Disney is Not Sexist

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Published: December 15, 2009Posted in: Culture, Entertainment, OpinionTags:
Disney is Not Sexist

Susie Kopecky:

I recently read an opinion piece with the topic of sexism in movies in the forefront. In the opinion piece, the Disney label came under fire for alleged subliminal sexism. It was argued that the classic Disney movies of the last 70 years have been inherently sexist; I couldn’t disagree more.

For those who track patterns in entertainment, a significant shift has occurred in the way Disney movies have been treated over the last 15 years or so. Fifty years ago, Disney was lionized; today, Disney is demonized. In the 20th century, Disney was called a revolutionary entertainer; in the 21st century, Disney is called sexist, up high in its ivory tower of misogyny. The great irony is how people seem to be missing the greater point: All of the classic Disney movies that we all grew up on, like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella, are character-driven stories. And more than that, they are uniquely female character-driven. With the exception of The Lion King, all of the highest grossing classic Disney movies are about women, and generally women who are significantly disadvantaged. The women of these stories are clever, and somehow manage to overcome great odds, sometimes with a little help from friends, and often with their own cunning.

A similar argument has been placed against Shakespeare; some of the bard’s best-known and most beloved comedies revolve around female characters who are ultimately pulling all the strings, not to mention heartstrings. One of Shakespeare’s often overlooked gems is All’s Well That Ends Well. The late Professor Richard Helgerson, a UCSB professor and world-renowned Shakespearean expert, covered this play extensively in a senior seminar at UCSB. Really the story of the poor but clever Helena, this play chronicles Helena’s journey to determine her own future and live the life of her choosing. Using only her wit and cleverness, Helena gets everything she wants by the end, including the man of her choosing. Twelfth Night is a popular Shakespearean comedy, again starring a clever girl with the odds stacked against her. Believing that she is completely alone, with no physical resources to her name, Viola still somehow manages to come out completely on top in the end, with the man of her specific choosing. What is especially interesting about these two particular comedies is that the women choose men they love, and make a conscious decision to do whatever it takes to make their lives happy, even if it is abundantly clear that these men don’t necessarily want these same women.

Like Disney, the name of Shakespeare also has been misrepresented as “sexist” in recent years. Tragically, the main message of his stories are missed: that women can do the same things as men; that a woman can decide her fate and a woman can in fact choose the mate of her particular liking, if she decides to end up with a mate at all. The Disney movies that are now being smeared as “sexist” are of the same mind: A woman is an amazing creature, capable of the most profound and magical things.

In Disney’s Pocahontas, is it not Princess Pocahontas who saves John Smith and truly brings the term “roughing it” to new light? In Cinderella, the eponymous heroine has everything working against her: Her only ally is deceased, her step-mother and step-sisters are cruel and domineering, and she has no visible hope of ever raising herself up in society. And yet, her unflappable optimism and refusal to give in to cynicism (and a little help from her fairy godmother) are ultimately the keys that allow her to end up with everything she had ever dreamt of, and more. And don’t forget: Cinderella wanted a wonderful prince of a man (like every girl dreams of), but she wasn’t the one chasing the prince out of the ball, and she sure wasn’t the one making every woman in the kingdom try on a slipper made out of possibly the very worst material with which to construct a slipper, glass! Snow White is a very interesting story, as the drama entirely revolves around the beautiful, young Snow White and the beautiful (but crazy) Queen. Really, the prince of this story is little more than an afterthought; his only role is giving Snow White a kiss – yup, that’s about all. Of course, the message of love is celebrated, but the Prince has no direct impact on Snow White, as Snow White’s character is forged by her own life experiences, and her decisions to think positively, regardless of the fact that her only remaining family member wants nothing more than to see her dead. The seven dwarfs, who later became loving friends, didn’t exactly welcome Snow White’s initial entrance into their lives. (And who could really blame them? She basically broke in.) It was through her compassion, thoughtfulness and understanding, that they became better, more caring people.

The popular trend now is to read too much (and in this case, incorrectly) into fairly straightforward fables. Clearly, these stories never really happened, and there was never a Snow White to eat a poisoned apple. Such fables were constructed long ago to pass on a positive message of the endurance of the human (and perhaps specifically female) spirit, and the ability to change the playing field, even when the game appears set. In summary: The Disney women faced terrible odds, and through their positive character traits, intelligence, deep sense of humanity, understanding and innate cleverness and cunning, they triumphed. Even Peter Pan was not much of a hero until his contact with Wendy. Look back at these classics we grew up on – and see why they have survived so long. Ultimately, parents would rather have their daughters see positive role models; Disney has made a 70+ year career out of providing such positive female role models. Thanks for the memories, Walt. Disney Corporation – rock on.

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