Essay On Disney Culture

What Growing up in a Disney-Flavored World has done to Society: A Research Paper

Young girls sit in front of the television watching Disney movies portraying picture perfect girls who are rescued and swept off their feet by a handsome knight in shining armor. While some believe these movies are perfectly harmless, research proves differently. Disney culture has negatively affected society by causing self-esteem issues, establishing gender norms in movies like Sleeping Beauty, and by setting unrealistic expectations, such as those seen in the similar “fairy tale” endings of The Little Mermaid and the movie version of Pride and Prejudice. If one has a bit of background information on this topic, he or she can make up his or her mind on the issue.

The definition of a fairy tale is “a made-up story usually designed to mislead” (Merriam Webster 2015). This is exactly what Disney has done; they have shown separation anxiety, depression, and unrealistic weight expectations in their movies (Waltson 2015). Scholars have created a new diagnosis known as Princess Syndrome, that makes the child show conceited behavior and imitate princesses (Waltson 2015). This shows that Disney has gone too far with unrealistic

expectations. Disney’s sales have skyrocketed from three hundred million dollars in 2001to three-billion dollars this year ; twenty-five thousand princess items are now being sold (Orenstein 2006). The high amount of sales indicate that many children are getting introduced to Disney products every day which may not be good for their self-esteem.
Disney has established self-esteem issues in children throughout all of their movies by specifying how a princess is suppose to act. Peggy Orenstein states that Disney is diminishing her daughter’s “mental and physical health” (2006). In a recent study done to test Disney’s influence on body image, Dr. Tanawan Asawarachan assessed that the girls in both of the groups grew distressed about their body image after being exposed to a Disney movie (2013). The findings helped show that “Disney movies influence young girls’ perceptions of their body image, and they have an awareness of their body size” (Asawarachan 2013). Not only does Disney affect how children feel about their body and how they should look, but it also shows huge amounts of sexism.
Disney shows more sexism than some may realize. In Sleeping Beauty, Prince Phillip is shown as an entirely dull person, and he is very forgettable; he is silent and withdrawn throughout the whole movie (Castillo 2006). This teaches young boys that they need to be strong, but quiet and reserved, to prosper. Sleeping Beauty is also only talking in her own movie for about 15 minutes, and she is “depicted as extremely demure” and “rarely taking a proactive stance” (Castillo 2006). This also teaches girls that they are supposed to wait for their knight in shining armor to save the day, like Aurora waited for Prince Phillip to kiss her to wake her up (Sleeping Beauty 1959). Even when they are proactive, they are some type of evil witch or being; for example, Ursula in The Little Mermaid, she is the only woman to do something about a situation. Even though sexism is a big part of how Disney have negatively affected society, unrealistic expectations are an even bigger part.
Disney has given unrealistic expectations to children everywhere for generations.

Disney has shown us that there is supposedly a prince charming waiting for each person in the world, but this is not true. Nearly fifty perecent of first marriages in the United States end in divorce, two-thirds of second marriages, and seventy-five percent of third marriages (Epstein 2014). This is because of unrealistic expectations given by Disney. Disney has caused failed marriages all over the world by telling girls how successful romantic relationships are made and maintained. For example in The Little Mermaid, Ariel finds Eric and they get married, but that is not how it really happens in life. Disney continues giving children unrealistic expectations in The Little

Mermaid.
Compared to the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, the movie The Little Mermaid is not harsh; it makes the reader believe that these endings really do happen. In the movie, Ariel lives happily ever after and marries Eric (The Little Mermaid 1989). Some complications are present, but it ends in a happily ever after. This is not good for children and how they grow up, because they need to know how things really end in real life, not just everyone lives happily ever after. In the end, she marries Eric and the reader sees a big castle behind them, just like in Pride and Prejudice.
Pride and Prejudice ends just like The Little Mermaid, with a castle in the end, which is the setting archetype of enchantment (2005). Elizabeth lives happily ever after with Darcy, and their are some complications throughout the story but it all ends well, just like in Disney movies (Pride and Prejudice 2005). This ending is not good for children, because not everyone finds their prince charming with a castle. Elizabeth and Jane both end happy, because they get the guys (Pride and Prejudice 2005). The endings of both movies show how Disney has negatively affected society.
Disney has negatively affected society, because he has obliterated original messages in fairy tales like “The Little Mermaid,” that are supposed to help children grow and not believe that there are perfect relationships out there for everyone (Epstein 2014). For example, in the original fairy tale, Ariel gets her tongue cut off, Eric never falls in love with her, and she commits suicide (Andersen 2007). From this, the reader can take that Disney is not something that children should watch growing up, and if they do not, then they will be happier in their own lives and relationships.