Gender and Cultural Stereotypes in Disney's Princess

As we all know Disney from the beginning of their time have focused on creating happiness through a magical experience and they continue to promote this happiness and being one of the most powerful brands. Despite attempts to represent values and beliefs of honesty, respect, courage, diversity, and balance, Disney’s films, including the newer ones, continue to challenge stereotypes of a woman and their cultural representation that continue to shape society's representation of people from different cultures. Three films that are represented in this manner are Princess and the Frog, Mulan, and Pocahontas. All of these films explore Disney Princesses through a different culture while also promoting problematic stereotypes that put a label on us, multicultural women. Princess Tiana is mispresented by being an animal for the majority of the film while still battling what role she plays as a colored woman. Mulan is represented as a heroic “man”, though she is a brave woman, most of her on-screen time was fighting to meet the standards of what men are meant to be. Pocahontas plays an empowering role that takes offense to many Native Americans as they should have not messed with the reality of what Native Americans faced.

First, we will discuss Princess and the Frog and their representation of black culture. The Princesses and the Frog, one of the first black Disney princesses, was a wild success with many upsetting problems. After years and years of Disney stories, many expected this film to be non- offensive. For many years people of color or Africans are known to be misrepresented and looked at as monsters and barbaric. During the witch doctor's “curse” there were some kind of African-eques masks, implying that Africans are spooky and scary and have magical powers (“voodoo”). Which is what many of our young audience would take out of that scene. In her scene, she just likes a crazy old lady that speaks a lot of nonsense. Another issue many seem to recognize is that, for the first black Disney Princess, the princess spends most of her time on screen not as a girl of color, but as a frog. In addition to there being racial problems, they also represent black women as having to be from a poor class working for the upper class and having to work hard to get to where they want to be rather than having it handed to them. From the beginning to the end of the film we notice Tiana talking heavily about having her dream restraint. She works two jobs, thriving to reach her goal to just buy a spot. Then later on in the film when Tiana goes to Charlotte’s ball, her childhood friend, the owners of the building she purchased sell of the building to someone who offered more money. Knowing that she desperately wanted that space and had been working hard for it.

Another film includes Mulan and their representation of Asian culture. Mulan might have been one of the best attempts from Disney at incorporating culture into their work, but it still has its imperfection. The film portrays a westernized version of Chinese culture. The flag on Mulan’s hospital bed was Japanese and not Chinese which could have an offense to those who are from both cultures. Mainly because one culture is being represented as another, or not knowing the difference can be offensive as every culture is different. Many can argue that Mulan’s search for an identity is common in Disney, yet uncomfortably embedded onto the wrong story. Disney portrays this film in an Americanized version of the Chinese culture and to many that know the culture, it can be less empowering and entertained than of those that know little of the culture. Mulan was and is heroic because she exhibits more “masculine” traits, like being brave and fighting in a war, and looking like a tomboy. Can women only be heroic by portraying a man rather than being ourselves? We just hope that the live-action remake of Mulan, set release in 2020, gives Disney the opportunity for a better representation. The centering of an Asian woman is important because we woman lives in a culture that demeans and degrades women, and particularly a woman of color.

Last but not least, we have Pocahontas and their representation of Native Americans. This movie may have been made with its good intentions and many may applaud Disney for their attempt. One of the biggest issues has to be incorporating real-life issues as a form of entertainment when certain issues like what happened in Pocahontas was real for Natives. Pocahontas is much more than just a child cartoon character, to many she as a hero from the Western perspective. Without knowing the reality of Native people it’s difficult to turn their story into what they predict to be the Natives story. It makes Americans look more like the “bad guy” they first portrayed to be. In one of the scenes where Pocahontas and John Smith are interacting John Smith claims that they are there to build and teach the Natives to “make the most of there land”. As he is explaining their plan, he’s fidgety and is trying to sound engaging while hopping around and we can see on Pocahontas’s face that she doesn’t like the idea at all. Also, he puts Pocahontas down by saying “you think that only because you don’t know any better” and describes her people as “savages”. This is no way to describe another race whether it is to introduce a story or not in the entertainment business the youth are not looking at these stories as lessons or historical values they are taking these representations for what they are. Many don’t change their beliefs and they are forced to have imagines and representations like this to look back at.

As a woman of color in America and growing up with these films, we have to work every day to overcome the limiting narratives society sets for women and women of color Movies like The Princess and the Frog, Mulan, and Pocahontas are all a part of that. They help expand what happens to be possible for all children and eliminate what it means to have a particular identity. These stereotypes continue to arise today which makes it hard for audiences from different cultures to not take an offense. Many brands do not look into these cultures and get feedback from people of these cultures before trying to represent them. Gender inequality will always be a major issue around the world, and I believe will continue to be used in all forms of entertainment continuing. Part of the world may see these representations as a joke and a little laugh within the entertainment, but this is just a part of many issues that continue to spread today. Disney continues to use its entertainment as an investment, along with having issues within their stories the biggest concern is whether they are willing to grow from these misrepresentations and change the way they are portrayed or will they continue with the way they represent their stories and stick to the “brand” they represent themselves to be?

All in all is indeed easy to criticize a movie in hindsight after many years of realizing the issues these films can never be perfect but at least TRY. Most of Disney’s princesses all seem to betray their greatness in exchange for princess hood. There is always prototypical “heroic man”, always robbing women of their power or coercing them into giving up. Thankfully neither of the multicultural films has men that try to overpower these women, but it doesn’t change the messages. Not having these Disney “princesses” represented this way is just another distraction from the fact that their cultures are misrepresented. Yes, they were all portrayed as powerful and brave women but that doesn’t change the issues within representing other races and the representation of their cultures. Disney’s film is marketed to children and has overwhelming messages that kids are unable to comprehend. Disney just makes themselves seem money-driven, as being one of the top brands they should at least reconsider the stereotypes they portray on their screens. Especially when it comes to representing another culture.