Escape from Wonderland: Disney and the Female Imagination by
Deborah Ross had some very intriguing points about femininity and women in
general. The first Disney story, Ross discusses is the infamous Alice in
Wonderland. Ross breaks down how Alice and her various adventurous correlate with
many women without us even realizing it. As little girls we would this
interesting and crazy movie and get the thought into our head that it’s okay to
daydream and fantasize about an unknown world. Little did we know that, those fantasies
would carry into our lives as women and how we saw men. By constantly watching
Disney movies women have expected that romantic type of man to come literally
out of nowhere to sweep us off our feet. We’re living in a fantasy and admiring
a world that we really think exist all because of movies with animated objects
and animals. That crooked way of thinking has lead women down the wrong path
that we need to try to come back from and soon. Women need to wake up and realize
that this is not a fantasy that we are living in, we are living in the real
world, this is reality and we need to treat our expectations as such. However
as Deborah Ross, mentioned in Escape from Wonderland, living in fantasies is
not the only problem with women today. Women also seem to think it’s quite
alright to give up what makes us individuals just for some man who can’t offer us
too much of anything, just as Ariel from the Little Mermaid did for Eric.
Talking from experience I’ve seen many women give up their jobs, and such high
standards all for a man, who most likely wouldn’t do the same for them. When I think
about that I truly feel sorry for those women who feel that they absolutely have
to do such a thing to make another human being happy. It’s quite shameful a bit
sickening to be completely honest. If I had to personally choose a Disney story
I would want any women to look up to and imitate themselves I think I would
choose Beauty and the Beast. If we’re being honest I wouldn’t want any women to
look up to imitate any movie but this Disney movie would have to be the one. In
this story the man is actually chasing the women for once, while the women is
able to sustain her standards and morals about her for once.
Even thought I think that you do have some valid points in your argument, I think I might have saw it a little different… I don’t think us women are necessarily living in fantasy because of some Disney movie we saw when we what…. 5 or 8 years old???? When you get older you realize that your not a princess or a fairy or a dang mermaid and you understand the real world doesn’t work like that and movies are just movies. Also some women don’t need they have to give up their jobs, but that they want to. For a lot of woman they want to stay home and take care of the family and its common to see men do the same these days!! Some people just have different opinions and views, So I wouldn’t feel sorry for someone who is just doing something that they wanted to begin with. I did see the texts differently because I saw it as movies are making these story lines and fairytales and make it seem like this is how it should be or is but that definitely isn’t how it really is, maybe they’re just making up the story as it goes and there isn’t really a bigger pictures and we are over analyzing it. And as for your views on Beauty and the Beast I didn’t think that that was the only movie that had a man chasing her? Cinderella had the prince searching high and low for her.
ReplyDeleteAlthough your argument is valid, I have some different points on this topic. Fairytales and Disney movies are solely meant to make people happy. That is it. If you are over the age of 10, you should very well know that these stories people wrote to entertain you as a child are definitely not a good comparison to reality which everyone as they grow older soon realize. Every kid grows up and learns that bad things are going to happen and that their life is absolutely not a fairytale. Also, no one should ever expect their future husband to have every quality as the princes in movies because that is just simply unrealistic. Real people have flaws contrary to the men portrayed in the movies. It is nice to dream and imagine that guys could be like this but they are not. Some guys however do possess some of the qualities of a prince but generally very few. As far as women giving up who they are to be with someone, i think that is complete crap. No woman should have to give up who they are what or their dreams for some man who might not even be worth it. I also disagree with the beauty and the beast, basically almost every fairytale or disney movie are quite the same with either the girl chasing the man or the man chasing the woman. No one should look up to them. Girls should be empowered to be who they are and achieve their goals on their own.
ReplyDeleteI understand argument and what you are trying to say, I would have to disagree. Disney movies were not made for young girls to base their lives off of or to imitate. They are for our enjoyment. As a little kid after we finish watching the little mermaid, we do not wish for a prince like Eric who lives in a castle; we wish to be a mermaid that could swim under water. At that age, girls are not interested in boys and wanting their attention. They are more concerned with their coloring books and playing tag during recess. I do find that Disney encourages the gender norms that sometimes crush feminism. That's where the ideas of frilly bows and beautiful ball gowns are a girls thing. I blame the novels we read or the romantic comedies we see as teenagers. The age we exposed to them is when we are starting to realize the other sex and are going through puberty. Take Twilight for an example, Bella is not the exact girl every girl looks up to, but her significant others set high expectations for men in the real world. That is because she is much easier to relate too. Bella is a high schooler with divorced parents, not a half fish half human that can talk to sea creatures. This gives us the idea that men should be our protectors. I think Katniss is a much better girl to look up to. Although her situation is not completely relate-able, her message of empowerment and independence is still there.
ReplyDeleteWhile you made some good points regarding the way Disney handled these stories, I disagree about the impact that Disney’s interpretation of the stories has on those who are watching them. While did has presented the stories in ways that they interpret as being the preferable way to present them, and this interpretation does have a short-term impact on children who watch the movies, I disagree with the argument that the movies have been a long-term influence on how women see both romance and men. As they grow closer to adulthood, most people realize that the stories shown in Disney movies are nothing but that, and know that the real world works very differently from the worlds portrayed in those movies. While some people might view Disney movies as an accurate view of romance and a way to finding an ideal man, they comprise a minority of people. Aside from Disney movies, there are many influential factors in a person’s life that play a significant role in determining their future, and these factors influence people both during and after their childhood. Even in cases where people do end up believing in Disney’s interpretation of romance and men that could still be caused by other factors in that person’s life enforcing those beliefs instead of allowing them to see the way things actually are. While many Disney movies do have morals to their stories and use the same formula when handling romance, their main priority is entertainment, and that is seen by most people as they grow up.
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