The Damsel in Distress

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    Disney, the entertainment company geared towards all ages, particularly younger children, is loved by everyone, but one thing I couldn't help but notice was their changes in how women are portrayed and their new roles in movies. 

    Those from my generation, the early 2000's, grew up watching Disney princess movies like Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, and so on. The problem with most of these stories is the overused damsel in distress trope. 

    Ever since I was little I always wondered why the princess needed to be saved by the prince, or why she would give everything up just to be with him. Movies like The Little Mermaid, where Ariel gives up everything including her voice, or Snow White, where the Prince's kiss saves her, had me confused. These movies are usually viewed by a younger audience whose perceptions can easily be changed. If a young girl grows up watching weak female leads need a male lead to help them, the young girl's perspective of being independent could change. 

    Though it seems that Disney was able to target this problem well.

    The younger audience is now growing up with movies like Frozen, Moana, Raya and the Last Dragon, or the new adaption of Aladdin, where all the female leads are independent and solve their own problems.

 Having a younger cousin who is a huge fan of the Frozen series, I've heard quite a lot about how her idol, Elsa, is a different take on Disney princesses completely. Elsa steps out of the damsel in distress role to fight her weaknesses herself, rather than relying on a man to solve her problems for her. While Anna still ends up with love, it doesn't become the overarching concept of the story. 

    For my younger cousin, Frozen has changed her views on being independent and her love for nature, something that was missing during my generation. Would we have grown up differently if we were exposed to the idea of independence at a young age?

Comments

  1. Srihari AnanthalwanFebruary 6, 2022 at 1:01 PM

    I like how this break up certain sentences to create a more strong effect on lines. I do agree that with the new Disney movies, the young kids being exposed to these movies are having a more unique experience which allows them to really motivate themselves to try new things and improve. I also like the question you asked at the end which makes the audience think about something at the end.

    ReplyDelete
  2. EvaFebruary 6, 2022 at 6:30 PM

    You bring up some very good points that I've poked at before, but you've taken the time to develop it into a much more effective, interesting piece. It really is amazing to see children's entertainment displaying women as more independent and self-reliant rather than relying on men to save them, but what about us? What about the things we could have learned and felt, had we seen these ourselves? It's a saddening loss, especially for us, the ones who were impacted by it. Amazing work - I love reading your blogs.

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