Gender Roles In Cinderella And Cinderella

Gender roles are a perceived set of behavioral norms given to males and females in a social group or system. Gender roles are seen to differ among different societies and cultures. One very noticeable fact is that these rules and values of gender stereotypes have changed over the years. This may be seen when one compares past societies to today’s. The idea of women being the weaker sex has emerged from the past, and may still be seen in today’s society, however, on a smaller scale. Therefore, one may argue that traditional gender roles are slowly undergoing change. This has resulted in a number of outcomes for both genders, including freedom of speech, equality of interaction and increased job opportunities. The way the two genders are portrayed …show more content…
She is forced to perform traditional female tasks, such as cooking and cleaning, just like the women of the 1950s were entitled to housewifery tasks. Women of this period were faced with consequences if these tasks were not performed, just like Cinderella was punished, and somewhat abused, by her stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella is a great example of how the heroine needs rescuing by a male figure, meeting the standard of the twentieth century. Produced in 1950, Cinderella highlights key issues with gender roles and stereotypes. During this period there was the belief that marriage is the ultimate goal in life, which is clearly the case in Cinderella. Every single bachelorette wants to be married to a Prince. Here, the ugly stepsisters are seen to do anything to marry the Prince. Ultimately, it is Cinderella who wins and marries the Prince. The evening of the grand ball, where every woman has the privilege to mingle with the prince, and he eventually chooses his princess, emphasises that marriage was of utmost importance during that period. Here, the fact that the Prince chose Cinderella stresses the fact that the only way she can be noticed, which results in her happiness and gaining social power, is by wearing a beautiful dress and looking beautiful. Beauty is seen as the only way a woman can be powerful. This is evident when the fairy godmother …show more content…
This change was able to happen due to feminists chasing their dreams and speaking their mind about gender equality. The importance of chasing one’s dreams is highlighted through Walt Disney’s words, “All our dreams come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” The way gender issues changed is clearly seen through the more recent Disney animations, such as Frozen. Contrasting many of Disney’s animations, Frozen may be the first time the audience sees a character denying true love, where Elsa tells Anna “You can’t marry a man you just met”, whether it is “true love” or not. This highlights the fact that the male is no longer in control. In Frozen it is the female character Anna who is the stronger character, unlike Cinderella. It is Anna who saves her sister Elsa by making her realise that she can control her powers through an act of true love in the end. Nowadays, females are more independent and do not need males to accompany them and help them. This is highlighted when Anna goes to find her sister Elsa alone, leaving the male Hans behind to watch the Castle. Also, Anna chooses to save her sister rather than run to her true love, Kristoff. This clearly contrasts Cinderella. Lastly, it is the female Elsa who saves her frozen sister, once again through an act of true love, and not a male character. Elsa is therefore the person that Anna cares for the most. For once, Disney’s princess’ true love has