The Portrayal Of Gender Roles In Disney Movies

Disney movies would not be so popular if they did not reflect or at least relate to the social views or issues of our community. Additionally, the myths and stories we are exposed to as children can influence our values and thus our impact on society as we age.
Through my continued love of Disney, especially into adulthood, I have noticed changes in the stories and in the character development between the older classic films and the modern day marvels. An example of this is how Aurora, the title character, from Sleeping Beauty has approximately twenty lines of dialogue in the entire film and is a static character, but more modern day Disney films show the “Princess” as the main character who goes through dramatic character development during the course of the film. I am particularly curious about other advancements in Disney films, and whether there are any associations between these changes and Cultural progress. I believe with the proper research I will be able to see some form of connection between these two factors. I have thus far found several articles using the library’s database which look into Disney’s portrayal of gender roles and their significance. Many of these sources focus primarily on the princesses, but I am hoping to provide a fuller view concerning all the female protagonists and antagonists within the movies. Additionally, census data will be able to provide evidence on changing …show more content…
If these stories shape our personalities, our dreams, our values, and our future, then they can switch our social trajectory in a myriad of directions. By understanding and analyzing the material we view we can help to shape our future further down the road and make great strides as a community. Additionally, by analyzing and connecting story trends with the historical trends we can comment on how media mirrors society in a way that we can understand and relate