Feminism and Chauvinism in Beauty And The Beast

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Beauty and the Beast is a wonderful children’s movie, its directed by: Gary Trousdale, and Kirk Wise, and produced by: Don Hahn. Disney is the main sponsor and gives the movie the best cast of artist and musicians. Who would except anything else from Disney, they are the best at children’s films. At the same time, Disney succeeds in teaching our children a very vital lesson in life, how good looks and fame is not the key to true love. Which is created throughout the movie of Beauty and the Beast released in 1991 with the most sincere reviews and touching style. Consequently, the movie exploits a great deal of feminism and chauvinistic ways unexcitable to this day and age.

Marian Belle is the main character, she lives with her father who is considered by the town a loony man therefore, Belle is also looked upon the town as being a little out of the ordinary. Even so, she is the most beautiful girl in the town, her name means beauty and it is shown with her wonderful appearance throughout the duration of the movie. Gaston a very courageous and dignified worrier, who is in love with Belle and wishes to marry her. Moreover every women and man in the town look up to him and would do anything for him. Nonetheless, Belle sees right through his beauty and recognizes him as a mean and conceded fool who does not know how to love. Meanwhile there is a prince in a near by castle who wakes up to a widow knocking on his door. When he answers she offers him a rose for shelter out of the cold. When he consistently said no the widow turned into a prices. He tried to apologize but it was too late. The curse of the flower turned him into a beast. Consequently, the curse can not be broken until he finds a woman to love him from within instead of just his outside appearance.

Little does the audience know that feminism is displayed throughout the entire movie, for example Belle is walking through town one day and I noticed vital parts of the film displaying old traditional methods of living with the man working for a living while the wife stays home and takes care of the house and the children. When I reiterated the part over and over I noticed more and more displays of such chauvinistic nature. For instance, It seemed very odd that the men of the town were only paying attention to the pretty women and saying hello to them. Not to mention, how the men ordered around the w...

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The Prince is very beautiful when he appears in front of Belle, this signifies that beauty is not the best thing in life and one should never love based on just appearance. One thing I never understood about the movie when Belle loves the Beast so dearly did she never call him by name. Furthermore when the Prince comes out of the Beast after Belle kisses him the Beast states “Belle its me”, no name description even in such a vital most sensitive and loving part of the movie.

The fact that Disney exploits such ignorance or just pure chauvinistic attitude toward women treated in an equal way as men, and the fact that all the short, stumpy, and ugly men play such insignificant and non respected roles just shows kids that if they are a little fat and ugly that’s what they are going to end up like in life. Even though Disney has a great point in the aspect of seeing through the big harry monster it contradicts it self in the way it exploits other characters portrayed throughout the movie. I had no intent of finding such classless attitude toward women and men along with the repeated chauvinistic ways portrayed in a Disney film with such gratitude as I did in Beauty and the Beast.

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