Beyond the Screen: Racism and Sexism in Entertainment When you hear the phrase Disney princess, do you first think of Mulan or Pocahontas, or a white princess like Cinderella or Snow White? Can you name any female directors? Is your ideal body image the same as the thin actors or actresses you see on TV? Movies and television programs undermine minorities and women. Children should not be exposed to the frequent underlying racism and sexism that in visual media. Entertainment corporations have too large of an influence on society; therefore, these companies should stop the under representation and stereotyping of minorities and women.
Despite the high growth of minorities in the United States population, the proportion of Caucasians is consistently …show more content…
1). Even after over a hundred years of a growing feminist movement, women remain underrepresented in the entertainment industry, specifically in television and movies. Companies commonly portray women as sexual objects and incapable of taking on the roles of men. In film, broadcast, cable, and streaming media platforms 34.3% of women display sexually revealing clothing and 33.4% are seen with at least partial nudity, compared to 7.6% of men and 10.8% respectively (Smith, et al. 3). Furthermore, female roles decrease as women grow older because corporations believe that sexual appeal decreases with age. Only 29.4% of characters over the age of 40 are female in cable television; the number only decreases to 21.4% in film (Smith, et al. 2). Disney is not short of misogyny in film, with women constantly being restricted to traditional cookie cutter roles. For instance, Elastigirl in Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles was a stay at home mom who took care of the kids, cooked, and cleaned. Although the most famous Disney feature films revolve around women, men dominate the speaking roles in almost all of the Disney princess films from 1989-1999. To illustrate, males speak 68% of the time in The Little Mermaid, 71% in The Beauty and the Beast, 76% in Pocahontas, 77% in Mulan, and 90% in Aladdin (Guo). This demonstrates that although …show more content…
Entertainment is negatively influencing the point of views of their viewers. Although people do not realize it, they subconsciously absorb the stereotypes and images that are portrayed on screen. Because of television screens, people automatically associate Disney with Snow White, directors with males, and beautiful with skinny. In order to eliminate racism and sexism in society today, it is necessary to start with a positive change in the treatment of minorities and women in the entertainment
Despite the high growth of minorities in the United States population, the proportion of Caucasians is consistently …show more content…
1). Even after over a hundred years of a growing feminist movement, women remain underrepresented in the entertainment industry, specifically in television and movies. Companies commonly portray women as sexual objects and incapable of taking on the roles of men. In film, broadcast, cable, and streaming media platforms 34.3% of women display sexually revealing clothing and 33.4% are seen with at least partial nudity, compared to 7.6% of men and 10.8% respectively (Smith, et al. 3). Furthermore, female roles decrease as women grow older because corporations believe that sexual appeal decreases with age. Only 29.4% of characters over the age of 40 are female in cable television; the number only decreases to 21.4% in film (Smith, et al. 2). Disney is not short of misogyny in film, with women constantly being restricted to traditional cookie cutter roles. For instance, Elastigirl in Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles was a stay at home mom who took care of the kids, cooked, and cleaned. Although the most famous Disney feature films revolve around women, men dominate the speaking roles in almost all of the Disney princess films from 1989-1999. To illustrate, males speak 68% of the time in The Little Mermaid, 71% in The Beauty and the Beast, 76% in Pocahontas, 77% in Mulan, and 90% in Aladdin (Guo). This demonstrates that although …show more content…
Entertainment is negatively influencing the point of views of their viewers. Although people do not realize it, they subconsciously absorb the stereotypes and images that are portrayed on screen. Because of television screens, people automatically associate Disney with Snow White, directors with males, and beautiful with skinny. In order to eliminate racism and sexism in society today, it is necessary to start with a positive change in the treatment of minorities and women in the entertainment