The purpose of this blog was to deconstruct the 11 official Disney Princesses by examining their historical context and focus mainly on how each princess relates to the feminism movements. The Disney Princesses can be broken down into two different categories with the first group of princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora) deriving from a post World War culture and existing in a pre- Second Wave Feminism movement. The second group of princesses can be grouped into the post- Second Wave Feminism movement and even continue on the Third-Wave movement. After the Third Wave, the Disney Princess ideograph begins to break and Disney attempts to contextualize its princesses. With princesses like Pocahontas, Jasmine, and Tiana, I examine the successes and pitfalls of each attempt to represent women within different cultures.
With Disney being such a giant conglomerate, it is important to understanding the amount of influence that these cartoon women have on popular culture. By understanding the historical contexts in which these women were created, perhaps femininity may be viewed differently and can be created in a more progressive, positive light for admiring little girls...and boys.
Finally! An awesome, age appropriate, rebellious little girl princess whose hair is as wild and untamed as her spirit. I absolutely love Princess Merida. She too is a princess that refuses to conform to the expectations that both her gender and her duties as a princess require of her. Brave is a very progressive Disney Pixar animated film that taps into the unfair obligations of a princess. Merida is funny, adventurous, smart, and obviously brave. After viewing this film, I thought there was no way that Disney could destroy the new image of the badass little girl princess. She is the first princess to actually be a little girl, and to act like a little girl too. Merida is also the only Disney Princess to lack any love interest at all. A very refreshing change. The central theme revolves around tolerance and understanding within a family. Probably a more relate-able and common issue for young girls today.
I thought that there was no way that Disney could destroy my love for little Merida after the wide success of Brave, but naturally they proved me wrong. When Princess Merida became an official Disney Princess, she got an official Disney Princess makeover. The young, adorable, natural looking little girl with wild hair became more slender, doughy-eyed, and sexualized. Even her hair became smooth and wavy. Thankfully, due the strong negative feedback of the revised Merida, Disney quickly scrapped the sexual image of Merida. However, when researching Merida as a Disney Princess, the glamorized and controversial image of Merida still appears. Let us hope that future Disney Princesses are not treated the same and that Disney may continue to tell little girls that it is okay to just be a little girl.
Rapunzel is the tenth official Disney Princess to be crowned. There is not much to be said about the shy, sweet 18 year old except that she is a throw back to the classic Disney Princess like Aurora or Cinderella. She possess similar qualities that the original princesses have but she is more modern. Unlike her classic princess pals, her dreams do not include escaping her tower to be saved by her dream prince. Instead, her dreams and aspirations include freedom, independence, and adventure. She may not be the badass role model that Mulan is, but there are little criticisms to be found in the retelling of this classic fairy tale.
In 2011, Princess Rapunzel actually received a real life coronation in London. This started a new trend of official coronation ceremonies, as Princess Merida also received one back in May of 2013.
Disney had received criticism for countless years about the lack of African American representation in its films. When they announced that the first black princess had been made, there was much anticipation and excitement around Princess Tiana's debut... I'll give Disney kudos for trying. But in terms of accurate representation, it unfortunately falls short. To an extent, I understand Disney's decision to have their first black princess come out of 1920's New Orleans. It has a rich culture that cannot be misconstrued with stereotypes, and it is a great set up for a 'Best Original Score' award. However, by choosing a specific culture of the African-American community, it excludes a representation of the community as a whole. And even though the heavily French influenced culture has distinct characteristics that lessen criticism for racism, stereotypes, and misrepresentations, in the end it still does all of those things. Even as animals, Tiana and the friends that she make along her journey all possess very stereotypical characteristics.
The most unfortunate aspect of Princess Tiana is that she is not even a human for the majority of the film...she's a frog! After the anticipation that had built up to finally having an African American princess, Disney creates her and then quickly reduces her to a slimy amphibian. Disney cannot be praised for creating a black princess because they ultimately failed to do just that. What is worse is that Tiana's prince is also not black. Although Disney felt that the world was ready for a black princess, apparently they did not feel the same about a black prince. Prince Naveen is from Maldonia, a fictional country with an absurd accent. So a a very real New Orleans is used but the origins and nationality of Princess Tiana's counterpart is completely made up. And god forbid he be a white prince and create a mixed family... we all learned from the Cheerios commercial.
Tiana does succeed in representing a hard working woman though. Her ambitions, work ethic, and drive should be praised. Just like Mulan, Tiana does not need or want a man to make her dreams come true. She makes them happen for herself and in that respect, Tiana is a feminist character.
