When you look back on your fondest childhood cinematic experiences you typically recall a repeated structure. The movie begins with you watching a story about a family, when something tragic happens to so called family member, you then watch a montage filled with scenes that show trials and tribulations, until you reach the end that all problems are resolved, the family is happy and peaceful once again, and you, the audience member leave the theater feeling warm and happy because you just learned a valuable lesson about life and the importance of kinship. And whether or not your childhood was filled with cartoon movies or real life movies, one thing that was always untouchable was the role of the woman in the family. Similar to the message
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Often times, they are your first exposure to love and death and you continue seeing those same storylines played out even as an adult. Children’s movies also show what exactly society views as an acceptable family dynamic. As presented in the movie Daddy Daycare, Eddie Murphey’s character, the breadwinner, loses his job and is unable to pay for the posh daycare for his only son. He then turns to running a daycare with his best friend as a source of income. What’s interesting about the storyline in the movie is that despite the mother being a lawyer and receiving what is to be assumed a decently sized paycheck, the family still struggles to make ends meet. Lehrer argues that women aren’t supposed to make enough to support themselves or ever support a whole family of three. Even when the woman does work outside of the house, she needs to be dependent on the man for a source of income and security (Lehrer 251). And although statistics from a 2009 survey showed that two-thirds of households with children under 6 had mothers who were the moneymakers of the family, movies still depict a loveable tale of men raising children while also maintaining a career to fit societies expectations (250). Another noticeable feature found is that the movie makes it clear that family should be treated with the upmost importance and respect but lack to show a …show more content…
Just as presented in chick flicks, all moms in kid’s movies fall under specific categories that define them as either the bad mom, working mom, hippy mom, or the Betty Crocker mom. Those that aren’t the cookie-cutter moms are all shunned or projected in movies to be the comedic relief because no mother should act that way. Thus, the power that is given to females in movies don’t necessarily empower them, but instead belittle them for not meeting an appropriate mom standard. Although all the moms are working to give their children the best life possible, their efforts are depicted as careless for doing so in unconventional manners. Lehrer explains that using an outmoded representation of motherhood and “family” prevents the needs of women and real-life families from being recognized (250). But whether you’re the working mom or the messy mom movie’s views of motherhood should work on better representing what a real mother is nowadays to better mimic the changing conditions of motherhood to enhance rather than stifle people’s lives
Often times, they are your first exposure to love and death and you continue seeing those same storylines played out even as an adult. Children’s movies also show what exactly society views as an acceptable family dynamic. As presented in the movie Daddy Daycare, Eddie Murphey’s character, the breadwinner, loses his job and is unable to pay for the posh daycare for his only son. He then turns to running a daycare with his best friend as a source of income. What’s interesting about the storyline in the movie is that despite the mother being a lawyer and receiving what is to be assumed a decently sized paycheck, the family still struggles to make ends meet. Lehrer argues that women aren’t supposed to make enough to support themselves or ever support a whole family of three. Even when the woman does work outside of the house, she needs to be dependent on the man for a source of income and security (Lehrer 251). And although statistics from a 2009 survey showed that two-thirds of households with children under 6 had mothers who were the moneymakers of the family, movies still depict a loveable tale of men raising children while also maintaining a career to fit societies expectations (250). Another noticeable feature found is that the movie makes it clear that family should be treated with the upmost importance and respect but lack to show a …show more content…
Just as presented in chick flicks, all moms in kid’s movies fall under specific categories that define them as either the bad mom, working mom, hippy mom, or the Betty Crocker mom. Those that aren’t the cookie-cutter moms are all shunned or projected in movies to be the comedic relief because no mother should act that way. Thus, the power that is given to females in movies don’t necessarily empower them, but instead belittle them for not meeting an appropriate mom standard. Although all the moms are working to give their children the best life possible, their efforts are depicted as careless for doing so in unconventional manners. Lehrer explains that using an outmoded representation of motherhood and “family” prevents the needs of women and real-life families from being recognized (250). But whether you’re the working mom or the messy mom movie’s views of motherhood should work on better representing what a real mother is nowadays to better mimic the changing conditions of motherhood to enhance rather than stifle people’s lives