Posts tagged Disney
SPARK a Movement!
Sexualization Protest: Action, Resistance, Knowledge
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Sofia is the latest edition to the Disney royal family, marketed towards younger girls. Disney is assuring parents that there will still be “plenty of pretty dresses and sparkly shoes” but with a new message: “What makes a princess is what’s on the inside, not the outside.” What I’m wondering is… Why princess? We should say “what makes a strong, powerful girl is what’s on the inside, not the outside!” And she looks very similar to the Disney princess repertoire: skinny, white, and beautiful.
And why princesses? Why do we need to keep creating these characters that are known for being just cute, beautiful, tender…and rich? So many girls compare themselves to these images and see that they don’t fit the criteria.
Disney, she’s still a princess, and she’s still all about the looks and the beauty. It’s even worse now, because she’s a baby who’s about the looks and beauty. Maybe there’s no prince or kissing, and maybe her life will not be about romance and the fancy ball, but all girls are smart and beautiful, not just princesses.
We know that if “Sofia the First” was to grow up, she’d be a princess like any other. She’d still fall in love with some prince, live happily ever after in some expensive castle, and that would be the end of her story. That’s always where it ends with princesses — a kiss from a prince and accomplishing absolutely nothing. This isn’t the life we want for the girls of our generation — and definitely not for our younger generation.
When the Disney Channel was pressed about whether they would address gay relationships on their shows, Gary Marsh, the president of Disney Channel worldwide said, “We don’t deal with sexuality on the Disney Channel in general. That’s just sort of not where our audience’s head’s at. They’re really a pre-sexual audience, for the most part, and so sexuality is not how we look to tell any kind of stories.”
What Disney Channel doesn’t realize is that by taking no stance on what they consider sexuality, they are in fact taking a stance. Disney is largely heteronormative in its portrayal of relationships, with many shows centering on them. While relationships between boys and girls become increasingly sexualized, (without the actual sex) couples of the same sex are not afforded the same treatment.
Television often promotes certain standards of sexuality and on these kid’s shows it is not acceptable to have feelings for someone of the same sex. If there are possible gay characters, there is a denial that the relationships these characters undergo or experience are sexual in any way.
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“I started compulsively overeating at a very young age. And then I almost stopped eating altogether at the age of 12, after being harassed by kids at school, for being “fat”. My eating disorder will continue to affect me for the rest of my life, but I’m proud to say that I got the help I needed, and am now the happiest and healthiest I have ever been!”
What do you think of Demi coming out and speaking up?
(via Demi Lovato Talks About Her Eating Disorders - Demi Lovato on Bullying - Seventeen)
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"In Defense of the D-Word": Taking on Disney Princesses
Our blogger Stephanie defends Disney against those who would bash their princesses across the board, calling Mulan “about as perfect as a feminist film can get”. What do you think?
