Essay On Feminism And Feminism

Female, feminine, and feminism: the three “f-words” that may get more of a reaction than bargained for when spoken aloud. Like the other “f-word” that rhymes with duck, these words and the concepts they carry have been written on by many brilliant theorists, such as Toril Moi and Laura Mulvey, who all bring to the forefront issues with how women are treated and viewed in our patriarchal and sexist society. Each of these words has developed an assortment of associations, some of which are positive, but most of which are negative, in our society – to the degree that these words have effectively become what is sometimes treated as swearwords, mainly by the mainstream media. Feminism, femaleness, and femininity are very different things, despite their similarity in sound and look, yet they are frequently associated to be connected, if not the same thing. For example, it is commonly assumed that if a female is present, she will fit a defined set of feminine qualities. Despite this fact, relief from the overwhelming male gaze and power structure can be found in some of the strangest places, such as the occasional movie within the Disney Princess franchise. Although most of the Disney princesses are still stuck in patriarchal societies, and most of them have no feminism to speak of, some of the Disney Princesses do, such as Merida, Mulan, Elsa, and Anna. Most females present in the media, specifically movies, are there to be looked at and objectified, to be looked at through the collective male gaze of society. Through the lenses presented by Moi and Mulvey, it becomes apparent that these Disney Princesses possess agency.

To identify as a woman is to identify as female as per biology, and to be female is to be associated with a “set of...

... middle of paper ...

... portraying women in roles that don’t objectify them, encourage degradation, and promote feminism and female agency, there are some films that (luckily) do possess these traits. Tests such as the Bechdel Test, and theoriest such as Moi and Mulvey, point out and raise the issues present in our current patriarchal society that tries so hard to pigeonhole women and reduce them to sexual objects without agency, present only for male pleasure and power, are incredibly valid and important, yet no longer as overwhelmingly true – the feminist movement is making progress, on some fronts, even in the world of Disney, which constantly receives critique for the women role models that it promotes to young girls. Luckily, through the lenses presented by Moi and Mulvey, it becomes apparent that these Disney Princesses do possess agency, and are not just there for men to objectify.