In class, we were shown a children's book from around the 50s that discucssed gender roles of boys and girls of the time. Several of them took me by surprise because the norm today has changed, or at least it's not politically correct to still think the way the book presented some of the gender roles. The book really got me thinking about how children being raised in 2011 are exposed to gender roles. My 2 year old daughter is currently in love with Disney princesses, and while watching Beauty and the Beast, I saw many things I had never noticed before that dealed with sexism and gender roles. I did a quick youtube search and found this cool video that pretty much sums up and adds onto what I realized.
Do you think what the children of the next generation are watching represents a positive trend in our society regarding gender roles and sexism?
Saturday, January 22, 2011
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I don't feel that children of the next generation are watching movies which represent a positive trend in our society regarding gender roles and sexism and I believe that this clip demonstrates just that. This clip illustrates how there is such a clear cut between male and female characteristics as well as showing how the males are always powerful and in control. The women are always shown as the damsel in distress, as if she is incapable of saving herself. These representations can be detrimental to children as they are learning at such an early age that men and women have very distinct characteristics, which, in reality, is not the case. There are actually more differences within sexes than between sexes, and I believe if that was portrayed in movies then children would grow to be more accepting of others, as well as becoming more comfortable with themselves if they don't have those culturally accepted traits of either a male or female. I think one other detrimental factor is the way that the characters are drawn. The males are always shown to be strong and muscular, while the females are drawn with extremely thin waists that are completely unrealistic. This can be damaging to to individual's self-esteem and could likely contribute to disordered eating later in life. I think that children's movies should just show more diversity in image, roles, and characteristics among the characters to better represent males and females in today's society.
ReplyDeleteI thought that this video was very interesting. I had never analyzed Disney movies so closely before. I had not ever noticed the kind of messages these movies could be sending to these young children. As I was watching this video, it dawned upon me all the other disney movies that displayed male and female gender roles in this manner. Disney movies have a lot of influence on children and I would be happier if Disney was more diverse in the characters they choose to portray. I agreed with the video when the narrator said media and Disney should try and break the cycle of showing stereotypical behaviors, such as violence, dominance, and sexism, to young boys and try and focus on compassion and vulnerability of the male roles. I also think disney and media should show women in more independent roles and not always as the "damsels in distress." I think that sends a message to young girls that they should be weak and boys will come save them.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about this video. Here is what I liked.
ReplyDelete-I think it is an excellent point that oversimplified views of gender roles can be detrimental to children's development. What happens if I don't feel like conforming to one of those roles? What if I am a man who likes things typically contrued as feminine? If you have a very narrow view of gender appropriate behavior you could become very confused. In light of this, showing a broader view of masculinity and femininity is laudable.
Here is what I didn't like:
-I felt that the video was manipulative and biased. If your purpose is to reduce everything you see to fit into a feminist theory of the world of course that is what you are going to get. If you have already come to that conclusion that is all you are going to see in Disney movies (or most movies for that matter). If I decided that I was going to go through disney movies and look for examples of how they are progressive in helping people get out of gender roles I am sure I would find it. The fact that the creator of this clip attached all of this meaning to what he saw in Disney films says more about him than it does about Disney.
I think this video has some very good points about sexism. I agree that characters in most Disney movies are portrayed in an unrealistic way and therefore, stereotypes begin to form out of these physical appearances. I know that in my personal experience, when I was a young boy and watched multiple Disney movies, my life was being influenced by the images I saw; even though I sometimes did not understand what was being said (being spanish my first language). Stereotypes are being made out of these movies, I think that it has affected children of past generations and if movies are kept being displayed like this, it will affect future generations. Despite all these stereotypes, I do think that Disney movies can still give good life messages about what consequences life can bring; the problem is that not always children interpret these messages in the correct way. In conclusion, I agree that Disney should find a way of balance in how it displays the characters, without forming high sexist stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteI respect this individual's opinion. I think he did a wonderful job making is point, however I will have to disagree on most of the ideas he posed.
ReplyDeleteHere is my reasoning:
1. NOT THE FIRST AND NOT THE LAST: DIsney movies do emphasize fairly strict gender roles, stereotypical male/female behaviors and characteristics however, they aren't the first, and will definitely not be last. Movies and Animation are a mode of storying telling in our day. Aladin, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules have been around for centuries. Fairytales, folklores, stories, legends have always existed in every society. I am not saying its okay or justifying it I am just pointing out that its not DISNEY per say it is a product of society that defines stereotypes.
2. YOU ARE WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT: When I watch the Lion King, the theme I take from it is "remember who you are, stay true to yourself, realize your full potential, stick with your family etc.." From Mulan...protect your family, if you work hard, you can accomplish anything," Mulan is the epitome of breaking gender roles, as she saves China, returns honor to her family etc etc.
3. FAKE vs. REALITY: Children are very smart. What Disney does in its animated films is creates a magical world, full of talking animals, genies, mythical people, witches, castles, being smashed by a piano and so forth are all things that can never be real. I believe that by age 4 or 5 children know that the environment of these films can never happen, thus we as parents can talk with our children and discuss the good themes that come out of films like this. Now other reality shows sit coms and things show little kids with boyfriends and girlfriends and stereotypes glorifying that aspect of life in real settings that can be way more confusing to a child than a genie and a lamp.
BOTTOM LINE: We need to see all angles of the argument and make an educated decision on how we will raise our children. It is our responsibility to teach our children real principles and truth because we are never going to cure society of gender bias and stereotypes in the media. What we can do is train our children to glean honest truth from everything and to be well rounded and smart enough to find the truth in the mess we live in.
In most Disney movies, the obsessive, manipulative, hypermasculine, power-hungry guys are the bad guys (Jafar, Gaston, Scar, etc.). Isn't that a good message ("don't be like these guys")? The good guys care about the girl, the bad guys are selfish jerks. Simba and Nala are best friends, Scar makes the females his slaves, etc. That's what I learned from Disney.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, the video has a good point too. Not all the gender messages are good, but they're not all bad either.