The aim of this discussion was to assess
the representation of women during Disney's renaissance in the late 80s and
early 90s, utilising the findings to ascertain the studio's philosophy, and
whether this accords with post-feminist debate, or less positive patriarchally
defined gender stereotypes.
It became clear from the outset that the
corporation's founder, Walt Disney, prided himself on his ability to tell
stories via the means of animation, and favoured the fairy tale genre because
it stood for the motifs of fun, nostalgia and wish-fulfilment that he wanted to
purvey. It subsequently seemed a logical
choice to use the fairy tale as the basis for this project; examining its core
themes from an analysis of its origins as an oral tradition, through to its
adoption into popular culture, and using the conclusions to advance an
understanding of the values of Disney's versions of the same stories.
The reasons for selecting this period as the
historical site of interest were twofold; firstly, since the term 'Renaissance'
has literal connotations of revival and renewal, evaluating the status of
gender in this period allows investigation of whether the studio revitalised
their system of beliefs to correspond to a modern outlook. Secondly, as this renaissance occurred
shortly after a shift in feminist debate, it appeared doubly significant to
study Disney films from this time, in order to comprehend whether the
post-feminist mode that emerged in the 1970s influenced the depictions of
Disney heroines.
The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast were
chosen as the central texts, owing to their long-standing heritage as
well-known fairy tales, and the fact that the films appear to posit girls as
the main protagonists.
In Part II, the role of the fairy tale was
discussed, with the summation being that it has performed many objectives over
its lifespan; from offering a sense of community and motivation, to acting as a
form of trade and worship, to becoming today's recognisable symbol of hope and
escapism.
While Zipes maintains that the genre was considered
harmful to children, due to its covert suggestions of good versus wickedness,
and the terrifying consequences of unacceptable behaviour, others including
Bettelheim, argue that fairy tales help to progress the minds of young readers,
allowing them to overcome anxieties by experiencing them through the safe
format of a story. It was noted that
this beneficial aspect of the fairy tale, along with its ability to develop
imaginative skills, is what makes Disney animations appealing to young
audiences. By setting a narrative within
the colourful Disney realm, it poses no threat to a child's innocence, while
retaining enough of a relationship with the real world to allow the corporation
to subtly persuade the spectator into applying its values to wider society. It was proposed that, once Disney takes ownership of
a fairy tale, it uses the genre's devices of subtlety and allegory to disguise
its own agendas; concealing them within an exterior that viewers have learnt to
trust as genuine, and doubling their authority.
This post then detailed the evolution of Beauty and
the Beast and the Little Mermaid via their multiple adaptations, from their
respective derivations as Greek and Swiss folk tales, to their famous
appropriations by de Beaumont and Andersen.
De Beaumont's rendering of the story is of female loyalty and devotion;
Beauty does her utmost to obey and care for her father, whose needs she places
well before her own. She encounters
Beast in consequence of one of her few wishes, and her relationship with him is
one of acceptance; she gradually learns to love him.
De Beaumont's tale acted as a form of instruction
for its female readers, telling them to not only respect their fathers, but to
abide by all regulations defined by men, in order to be regarded as ideal
housewife material. Beauty's tolerance
of Beast connotes that women forced into marrying threatening men needed to remain
patient and understanding, so as to reveal their husband's potential for good.
Beauty, as the focal point of the story, typified
expectations of young women's domestic destiny during the 18th century, and her
submission to the codes of patriarchy proves advantageous to her, for with her
marriage came wealth and aristocracy.
The Little Mermaid is more autobiographical, with
parallels between the mermaid's life, and that of Andersen. Both the author and his creation are
fascinated by the telling of stories by their elders, and long for access to
the world beyond their limited existence.
The pain that the mermaid experiences when changing into a human
symbolises the mental suffering that Andersen undoubtedly went through on
account of his underlying homosexual emotions, whereas her loss of voice is a
metaphor for the writer being forced to repress his feelings.
Andersen's mermaid was read as being in a similarly
oppressed situation to Beauty, as both girls conform to the rules of a
male-dominated environment; although the mermaid has a grandmother, it is her
father that dictates her regime. The
mermaid appears more autonomous than Beauty, as she takes it upon herself to
find a way out of this oppression, by sacrificing her voice for
liberation. Yet, the fact she has to
give up her ability to communicate means that she still can not find an equal
place within society and, like Beauty, her desires cause her suffering.
Part III looked at the process of adaptation, and
employed the relevant theories to a comparative investigation between Andersen
and de Beaumont's texts, and Disney's films.
