A Little Princess

Today’s children live in a world where they are riddled with the increasing burden of the mainstream arguments regarding gender normality and equality. They are being thrust into a situation where they have to be distinctly clear on what gender they are and how they are going to represent that gender. Quite possibly the most renowned characterizations of a “female” are the Disney Princesses. Typically heralding from historic Western European countries and based on the tales of the Grimm Brothers…

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Miyazaki, Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki founded Studio Ghibli. Until the release of Princess Mononoke Studio Ghibli, and Miyazaki were still much unknown to the West. Princess Mononoke continued to gain success in Japan and was the highest-grossing film in Japan until the release of Titanic. Princess Mononoke was the first animated film to win Picture of the Year at the Japanese Academy Awards. Miyazaki than made, directed and…

Propaganda. When we hear the word propaganda, we think of the Holocaust, of Nazi Germany, of Hitler. We think of a dark, dangerous time, a time when everyone was suspected to be the enemy, a time when no one could be trusted. What we don't think about, is the constant propaganda that we are exposed to today. We expect it to be plainly stated. To be so obvious, that when we see it, a bright lightbulb lights up with a glaring neon red sign saying “WARNING: PROPAGANDA. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.” Yet,…

have a panning shot where the story is taking place, immediately we are shown distinction between classes. On one side we have the Royal kingdom where all the noble and royal families live, and on the other side we have a mix of smaller houses and little buildings where the rest of the…

In Disney’s version, Snow White was a princess that is forced to serve her evil stepmother, the Queen. One day she met a man and fell in love. The Queen became jealous of Snow White because of her beauty and serendipity. She ordered the Huntsman the kill Snow White and to bring her Snow’s heart…

Westley, the handsome hero in William Goldman’s classic novel The Princess Bride, is selfless. He is selfless because he willingly sacrifices his life to save the lives of the people around him, particularly Buttercup, Westley’s true love. Westley does this with little regard for his own well-being. Instead, he is all about putting others’ needs before his own. This is because he can see beyond his own concerns. Thus, he is able to be there for others, particularly Buttercup, when the need…

In Representations of Women in World Media, the discussion about the Disney Corporation caught my eye. Ever since I was little, I have always been obsessed with everything Disney, especially Disney princesses. However, as I got old enough to understand the implications behind how Disney movies have been designed, I have realized that even though Disney is a widely known franchise, they don’t exactly represent the right things to their audience. For example, before a couple of years ago, Disney…

Aladdin, is set in the big bustling town of Agrabah. The society is filled with poverty and crime, with a division between the rich and poor. Aladdin who is a “street rat”, doesn’t have much and has to commit crimes to be able to eat and survive, he even shares his meals with people who have less than him and have to forage for food elsewhere. Throughout the movie, he has to go through multiple challenges to find the genie lamp pertaining to the evil character Jafar, as he is trying to take over…

distress based games follow the Subject-Object Dichotomy. Saying that the subject, or main character that is usually a male, must find the object, or the girl. A great example of this would be the game Super Mario Bros. where Mario is the Subject and Princess Peach is the Object. Using this plot device makes the women more of a prize to be won or a goal to be accomplished. To tell whether this is being used you must be able to change the girl into something like a ball without changing the…

sense of power and desire almost exclusively in terms of dominant male narratives,” which he then goes to give examples of in films such as The Little Mermaid, Mulan, and Pocahontas, stating that each female lead is defined by their relationship with their male co-stars. Giroux does raise this concern with good intentions due to the standard Disney princess being the basis for “construction of gender identity for girls,” but his analysis of these movies does not seem to hold true with what is…