There is no denying that Mulan is the badass of the Disney Princesses. After a failed attempt to please her family by conforming to the cultural expectations of her gender, she disguises herself as a boy to fight for the Chinese army in place of her sick father. Mulan is the most progressive and acceptable Disney Princess according to the Third Wave Feminism movement. But many people argue that Mulan doesn't count as an official Disney Princess as she is not a princess at all. I disagree. Despite her Cinderella-less pedigree, Mulan should be considered a Disney Princess as she is a more appropriate role model for young girls. Many argue that the anti-feminist qualities of the movie, such as her family expecting her to get married, the disgust of her fellow men when her gender is revealed, and the overall suppression of the women and their roles, are backwards. But they are historically and culturally accurate. Unlike any other princess, Mulan is a 2,000 year old legend, not a fable, fairy tale, or loose depiction of a historical figure.
The problems that lay within this film do not exist in the portrayal of the female gender, but rather the male gender. While Mulan may be applauded for not conforming to the expectations that her sex requires of her, it appears that the men in this movie are not given the same freedoms. In the song, 'I'll Make a Man Out of You,' the young soldiers are challenged to 'man up' and prove their worth through aspects that clearly represent masculinity; strength, bravery, and physical fitness. They even bash the men by referring to them as girls due to their weakness when they say, "Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?"
Although Mulan is progressive and sends a positive message to little girls that it is okay to be independent and stand up to adversity, it lacks in portraying a more equal and fair representation of the male gender. What does this say to our little girls about how little boys are supposed to be? Or what does it say to little boys about how they should be?
The show 'Once Upon a Time' took it a step further and portrayed the strong and powerful Mulan as a lesbian. Although it is refreshing to see the LBGT community gaining representation in the media, it is unfortunate that it comes at the expense of Disney's more masculine princess. This unfortunate portrayal claims that Mulan's bravery, strength, and independence is a consequence of her sexuality rather than her gender.
There are many criticisms to be made about the historical inaccuracy of 'Princess' Pocahontas, but that is not what this blog is analyzing. In terms of a strong, progressive feminist figure for little girls to admire, Pocahontas is actually an admirable young woman. What is interesting about this heroine is that she is the first Disney Princess to not be based off of a fable or fairy tale. This is also the first Disney movie to take a look at the negatives of the European settlement into North America. It is also a continuation of venturing further into the femininity of multiple cultures. Pocahontas is credited with being the 'hippie' of the Disney Princesses with her love of nature and acceptance of all beings created equal; a very positive message for young girls. So what is there to deconstruct with this Powhatan native?
When researching the voices behind these princesses, I started to notice a trend. All of the cartoon princesses resemble the real life voice actors. It appears to be coincidental at first, but with Pocahontas it became very obvious that it was no accident. Irene Beddard, the speaking voice only of Pocahontas, is a very Native American-looking woman. Her roots, although still technically Native American, are in fact Inuit and also Metis (a Canadian culture based originally out of Europe). The singing voice of Pocahontas is played by Judy Kuhn, a New York City native. So what is the big deal? It appears that Disney is casting these women based off of their stereotypical portrayals of cultures. By lumping an Inuit native such as Irene with a Powhatan tribe member strips the cultural significance of these women. It is ironic that Disney would attempt to make a culturally progressive film, albeit inaccurate and stereotypical, and then make a stereotypical vocal casting.
Directly after the release of Beauty and the Beast came Aladdin and with that, the Disney Princess identity progressed. With Jasmine, we are given our first princess with any sort of exotic ethnicity. Yes, Disney continued to break the ideograph of the princess by giving Jasmine a cultural origin and context but with Jasmine, we begin to see the emergence of the Disney Princess being sexified. I used to want to be Jasmine when I was younger because she was so attractive. But in hindsight, I was only six years old.
However, there are some positive things to be said about Jasmine. First of all, she is rebellious and refuses to be won over as some unknown man's bride. There is also something to be said about her falling for the commoner Aladdin but being repulsed by the debonair Prince Ali. Another interesting aspect of the movie in general is that Jasmine is the first Disney Princess to not be the main character of the film. She still holds her own as a powerful, in control princess who refuses to settle for the life she was born into.
