So last Friday in my ECE class we watched a video called “Mickey Mouse Monopoly”. I know people have already been blogging about it but I thought I’d share my insights on the topic.
In the Video “Mickey Mouse Monopoly”, it tells us how Disney films portray images of innocence magic and fun. It’s no surprise that children have been raised on Disney for generations, because it is such a huge facet of childhood in Canada and the United States especially. In their movies, Disney makes a spectacle of innocence; it hides behind the idea of fantasy, and [Disney] fantasy shouldn’t be questioned because it is portrayed so seemingly innocent. Disney is the second largest media corporation in the world. Even the CEO of Disney was quoted in the film as saying their only objective is to make money. Do we really want the influence of Disney shaping our children’s lives when their sole purpose is to make money?
I’m definitely guilty of having watched Disney movies growing up. However looking at Disney movies now, it’s shameful to see how they represent their characters. Women in Disney movies for example have small waists, big breasts, and are often depicted as the “seductress”, having to use their bodies to manipulate men, like in Aladin where Jasmine has to distract the bad guy by seducing him half naked. In other Disney films, women find enjoyment in cooking and cleaning, like in Snow White where she is more than enthusiastic to make pies with the birds and clean the house of the 7 Dwarves. Even female animals, like the girl rabbit in Bambi, are portrayed in this stereotypical manner. The one character you’d think to contradict these stereotypes is Belle from Beauty and the Beast, who is a smart, intellectual female character who loves to read. However when encountered with the Beast she is abused by him, made to starve in her room, and somehow actually WANTS to stay him, and abandons her own father for him. If this were real life, we would be quick to call that an abusive relationship. But because it is tied up in such a pretty Disney bow, somehow it’s ok. What lessons are these movies teaching the young girls who watch them? Are these really the images of womanhood we want our future generations of women to be brought up on?
I was the biggest fan of Disney growing up and after watching that movie I almost felt guilty. While Disney does portray women as seductresses I think Disney still has a lot to offer to children as they don’t necessarily pick out all the negative aspects;However, because Disney is geared towards children it would be nice if they tried to express the world as an equal place in order to have children feel that way!