come true.” This happiness, as demonstrated by the narrator in Disney’s Cinderella and in many other Disney princess films, comes in the form of a prince that results in a happily ever after. Disney princess films, specifically to girls, serve as an integral part of childhood and influence the way in which girls grow up. While there is something to be said about the pleasure in which these characters take in being proud of their femininity, there is a great need to consider the repercussions of the way in which women are portrayed in Disney princess films.
        My paper will provide an in-depth analysis of the construction of gender roles and body image in Disney princess films. To do so, I wish to research the ways gender roles and body image have changed throughout the years by analyzing three films from the Disney Princess line, one from the early princess films (such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), a princess film from the 1990s (such as Aladdin) and a current Disney princess film (such as Tangled). Interestingly enough, while there is some improvement to the overall themes of these films, there is still a very traditional construction of gender that underlines the films. Songs that these princesses sing also bares the need to analyze. In Tangled for example, Rapunzel sings “7 AM, the usual morning lineup. Start on the chores and sweep 'til the floor's all clean. Polish and wax, do laundry, and mop and shine up…Then after lunch it's puzzles and darts and baking
Paper Mache, a bit of ballet and chess.” Furthermore, I seek to conclude my paper with an analysis on the psychological impact this has on not only the children who watch it but also the impact this has on adults.
        Academic journals and articles will aid my analysis such as the journal article “Gender Role Portrayal and the Disney Princesses” written by Dawn Elizabeth England, Lara Descartes and Melissa A. Collier-Meek in which they argue that Disney princess films carry a very significant role in creating gender norms for children that are depicted in the behavioral characteristics and climactic outcomes of the films characters. Other findings I wish to put into conversation with one another come from Rebecca-Anne C. Do Rozario, Karen E. Wohlwend, Sharon Hays and Stacey Tantleff-Dunn who examine both gendered characteristics and the effect princess body images have on young girls.
        Through an analysis on the films as well as of the readings, the outcome of my paper will prove that the gender roles and body image depicted in Disney princess films is one of tradition that negatively impacts the progression of women in film. As time goes on, Disney fails to provide a positive princess for young girls with films that portray an unrealistic beauty standard and gender roles that prohibit the growth and development of women.
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