We can applaud the ethnic diversity of this Disney movie, but it is important to analyze the way in which this Arab culture is portray. The bad guys, such as Jafar, and the impoverished commoners in the movie may have some Arab-like qualities, but the beautiful Jasmine and handsome Aladdin are merely dark skinned Europeans. Accepting this quality of the movie as a norm only reinforces the misconception that it is okay to be Arab looking if you are poor or a bad guy, but if you are good, you must be beautiful and European looking. Below is a picture of Prince Eric next to Aladdin.
Just when I had given up hope that a Disney Princess would come along that proved to be of any substance, enter Belle. With Belle, we are still a ways from having an ideal princess, but she is by far the most progressive to her date. What makes Belle so great? First of all, she is the first Disney Princess to be put into any sort of context. All of the princesses before her have no time period, no historical significance, and no country origin. By stripping these prior princesses of any continuity, Disney creates the princess as an ideograph, an interchangeable figurehead that allows the admirer to imagine themselves as a princess. But Belle is French.
The Third Wave feminism movement was emerging right at the same time as the release of Beauty and the Beast. The Third Wave movement was a backlash of the second wave, challenging the ideas of 'femininity' that were created in the 1960's and 1970's. Their main focus was on the acknowledgement that women are of all different races, cultures, and countries. Belle coincides with this movement as a post-structuralist princess. However, just because Belle is given a clearer identity doesn't mean that she is the poster child for Third Wave Feminism.
My personal admiration of Belle has more to do with the message that Belle portrays to little girls. She is beautiful, but awkward, smart, and rather disliked. Some may argue that Belle conveys that it is alright to be awkward and disliked as long as you are beautiful too, but I believe she stands for more. Her compassion and affection for the ghastly beast show that it is ultimately the person within that counts. She portrays that it is okay to be kind, awkward, smart, and unpopular... AND you can be physically beautiful too. However, we still have an uncomfortable case of Stockholm Syndrome on our hands. And it also can't be ignored that she is still a slave and lives happily ever after.
After Sleeping Beauty (1959), it appears that the era of the classic Disney Princess began to fade. For thirty years, Disney's full-feature length films either starred young boys, or only consisted of animated animals. It should come as no surprise that the lack of Disney Princess films should correspond with The Second Wave Feminism movement. It makes sense that Walt Disney Productions would lay low during the peak of the bra burning, flower power years. The death of Mr. Disney in 1966 also played a factor, I'm sure. That is why I find the fourth Disney Princess to be the most shocking.
Princess Ariel was the rock star of Disney for my generation as well as the catalyst of the Disney Renaissance. Her emergence in 1989 was perfect timing, giving young girls like myself a new princess to idolize. And we did. I had Ariel sheets, an Ariel doll, Ariel jewelry, and the list goes on and on. For my generation, she is easily the most loved princess. So when Disney released The Little Mermaid from their beloved vault back in October, I naturally ran right out and purchased the $30 movie. It must have been over ten years since I viewed the movie and when I sat down to watch it, I was absolutely flabbergasted by the obsessive 16 year old girl I had idolized. This is the post second wave feminism princess?
Let's break down the underlying message that Princess Ariel is conveying. Putting aside her obvious hoarding and OCD, she becomes obsessed with a man that she doesn't even know. She then abandons her family and physically changes her appearance and who she is to be with said man. And that's not even the best part. She gives up her voice! Because we all know that as a woman, the last thing you need to get a man is a voice. Perhaps Disney was trying to implement a different message, but the fact that Princess Ariel is ultimately successful in captivating her man without her voice suggests otherwise.
Once again, Disney dipped into the fairy tales of the Brother's Grimm and softened up the story to make it 'Mickey Mouse' appropriate. It was released just nine years after Cinderella and follows the princess formula very closely (with the exception of still having both of her parents). She is beautiful, kind, shy, and a dreamer. Shortly after Cinderella received her castle in Disney World, Aurora received hers in Disneyland. My theory is that the world saw success with the constructed ideology of Cinderella and felt it was best to continue the trend. And lucky Aurora doesn't even have to be conscious to obtain her prince. Quite the message, huh?
Sleeping Beauty was one of my favorite Disney movies growing up. But anyone who claims that Princess Aurora is their favorite has probably never seen any other Disney movie ever. Aurora has less screen time than any other princess. In fact, she is rather boring. But still, the princess with the perfect pedigree saw success. Little girls everywhere still wanted to be her. Even future playboy bunnies.
