Men Act, Women Are: An Active and Passive Dichotomy
This is a common trope in media – men act, women are. Men are portrayed as the doers, the plot movers, the game changers. Women are meant to sit, wait for the leading male (possibly to rescue her), and above all be beautiful. This theme is common in children’s movies, especially classic Disney films. However, this is not a thing of the past. Current films and TV shows use this theme frequently. The theme in itself is not damaging, but the underlying message as well as its prevalence, is concerning. This theme falls hand-in-hand with the idea of the Damsel in Distress. A perfect example of these ideas is the classic story of Snow White. The men act, the lady ... waits.
The movie begins when …show more content…
This is the stereotypical view of the traditional woman who cooks and cleans while perfectly dressed with not so much as a hair out of place. While this view is centered on the 1950’s the basic ideas of the woman’s role has been the same for hundreds of years. Women are socialized to believe that their position in life is to care for the home and the men who occupy it. The Seven Dwarves work in a diamond mine, a very masculine role. They work with dangerous equipment in a dangerous environment and work long hours. When they return to their cottage they are distressed to find that someone has disturbed their home. They are pleasantly surprised when they find that it is the Princess, Snow White. They, like the Prince, are captivated by her beauty. The dwarves make an agreement with Snow White that they will keep her safe if she does the cooking and cleaning for them. By agreeing to this she is put in a position of servitude. A woman is supposed to be responsible for everything in the kitchen while the man, the dwarves serving as the man in the story, is the protector and is the one who will be right in the end. They warn her not to let anyone in, but Snow White disobeys them. In doing so she disobeyed men, which leads to the consequence of being poisoned and death. This creates the idea that women should take a man's advice on all
This is a common trope in media – men act, women are. Men are portrayed as the doers, the plot movers, the game changers. Women are meant to sit, wait for the leading male (possibly to rescue her), and above all be beautiful. This theme is common in children’s movies, especially classic Disney films. However, this is not a thing of the past. Current films and TV shows use this theme frequently. The theme in itself is not damaging, but the underlying message as well as its prevalence, is concerning. This theme falls hand-in-hand with the idea of the Damsel in Distress. A perfect example of these ideas is the classic story of Snow White. The men act, the lady ... waits.
The movie begins when …show more content…
This is the stereotypical view of the traditional woman who cooks and cleans while perfectly dressed with not so much as a hair out of place. While this view is centered on the 1950’s the basic ideas of the woman’s role has been the same for hundreds of years. Women are socialized to believe that their position in life is to care for the home and the men who occupy it. The Seven Dwarves work in a diamond mine, a very masculine role. They work with dangerous equipment in a dangerous environment and work long hours. When they return to their cottage they are distressed to find that someone has disturbed their home. They are pleasantly surprised when they find that it is the Princess, Snow White. They, like the Prince, are captivated by her beauty. The dwarves make an agreement with Snow White that they will keep her safe if she does the cooking and cleaning for them. By agreeing to this she is put in a position of servitude. A woman is supposed to be responsible for everything in the kitchen while the man, the dwarves serving as the man in the story, is the protector and is the one who will be right in the end. They warn her not to let anyone in, but Snow White disobeys them. In doing so she disobeyed men, which leads to the consequence of being poisoned and death. This creates the idea that women should take a man's advice on all