Beautiful, strong, loving, caring, pride, leader, respected...beautiful. Oh wait I said that, but it’s not said enough. I hope you remembered the words I mentioned above, if you can’t- well I will summaries it for you in its simplest form…WOMAN.
They say beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder… but who feeds the beholder’s view of desirability and acceptance…is it media, cultures or maybe religion.
And what is beauty, because the definition of it seems to evolve through time. A woman who might be considered beautiful in the late 50’s won’t fit the society’s perspective of the perfect woman today.
For instance, believe it or not, up until the early 1800s the ideal, beautiful and perfect western woman had extra weight on her body and looked voluptuous which was a sign of good health and wealth.
THEN media played a role in the late 1800s and early
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For instance, the first Disney princess Snow White is represented in a vastly different way to the more resent Disney princesses like Rapunzel which show the evolution of our society and feminism through the evolution of the Disney Princesses. Around 1940, Disney’s first princess was the 14-year-old Snow White. Her personality was considered somewhat simple and the concept of the film very one dimensional in the views of some feminists today. Snow White was the perfect embodiment of Westerns society concept of what a woman should be; well presented, kind and complacent. However, for the feminists at the time Snow White was not a perfect image of woman…later on Belle from beauty and the beast represented an evolution in personality by being unhappy with the prospect of marriage, this is significant as she is the first Disney princesses who doesn't want to marry, not because she loves another man but because she wished for more to her life than being a simple house
The concept of beauty is a subject society speaks on through many channels. Social media plays a tremendous role in how society measures beauty and how to achieve these impossible standards. People from all walks of life have become obsessed with the idea of beauty and achieving the highest level it. In many cases, those who do not meet societal views of what is “beautiful” can become very resentful to these predisposed notions of beauty. David Akst in his writing “What Meets the Eye”, is bitter toward women and their ongoing obsession with beauty.
Defining Beauty for Men and Women in Portraiture ". A thing of beauty is a joy forever : It's loveliness increases ; it will never pass into nothingness. " What is a beauty? Seemingly a continually evolving and infinitely elusive ideal, mankind has been obsessed with the concept of beauty throughout the ages.
Feminism in today’s society holds true that women are strong individuals who are capable of achieving their dreams. A significant problem with the Disney Princesses is that even surrounded by the notion that females have the same inherent dignity as men, they continue to be portrayed as passive women with limited aspirations. For example, in Snow White, the character of Snow White is glorified by her ability to sing beautifully and cook for the seven dwarves (Hynes). In Beauty and the Beast, Belle is ignored when she tries to make conversation about a book she is reading, which suggests that a well-read woman is not worthy of attention (Hynes). And, in The Little Mermaid, Ariel sings about all of the wonderful treasures that she possesses, which encourages the valuing of material goods (Hynes). These films give rise to the belief that a woman’s worth is dependent on her ability to maintain a household,...
Grimm wrote “Snow White” with the intention of socializing children of Germany. Grimm had specific goals with his writing, and when Disney adapted “Snow White,” certain aspects of the tale were changed. Disney sought to showcase the utopian society which he hoped his interpretation of the fairy tale would create. This utopian society which Disney wished to create showed a regression in the realm of storytelling. Instead of focusing on character development and morals, focus was placed on showcasing film techniques. Furthermore, the changes that Disney implemented from Grimm’s version showed a change in the hero of the work. This is especially seen in the comparison of Grimm’s “Snow White” and Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Disney has definitely been making strides to please everyone, and it seems to be working a bit. In one of the most recent films, The Princess and the Frog, Disney features the first African American girl, Tiana, who has no desire to be a princess (unlike previous girls before her,) instead she wants to open up her own business. Tiana is shown working multiple jobs, in order to accomplish her dreams, through this she learns to “understand the importance of balancing hard work and fun” (Stephens 2014.) She meets a frog who promises to help her with the restaurant, if she kisses him. Unfortunately, this turns her into a frog too, which begins their adventure. On this adventure she does find love, just like in other fairytales, but this time it is different since she falls in love with his character and not his looks. While Disney gives us the happy ending we always seek, they still provided a movie that’s characters driving force is not a man or becoming a princess but instead owning her own business. Another very progressive move by Disney was the movie, Brave, which includes a less than ordinary princess. Unlike Tiana, Merida was born a princess, yet she still rides horses and shoots arrows besides it being “unladylike.” Therefore, “Merida is not only a princess, she is an able-minded, independent female lead, who can save
Who sets the standards for beauty? What must one do to truly look beautiful? What does feeling beautiful mean? When considering the concept of beauty one must differentiate between the universal and relative perception of beauty. Among the components of universal beauty are harmony, symmetry and utility. However, perception of beauty is also relative, when it is defined by the standards of the time that are subjective to the socio economic values of the era. One of the ways these values are communicated is through images portrayed in art and in modern times through the media. ‘Fashion’ is the carrier of theses values though physical appearance and self-image that define power, rank, acceptability and belonging. Having ‘fashion’ as the medium of these relative values bring advantages and disadvantages. Although there are benefits of matching the fashion of the time, positive self-image and satisfaction with a feeling of acceptance these are temporary because fashion is ever changing. On the other hand not conforming to the contemporary standards can have a detrimental impact on self-image that leads to feeling a sense negative self worth and marginalized. Eating disorders are a powerful manifestation that fashion has on the psyche. The underlying idea of what fashion ‘is’ is value. Amongst all the change of fashion, value remains ever present.
