by Ronan Smalls
If you’ve got kids, especially girls, you’ve probably had a chance to watch all of those classics all over again. And now, you’re likely seeing these movies in a whole new light: All of the problematic stereotypes are now visible.
Let’s explore.
The Little Mermaid
This film comes after a long pause in the production of Disney princesses. The first three—Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty—received significant backlash for their portrayal of the princesses. Disney took some time and came back with Ariel––spunky, outspoken, and even rebellious. Ariel lives deep in the ocean with her father, King Triton. And though she has princess duties, she often finds herself lost on adventures trying to spot humans or human “things”.
However, there was a problem with Ariel.
If you’re familiar with the original version—if you don’t, save yourself and take our word for it—you know they had to clean it up quite a bit. The original is way darker, and the ending is extremely disturbing.
In the Disney classic, Ariel spends the whole movie obsessing over Prince Eric: how to get close to him, become a human for him, and win over his love—all without actually speaking to him.
In its portrayal, this movie supports the stereotype that it’s acceptable to change yourself to gain the love of someone else. That’s not what should be plastered on millions of screens across the globe for little girls to absorb.
It’s a cute movie, still a cherished favourite, but you’ll feel a little differently about it when you watch it through this new lense of perception.
The Princess and The Frog
This movie received a lot of backlash and for obvious reasons. For this movie to be the one and only Disney movie with an African-American princess, it is profoundly disturbing. The film is set in 1926, New Orleans. So, this begs the question, when making this movie in 2009, why have the setting be in 1920s New Orleans? Disney claims they wanted to highlight the jazz era, but all viewers see is a black family struggling to make ends meet.
Adding to that fact, the movie presents a time that is still rife with segregation and portrays this “Princess Tiana” as the daughter of a servant working for the wealthy white household of the LaBouffs. While Tiana and her family live in an underprivileged neighborhood. Princess Tiana is a hard-working waitress trying to save up to buy her own restaurant one day.
This emphasises the privilege that the LaBouffs have and perpetuates the stereotype that African-Americans have a set position in society, as portrayed in the film.
Cinderella
This Disney classic came out way back in 1950. No wonder the movie entails Cinderella tending to domestic duties and is wholly reliant on escaping her home through her only viable option–– marriage.
This movie focuses on the domestication of women and the gender roles that are created as an effect. It also conveys that outward beauty is of the utmost importance and provides the only “escape” through the prince’s marriage.
Through this logic, the damsel in distress stereotype is displayed for little girls to pick up and mimic. It also supports the acceptance of dysfunctional family situations. As we all know, Cinderella was oppressed, and no child should be led to think that that’s acceptable.
A new version of Cinderella came out in 2015, and although Lily James is adorable, the plot remains the same.
A Few Things to Consider…
As we move towards times filled with greater equality, we’ve seen that Disney princesses have transformed into something much more positive. The children of the ’80s and ’90s soaked up the racist undertones and gender stereotypes of the Disney movies that came before, but now you’ve got princesses like Moana and Elsa. These girls are strong, brave, independent––everything their predecessors weren’t.
Another positive change in Disney princess characteristics is that the princess isn’t hung up on “getting the prince”. They are more focused on making their kingdoms better by saving them from terrible events that might occur if they don’t intervene.
If you’re a parent and want to share some of the classics with your kid, you might want to re-think these films.
However, if like everyone else, you’re still hooked on the classics and willing to accept the good and the bad for nostalgia’s sake, CBD pills are pretty handy for relaxing the mind and body.
And once you see these films again with a renewed perspective, trust us, you’re going to need something to take the edge off.