It wasn't until thirteen years after the release of Disney's first princess did the world receive another. I find Cinderella to be the most interesting princess in terms of historical context. Not because she is rich in personality or charisma, but because she lacks these characteristics and is named the most memorable princess, as well as the leader of the princess pack. While doing some research on the origins of this adoration, I found that there is little to no explanation behind Cinderella's success. Not only is she named the leader of the pack, but she also has her ruling castle set up in Disney World, when Snow White was the true original. When researching the reasons behind this development, I again found very little. No statements. No explanation. Only mystery. Interesting...
The main facts that are known behind the making of Cinderella is that is started in 1945 and was released in 1950. I refuse to believe that it is a complete coincidence that in a post World War II America, a major production would be released with the image of a domestic, obedient, kind young woman for little girls to admire and aspire to become. With soldiers returning from the war and returning to the workplace, it became a challenge to scrap the Rosie the Riveter image and instill a more desirable woman for the 1950's family ideology. Maybe it was intentional, maybe it was coincidental. However, Cinderella was not supposed to be the second princess film. Originally, it was Alice of Alice in Wonderland who was to be crowned, but the project was scrapped last minute without any explanation or information as to why. Today, Alice is not even considered a princess due to her lack of pedigree that the Cinderella image eventually created. With the feminism movement where it is today, perhaps Cinderella should not be considered the leading princess...
When Walt Disney released the first full-length feature animated film 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' in 1937 there is no denying its success or astounding achievements. The films debut changed poplar culture forever and set Walt Disney apart from the rest in animation success. Nobody, not even Walt Disney himself, could anticipate the unknowing formula that had been created for every little girls ultimate idol: the Disney Princess. Young, beautiful, lacking in either one or both parents, and desperately searching for her prince to come and save her from unhappiness, is the all too familiar set up of the Disney Princess. But should we be idolizing these women? And what does the overall creation of these characters really say about our society and history? It is time to deconstruct these stories and women and understand why Disney lied.
As most people know, the original story of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' is from the Brother's Grimm and is in fact a German story. Although the story has been revived and retold several times in several countries, it was not until Disney Americanized it that it became a happy love story. The story is not the only thing that Disney 'Americanized.' The voice of Snow was played by Adriana Casselotti; the daughter of an Italian immigrant. She was trained in opera by her father which allowed her to manipulate her voice into that youthful, angelic sound. She already possessed the dark hair that resembled Snow White but the black and white photography allowed her complexion to appear white, thus resembling a real life Snow White. Casselotti was under contract with Disney and was therefore not allowed to appear on any form of film or media, as Disney did not want to "ruin the illusion of Snow White." Although there was no denying of her Italian roots, the attempt to make Adriana resemble Snow White created a problematic trend for the faces behind all future Disney princesses.
I thought that there was no way that Disney could destroy my love for little Merida after the wide success of Brave, but naturally they proved me wrong. When Princess Merida became an official Disney Princess, she got an official Disney Princess makeover. The young, adorable, natural looking little girl with wild hair became more slender, doughy-eyed, and sexualized. Even her hair became smooth and wavy. Thankfully, due the strong negative feedback of the revised Merida, Disney quickly scrapped the sexual image of Merida. However, when researching Merida as a Disney Princess, the glamorized and controversial image of Merida still appears. Let us hope that future Disney Princesses are not treated the same and that Disney may continue to tell little girls that it is okay to just be a little girl.
There is no denying that Mulan is the badass of the Disney Princesses. After a failed attempt to please her family by conforming to the cultural expectations of her gender, she disguises herself as a boy to fight for the Chinese army in place of her sick father. Mulan is the most progressive and acceptable Disney Princess according to the Third Wave Feminism movement. But many people argue that Mulan doesn't count as an official Disney Princess as she is not a princess at all. I disagree. Despite her Cinderella-less pedigree, Mulan should be considered a Disney Princess as she is a more appropriate role model for young girls. Many argue that the anti-feminist qualities of the movie, such as her family expecting her to get married, the disgust of her fellow men when her gender is revealed, and the overall suppression of the women and their roles, are backwards. But they are historically and culturally accurate. Unlike any other princess, Mulan is a 2,000 year old legend, not a fable, fairy tale, or loose depiction of a historical figure.
The show 'Once Upon a Time' took it a step further and portrayed the strong and powerful Mulan as a lesbian. Although it is refreshing to see the LBGT community gaining representation in the media, it is unfortunate that it comes at the expense of Disney's more masculine princess. This unfortunate portrayal claims that Mulan's bravery, strength, and independence is a consequence of her sexuality rather than her gender.