From engagement with the work of Hutcheon on adaptation,
these posts have concluded that Disney's The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the
Beast should not be expected to retain complete fidelity to their descendants,
because of the nature of adaptation to evolve to fit with the needs of its
culture, and reflect the differing ideologies of its interpreters.
In accordance with Zipes' writings, it was noted
that film, as a collaborative method, will denote the general stance of those
involved in its creation. This means that a series of possibly conflicting
opinions would have to be combined to form one message, which would be founded
on the ideologies of that time. To this
end, and as Warner concurs, when a fairy tale is cinematically adapted, the end
product can be used to instruct the audience on how to respond to social
issues, with the metaphorical disposition of fairy tales allowing film-makers
to interweave socially-driven connotations into the seemingly safe and honest
realm of film.
With this in mind, Disney's ethos becomes less
innocent than it maintains, for it appears that the studio decided to take on
the fairy tale genre because, as an already popular medium, it would guarantee
a spectatorship that was willing and eager to absorb the underlying implications
of these films. Additionally, both
Disney and the fairy tale assure comfort and wish-fulfilment and, due to the
corporation's commercial influence on children in particular, through their
dissemination of products, and franchised 'experiences' like the theme parks,
young viewers might find it difficult to avoid Disney's version of a 'utopian
kingdom', and are made to forget the morals of the adapted texts, in favour of
the studio's agenda.
Propp's concept of the function of fairy tales was
then utilised to conduct a close examination of the literary and cinematic
renditions of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, and returned the
following findings.
Firstly, Disney's mermaid is motivated by selfish
and materialistic desires, in comparison to Andersen's character, who is
portrayed as a victim of her curiosity, fuelled by the stories of those around
her. Andersen's mermaid wants to belong
to the human world because it offers hope of living and dying as an individual
that will be loved, whereas Ariel is looking to escape her oppressive
father. Ordinarily, Disney's figure
appears the more positively illustrated character, as she is responsible for
her decisions, and inclined to see the world with her own eyes, rather than
relying on the tales of others.
Yet Ariel comes across as a rebellious teenager,
intent on the acquisition of beauty and success, and the fact that she does not
die at the end of Disney's tale means that her egotistical longings are
rewarded. This indicates the importance
that the corporation places on capitalism and fetishisation; where Ariel, as
the ideal consumer, makes a small sacrifice to gain her innermost yearnings.
Beauty and the Beast was subjected to the same
study, which found that, in opposition to the majority of literary versions of
this tale, it is Beast that is positioned as the film's protagonist, not
Beauty/Belle.
The film begins with the Prince, whose violation of
an interdiction causes his transformation, and it is this that the narrative
focuses on throughout. Belle is simply
the answer to Beast's problems; the donor, whose own needs are inferior. Belle and Beauty are similar in their loyalty
and care towards their fathers, and it is this obedience that leads them to
meet Beast. However, whereas de
Beaumont's tale follows Beauty, and her acceptance of Beast; which stands as an
allegory for her as the perfect housewife in training, Disney places Beast at
the centre of its narrative, casting him as the victim of female intolerance
and cruelty.
Part III deduced that the changes Disney made to
Andersen and de Beaumont's stories had a largely negative attitude toward the
portrayal of femininity, with Beauty and the Beast in particular citing women
as the perpetrators of society's errors.
Belle and Ariel are not free to make their own decisions, as initially
presumed in consequence of the post-feminist culture in which the films were
produced; rather, they depend on those around them to achieve mobility, and are
constructs of patriarchal and consumerist belief systems.
Part IV was concerned with how questions of female
identity, representation and consumerism could be found in the Disney
adaptations. It was acknowledged by
Warner that folk tales have traditionally depicted women as submissive
childbearers and that, once they have passed the age of reproduction, they are
seen as deviant; hence the emergence of the evil, older villainess.
Ursula, and to a lesser extent Beauty and the
Beast's beggar/sorcerers, epitomise this idea via physical horror and
manipulative mannerisms, while their younger counterparts retain their beauty,
but have little control over their lives, and none whatsoever over the lives of
others.
The sea witch proved especially intriguing, and was
inferred as adopting the characteristics of a drag queen to comment on
society's constructed notion of the ideal woman; performer, consumer, sex
object. She also took on the role of
substitute mother to Ariel, a relationship that is not normally found in Disney
films, for it contains many complexities and contradictions. Far from being a positive change, Ursula's
matriarchy is criticised by Worthington as being detrimental to the film's
young viewers, since it may cause them to see their own mothers as threatening
to their happiness and independence. To
this end, patriarchy's disturbing influence is pushed aside to allow for a
harmful view of women as bitter, jealous rivals, prepared to go to any lengths
to achieve prosperity.
