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Feminism in the movies industry
Feminism in the movies industry
History of the past and present of gender inequality
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Have you ever seen a movie where a girl is in a problem and someone saves her, or the girls saves someone herself? Children's movies are a great example of archetypes just like the “Damsel in Distress." The definition of the Damsel in Distress is “a young woman in trouble (with the implication that the woman needs to be rescued, as by a prince in a fairy tale).” It’s where the woman gets in some type of dilemma that she needs help getting out of… usually by a man. However, society has made it dissipate throughout the years. As women got jobs and are doing the same things as men the archetype has mostly disappeared. The constant stereotype of women being the “Damsels in Distress” has pushed women to become more independent and stronger in …show more content…
society. Before the 19th century, the damsel in distress was one of the biggest plotlines to make a movie around.
Because back then women were considered the weaker sex and were expected to cater to the men. The men were the ones to do all the work, because the women were, in their eyes, incapable of doing so. Sleeping beauty is a big example of how women were being depicted as someone who needed to be saved or someone too weak to take care of themselves (Sleeping Beauty. Clyde. Walt Disney Pictures. 1959. Medium) Sleeping beauty was put into a sleeping spell. In the movie the only way she could have been saved was by her prince. He had to do many things to save her from the spell. She was the one who needed to be saved and he wa s the one to do the saving. Making her seem very helpless. Women were thought of as people who had to be saved if ever in trouble and were absolutely incapable of saving …show more content…
themselves. People say this stereotype of women being so weak and not being able to do anything have made them want to change. So people would start to acknowledge all they can contribute and how they can do just as good as the men in their community. They wanted to show people they were a lot more than just a caretaker. Through the years women have become stronger in society; starting with being able to vote, and earning the salary men get as well as the jobs they get. You can see how things are starting to transition into women becoming more independent. A great example would be the movie Shrek. In the movie Shrek, Shrek has to save the Princess Fiona from her castle and deliver her to the king (Shrek. Dir. Jenson.DreamWorks Studios. 2001. Film). Fiona at first was a princess who could do nothing but sit still and look pretty. However throughout the movie you see how she is very independent. That was very surprising to Shrek because she is a girl, and girls weren’t really thought of as people who could handle themselves and be their own person. In the movie you can see how shrek falls in love with how independent she is and not just a fragile princess incapable of anything. Now in the 21st century, women are starting to make a difference in the world. And are becoming known for a lot more than just someone who takes care of the Men. Lately women are making that “stereotype” of women not being capable of anything crumble away. In the movie Brave, Merida (the main character) does not want to be told what to do (Brave. Brenda. Walt Disney Pictures. 2012. Film). Merida was very good at archery however only men did that there and women did not do any sports. Therefore, her parents forbid her to do such a thing. However she did what she wanted and showed people how good she is, that she didn’t just want to sit back and be the lady. Se hated that she was supposed to fit in with the rest of the girls but she never did and never wanted to blend in with people. She wanted to be her own person. She wants to make her own pathway and do things her own way instead of being told what to do. So she sets out on doing things by herself without a guide. She did this even though everyone hated the idea of a women doing something by themselves. The movie teaches little girls to be themselves and to show others what you are made of and not to just follow orders. To take a chance and show others what you are made of. With their jobs and education, Women, are becoming more and more equal to men everyday. In conclusion, the “damsel in distress” archetype has showed women what they don't want to be viewed as weak anymore, and they don’t want to follow orders anymore.
As you can tell the movies showed how things have changed over time. Sleeping beauty was very dependent on men and she wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for a prince saving her. Shrek is a very transitional movie, it showed Fiona was a princess who needed to be saved but could still stick up for herself. Brave is what women show now. They aren’t dependent on anyone and create their own path in life. They show what men they are made of as well as the rest of the world. Women have stopped being just a companion to the man and started becoming the main character of the movie. Women have started showing that they can be a lot more than just caretakers. Soon this stereo type will be completely gone and women will not be any different than the men in their
society.
Every fairytale seems to have the usual prince saving the poor girl from harm or servitude or whatever horrid situation she may be in, and then companies like Disney add their movie magic and make it into a franchise. Others may add a twist or two, such as the film Ever After, directed by Andy Tennant. Yet no matter how the story goes, there is the same feminine ideas imposed upon the female lead. She has to compete with others for the attention of her “prince,” gender roles are a must, and morals are taught in some way or another through some kind of stereotype. These tend to cause some feminist outrage and even maybe a small outrage among parents who must deal with the children that watch these movies and read the stories because of the behavioral
Women have always been large part life. In fact, they are the ones that keep it going which is why some argue that women should be greatly respected. This idea has been around since the beginning of time, but unfortunately they have been treated the exact opposite and it was not up to the 1850’s that women got their rights. Before this time they were used as tools and had no say in anything important. It did not matter if they were smart or not nor did it matter if they beautiful or ugly, they were always lower than men. Voltaire uses Cunegonde, the old woman, and Paquette to show their mistreatment and the mistreatment of all women. They were raped and abused regardless of their wealth or political stance. These characters are not very complex
Director and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino has a unique style that is easily recognizable and sets him apart from other
However, there were also other gender stereotypes in the show as well. The girl, Dlionay was often shown as the kind of “damsel in distress.” A few times a boy was sent to rescue her. For example, one of her friends was stuck out in the water and instead of getting him herself, she plead to the other boy to please save him. This shows the stereotype that men are stronger and braver than women...
