Continuation of the seemingly unfinished "Boob Tube" post...
...Disney also happens to be one of the most antifeminist producers of children’s entertainment ever! Girls in pretty dresses prancing around, their sole purpose in life is to ‘catch a man’. The Patriarchal motifs are uncanny! Why is it that all these girls are good for is finding a life partner? How many of these girls are in school? How many are being assertive and vocal about what they want out of life? Almost none. Granted, there are a few strong-willed women in children’s movies, take Mulan and Pocahontas for example. But notice how they are minorities? So 2 things... 1-most Caucasian north American girls won’t identify with them and 2-they are automatically deemed inferior to all the other Caucasian princesses out there.
Mulan cuts off her hair to look like a boy, there are two messages there. Firstly, you cannot be strong etc as a girl, only boys can do it. But then again, but the end of the movie you realise that hey, she’s a girl, and she Did it. More power to ya! But at the same time aren’t we learning the so-called reality of the situation, you won’t be taken seriously with sleek shiny hair rolling down your back?
Pocahontas was a savage, she was a native, as an inferior to the Caucasian [wo]man she didn’t know any better. So if she fought those who invaded her land, it really wasn’y even her fault since she probably didn’t know any better, right? She still ends up falling for the cute boy who initially tries to rape the land she lives off of. But no biggie.
I think what I needed as a kid was a strong, Julia no-nonsense Roberts in Erin Brockovich kind of princess. Anyone want to make an animated Marie Antoinette? Let’s blow Johnathan Rhys Meyers’ King Henry VIII out of the water! Girls these days need someone to look up to, they need something to counter all the negative imagery, self-esteem depraving, self-image stomping media out there. Something realistic, none of this Princess and the Pea docile girl, how well do your sensory nerves transmit signals to your brain? crap.
Belle was French!
ReplyDeleteHaha, but I completely get your point, and I'm all for it. I also think once more women who have been educated by other strong women are in charge of the messages being sent to little girls, things will change. But for now, I mean come on - Jimmy Choo is designing the heels women wear that were originally invented by men to make women's figures look more attractive to men. Men, why don't you work on improving your self image before you start traipsing into our territory, right?
You're absolutely right! I was just speaking to a woman last week about that - men's self image issues and how they're projected onto women. Maybe that'll be my next post.
ReplyDeleteI'm working on ideas for projects and events that I can work on with young women in montreal that will tackle just that, it would have to be in tandem with boys though. ITREB is working on something really exciting as we speak!