Sociology and Feminism in Disney´s Cinderella and Snow White

There is a lot of debate around Disney films concerning the representation of women and its relation to identity formation. Many sociologist and feminists argue that the ways in which Disney princesses are depicted in films are problematic due to the domesticated and inferior positioning of them. It is believed that these characters and their imagined roles to be positively correlated to the historical and social context unfolding at the time. Here, I will discuss the significance of two Disney princesses, Snow White and Cinderella, and compare and contrast their treatment in a sociological and feminist framework.
Feminist ethic suggests that the personal is political, which focuses on the idea that what is perceived to be one persons’ problem, to actually be everyone’s problem. In fact, famous sociologists such as C.R. Mills teaches us that by developing our sociological imagination, we are able to make sense of our present disposition by re-looking at the historical and contemporary context that produced our social biography. Sociologists and Feminists alike complement each other in understanding how our developing identities are a reflection of the historical and contemporary context performing the role of a haunting or source of empowerment, if not both. This is pivotal to comprehending the affect media and representation in Disney films have on society and identity formation.
The role of women in the Walt Disney’s Snow White and Cinderella films are undoubtedly a reflection of the hetero-patriotic cultural beliefs popular in the late 1930’s throughout the 1950’s. Women’s identity at the 1930’s was centered around the family and measured by their ability to be domesticated. They are expected to from very young in age ...

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...aligning to stereotypical gender roles. Women’s representation in film and media is perceived to only be a woman’s problem, but it is everyones. We are all responsible for the conditions of the world based on what we do or not do. It is that engagement or lack of engagements that sets the stage and tone of the debate.

Sources:
1) Watts, Steven. The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life. Colombia, MO: U of Missouri, 2001. Print.
Cinderella. Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske. Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, Luis Van Rooten, Jimmy MacDonald, William Phipps, Mike Douglas, Lucille Bliss, Rhoda Williams, VErna Felton, Don Barclay, June Foray, Betty Lou Gerson. Walt Disney Productions: 1950.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. William Cottrell, David Hand. Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, and Lucille La Verne. Walt Disney Productions: 1937.