An archetype is a term that can represent universal patterns of human nature and are always the building blocks of movies and stories. These terms include many archetypes with their own properties such as characteristic, symbolic, and situational. In the 1997 film Hercules produced and animated by Disney it depicts the story of Hercules, the son of Zeus and Hera. The God of the underworld Hades poisons Hercules when he is a baby with his two incompetent sidekicks Pain and Panic turning him mortal, and leaving him on Earth. When he is sent to the temple of Zeus by his orphan parents he is greeted by his real father Zeus who tells him in order to go back to Mount Olympus and live with him he is tasked with becoming a God or by fulfilling heroic
There are many archetypical symbols used in hundreds of works, new and old. Some of these symbols include: war, peace, love, nature, birds, mountains, and darkness. These symbols have deep meaning which help embellish a certain work. They also help the reader to better understand the theme or plot of a work. They are used freely and abundantly in most modern and pre-modern works.
Disney promotes sexisim by forcing young girls to live in a patriarchal world. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The little mermaid, Aladdin, and Snow White are all examples of popular Disney movies that encourage young viewers that they need a man to save the day. Yes, it’s true that there are recent movies such as Moana and Frozen that prove otherwise, but how long will it take to completely get over the fact that women are mainly viewed as secondary citizens compared to the men? There are countless examples of how Disney movies influence this theme, and how much the female characters’ actions, ideas and thoughts are not included in a Disney movie.
What’s that in the sky? A bird? A plane? No, it’s the sidekick! Wait, something is wrong with this situation. It should be the hero who is getting recognition and hype from curious spectators while the sidekick is ignored, but this is not how it should be. The importance of the loyal retainer is so great that without them, the hero would not be the person with such power and nobility. They should not be ignored completely, and authors, directors, and creators have come to this realization that a loyal retainer makes for a great story. This realization has created an archetype used in many pieces of literature across time and cultures everywhere. A loyal retainer has the task of showing a hero’s power and nobility; therefore, this character
A little girl sits on the floor with her gaze fixed on the television screen in front of her, watching magical images dance before her eyes and catchy songs flow through her ears. Even though she had seen it at least twenty times before, she still loved The Little Mermaid just as much as she did the first time she watched it. As she watched it, she longed to be a beautiful mermaid with a curvy body and wonderful singing voice like Ariel. She longed to be saved by the handsome Prince Eric, and fall in love and live happily ever-after like Ariel did. In today’s society, women strive to achieve equality between the sexes. Despite the tremendous steps that have been taken towards reaching gender equality, mainstream media contradicts these accomplishments with stereotypes of women present in Walt Disney movies. These unrealistic stereotypes may be detrimental to children because they grow up with a distorted view of how men and women interact. Disney animated films assign gender roles to characters, and young children should not be exposed to inequality between genders because its effect on their view of what is right and wrong in society is harmful to their future.
In the movie, A Knight 's Tale, women were treated very poorly. Men were held to higher standards. The men would do mostly everything that was important or popular. Women were held back behind men doing nothing but being support to the men. You could tell the respect held for the men over women. For example when Jocelyn and William argued in the church, the priest came to yell at them but only told Jocelyn to stop. He said no word to William even though he was apart of it. Jocelyn was blamed for having such commotion even though William was very much part of the scene. The priest not once said anything to him but did say it all to her. They didn 't think so much about the role of the women but seen only as an object men had. William and Adhemar show it when they fight for her. Adhemar speaks of her as a prized possession. No woman was taken seriously or cared about. Women were only a big role when the men took interest in her. That 's all the men showed in the movie as they fought for Jocelyn. This was the time that a women was talked
...le. Movies like this resist gender stereotypes that say women have to be beautiful and ladylike to live like a princess. There should be more films like Shrek because it breaks norms and teaches people that the only thing that matters is what’s on the inside.
Can a modern female hero fit the traditional hero criteria? A hero story is telling the universal story of one’s desire to save others rather than themselves. The hero myth states that there is no story without a hero. Linda Seger is known for her knowledge on movies, television shows and books. Seger opens up to us through one of her books, “Creating the Myth” it allows us to see how The Hunger Games is a hero myth. Within this book Seger addresses the fact that most successful films are from the same universal stories. The hero myth states that there is no story without a hero.A hero is what creates a story; it forms a plot and it takes time and has many stages. Through this essay the reader will take a
The feminine beauty ideal may operate as a form of social control as it concerns women with their physical appearance and how they absorb resources that may help their social status. Because of this idea, women may not pursue activities or occupations that might make them unattractive and effects the ability to become a group as women compete with other women over physically attraction. The focus on feminine beauty in fairy tales may be a way to represent gender inequality through these stories. It is clear in fairy tales that the feminine beauty is a strong message to women and important for them as well. Publishers might unintentionally (or maybe intentionally) be publishing and reproducing media in which the message in these tales emphasize sexist values. The media for children is a powerful tool in which these children learn cultural values. Through fairy tales, “girls (and boys) are taught specific messages concerning the importance of women’s bodies and women’s attractiveness” (Baker-Sperry and Granerholz). Towards the end of the article it mentions the movie “Shrek.” While most children’s fairy tales represents a beautiful princess that fits the ideal of
In society today, there is pressure from all sides to conform to a certain ideal of beauty. People are overwhelmed with the different types of images and media forms that are telling people how to act and what to look like. Media is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. It has the power to educate, affect social change, and much more, but if taken incorrectly people will take drastic lengths to change something about themselves. There have been many attempts to empower women through different types of media, but many have failed miserably. Over the last couple of years, Disney has struggled greatly with the representation of women throughout Princess movies because young girls are hounded with images of princesses,
Disney and old fairytales threaten gender politics and ideal women roles by giving certain stereotypes for domestic and personality traits. Fairytales that have turned into Disney productions have sculpted domestic roles for women that consist of cooking, cleaning and caring for the children. Disney has also created these princesses with personalities that are shy, passive, and vulnerable. The cause of these stereotypes are making individuals obliterate their own identities and becoming clones from the mold that was prepared for