In the article Construction of the Female Self: Feminist Readings Of the Disney Heroine, Jill Birmie Henke, Diane Zimmerman Umble, and Nancy J. Smith are looking at the female self and how it was developed based on two theories: Standpoint by Parker Follet and the psychological development of girls by Gilligam. That by examines gender identity especially girls and how media exposure affects them through analyzing five of Disney movies: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Pocahontas. They segmented the article into three titles: The Oxymoron of Power and the Perfect Girl where they introduced the two theories in which they built their critic on, Construction of the Female Self where they talk about the evolution in the female character from Cinderella to Pocahontas, and Construction of Self in Relation to Others where they talk about the evolution of the self in relation to others from power-over to power-with until power-to. Finally they concluded that even if the female character in Disney’s movies was changing to become more
The three classic Disney princesses, Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora, display qualities such as hospitality, kindness while being mistreated, and dependence on a man. Each of these princesses perform roles of a housewife, including cooking and cleaning. During the time these movies were made, which was from 1937 to 1959, these characteristics were what were expected of women. The next wave of princess came in the late 80’s and through the 90’s, and just as the times had changed, so did the messages coming from the movies. The princesses of this era are Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan. Contrasting to the classic princesses before them, these ladies portray more strong and independent qualities. They think and act on their own, yet the society around them sees them as odd or strange because of these qualities. Lastly, the most recent princesses, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, Elsa, and Moana, take more control of their stories compared to all of the other princesses. Their storylines are not as focused on a love interest. In fact, Elsa and Moana don’t even have a love interest. These changes not only show the growth Disney princesses have had in their message to their audience, but also the growth that women’s role has had throughout the
We live in a world where girls are supposed to dress up in their dresses and wear tiaras and believe they are little princess. Many girls want to dress up and be like the Disney princesses they see on TV. Is it wrong for girls to want to be princesses because they like the tiaras and the dresses they get to wear? Many people have their own opinion on how they feel about girls looking up to Disney princesses. Monika Bratyzel is a freelance writer that created the article Girls on Film: The Real Problem with Disney Princess Brand that was published on theweek.com on May 17, 2013. The purpose of Bratyzel writing this article was to expose Disney on how they are changing their princesses to look like something they are not. Crystal Liechty is a
The concept of beauty and racism in modern western society is held to the highest of standards for all of it’s members; including celebrities. The perfect woman is described by Odette (2013), as solely for men’s pleasure and domination. If we look on the cover of any popular magazine, the women are usually: light skinned, slender, and tall. Men on the other hand must be tall and powerfully built. Our culture is valued on the basis of how men and women are perceived by their image, making it impossible for the average man or women to achieve the high beauty standard expected in society. Celebrities play an influential role in the way people view themselves, making the need to look like our favourite celebrities all the more desired. A person's
Disney has portrayed women in movies by the use of animation characters for over a century since the 1900s. There has been a very big change since the early 1900’s to modern day in Disney’s depiction of the personalities of the women, their attitudes and ideologies towards men, and the way they are portrayed in the movies. This progression has had a distinct development, from passive damsels in distress in need of the help of men, to being superheroes. Therefore, the evolution of women in Disney movies will be analyzed through the use of university level feminist essays, as well as a research paper written about gender roles in Disney animation. The evolution will also be analyzed through examination of the clips of the movies themselves.
What do you want to be when you grow up? When I was five years old my dream was to grow up and become one of the Disney princesses. As Princess Aurora said, “They say if you dream a thing more than once, it is sure to come true”. Unfortunately, I grew up and did not become a Disney princess, however, they still played a big role in my childhood as they do with most young girls. There are many controversies about the effects Disney princesses have on young girls, so should they be exposed to one of Disney’s most iconic images when they are so vulnerable?
What is beauty? It seems like a simple enough question, yet it has an extremely elusive, ever-changing answer according to American society. What is “popular” or “stylish” at the moment could be completely obsolete the next. This question has plagued societies for ages and continues to motivate women all over the world go to drastic lengths in their search for beauty. As women in remote Asian villages search to attain beauty by stretching their necks with heavy metal coils (Anitei) and women in America lie in enclosed melanoma-inducing tunnels of light so they can emerge gloriously tanned (Is Indoor Tanning Safe?), God has another, far more fulfilling plan for true beauty. Beauty in American society is so fluid, elusive, and superficial that it doesn’t possibly equate to the plan that God has for women to view themselves. Real beauty comes from character, confidence, and an identity in Christ.
Since 1938 the Walt Disney Company has occupied the market on princesses. For many, watching these movies was an integral part of growing up. But what were they actually teaching us and what do they continue to teach girls even now? Have the perpetuation of gender norms and boy-girl relationships changed since the original princesses appeared on screen? In order to dive into this question, we must first understand the evolution of Disney princesses.
Throughout history there have been many claims about what is beautiful and what is not on the face and body. America’s idea of beauty in the past changed many times from the fragileness of the Steel-engraving lady to the voluptuousness of the Greek slave. The ideal beauty in America is not so different from the ideal beauty of cultures around the world and follows many of the traditions practiced throughout history. The widespread of advertisement and technology is something that’s said to be the contributing problem to the ideal women phenomenon, but I believe history and trend plays the bigger role.