Disney Portrayal of Gender Roles in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast, and Frozen

S I Linando

Abstract


Many parents consider giving fairytales books and films with the “happily ever after” theme with princesses and princes charming characters to their little ones. For parents, fairytale means Disney’s products. Disney, as one of the largest media companies in the world, has been using the traditional approach for producing its films. However, Disney changed their approach and recently has been using the progressive approach in the contemporary setting. Disney also sets an example to transgress and shape ways of thinking in society worldwide. Using Mulvey’s theory about the male gaze and three Disney films which are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Beauty and the Beast (1991), and Frozen (2013), this paper will discuss the change of view from damsels in distress to heroines. This analysis aims to identify the gender roles displayed in Disney’s characters and how within the films, Disney has changed in few decades. 


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References


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