Ariel's loss of voice is deemed of little significance
by Disney, who insinuates that as she has her looks, she will retain her
attractiveness to the opposite sex, which will result in her achieving access
to the male-dominated, capitalist realm.
It is suggested that a woman's silence is key to her appeal and
contentment, and this coincided with McRobbie's argument that modern women are
unlikely to complain about inequalities that may arise during their lifetime,
since society has taught them to be appreciative of the liberations they have
been awarded.
The subject of consumerism was then discussed, with
Belle and Ariel displaying connotations of young women that want more from
their lives. Belle sings of wanting to
see the world outside of her small provincial town, and her love of books
suggests her desire to escape, whilst implying that she is trying to improve
her education as a means of propelling herself to emancipation. Indeed, McRobbie writes that women see
qualifications as a way of attaining an independent role within society's
economy, which leads to them being recompensed by their positions as powerful
consumers.
Conversely, it was noted that Belle only seems to
read fairy tales, suggesting her unrealistic worldviews and, with such stories
as Sleeping Beauty providing the foundations for her knowledge, it was likely
she would end up in the same position as her fictitious heroines; sacrificing
her freedom to marry the man of her dreams.
Of course, this is how the film ends, with Belle's aspirations of seeing
the world instantly forgotten, or sacrificed, when she chooses to live as a
princess within the confines of Beast/Prince's castle.
Ariel too wants more from life, and her role as a
consumer is illustrated by her vast collection of human artefacts. Most notably is the mermaid's desire for
legs, which is understood as representing sexuality, independence, and an
appropriation of the beauty and fashion industry. Ariel's transformation is like a metaphorical
makeover, which Tasker claims is a consequence of the pressure on women to make
the most of their appearance so as to appeal to the patriarchal modes of ideal
femininity, and ensure a high-ranking social status. The mermaid's painless conversion naturalises
this process, while the fact that she retains this form and retrieves her voice
at the film's conclusion suggests that women can have everything they desire,
as long as they work hard, and comply with the rules of patriarchy.
Finally, Disney's marketing of the 'Princess' brand
was considered, stemming from Ariel's remarkable resemblance of a fashion
doll. It was argued that, by making such
characters as Belle and Ariel beautiful and, apparently, fortunate, they
promote a certain lifestyle to young girls that, in order to achieve the same
'happy endings' as their heroines, they must model themselves on their
physicality.
By playing with plastic representations of these
women, children are encouraged to create their own stories, based on what they
have seen on screen. Disney's fairy
tales become the originals in the minds of these spectators, and their
imaginations are enhanced by playing with the film-inspired dolls. In reality, from a young age, audiences are
coached by Disney to be the perfect consumers, and ideal images of female
sexuality; with the dolls' beauty and infinite number of accessories denoting
the liberating and enjoyable effect of consumption, and its promise of
satisfaction and access.
Overall, the past few posts have established that,
contrary to the connotations of the term 'Renaissance', Disney has not provided
a completely positive representation of women within the two films that have
been analysed. Belle and Ariel are marketed
as feisty, brave, strong heroines; fighting male dominance to achieve
happiness. Yet, on closer inspection,
these girls are submissive, objectified constructs of patriarchal hegemony and,
rather than standing as symbols of female emancipation, they are marked as
indicators of compliance, commodification and fetishisation.
While Disney maintains a male bias, which is most
clearly visible in Beast's apparently unfair curse, it should not be claimed
that this is an unrealistic or atypical perspective. Undeniably, post-feminist critique directly
remarks on such viewpoints, which provide the very foundations of this
theory. Women, according to
post-feminism, are encouraged to consume, oblige, improve, learn, and so on in
order to gain what they can from a society dominated by male ideals. Post-feminists recognise that inequalities
remain, but point out the positive changes that have occurred, and concentrate
on supporting women to make further improvements, by being independent, and
effectively bowing to male authority.
It could be claimed that Disney is only revealing
society’s contemporary philosophy on gender and that, rather than being
deciphered as negative, these films are indicators of current cultural
norms. Certainly, issues of gender stereotyping
and the effect that the media has on children are predominant in today's
culture, and so Disney's The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast could be
seen as attempts to comment on such debates, and bring them to the fore in an
effort to produce change.
The basis of this examination was to assess Disney's
depiction of femininity in relation to its traditionally patriarchal attitude,
and it appears to have successfully demonstrated that, while not completely
unrealistic, Disney is neither favourable nor hopeful in its portrayal of women,
and their role within society.
