One Small Step For Woman, One Giant Leap For Womankind

I was first introduced to Disney’s 1950 film Cinderella when I was 12. I was captivated by the glamorous clothes, the witty comedy, and of course, the happy ending. Years later, I was able to recognize the disturbing beauty ideals embedded within these Disney classics. It is not just Disney’s Cinderella that reinforces these beauty ideals. Disney classics such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin have female protagonists who are seen with size zero waists, curvy bodies, skinny limbs, and small feet. These unnatural, and unhealthy beauty standards are normalized by these animated classics, which have forced girls to conform to the cultural expectation that one must be abnormally thin, tall, and have a beautiful face. It creates a social stigma that they do not have the possibility, let alone the choice, to look otherwise. According to the January 2017 issue of The National Geographic, in classic Disney animated films, a female character receives seven times the praise for her appearance, as opposed to her skills and actions. Furthermore, a study conducted by the North Carolina State university found out that out of the 12 classic disney animated films, 60 percent of the compliments to females related to looks while a measly 9 percent related to abilities.

This is extremely harmful to young children because in this cultural context, it paints a mindset that women are only appreciated for their physical looks, rather than their skills and talents. The "thin ideal" has existed in American culture since the 1960s, and it is still increasingly pervasive today in media. Disney follows these societal norms and expectations of stereotypical beauty with its animations. If the company were to present a woman with a body type that may not seem conventional or even beautiful, Disney could suffer financial repercussions.

Despite the negative response from parts of the audience around the world, Disney continues to adhere to the unchanged cultural clarity of typical beauty. Contrarily, Disney have been able to flip the script and focus on abilities the female protagonists possess. In fact, family films being produced in the “New Age”(films being produced since 2010) are given substantial praise for courage, and abilities relative to the films produced in the classic Era (Disney’s first feature films that made them famous). Films such as Tangled and Brave have received about 50 percent of compliments related to skill while Cinderella received 18 percent and Snow White, a whopping 0 percent. Last week, Buzzfeed published a truly inspiring article displaying illustrator, Matt Burt, reimagined drawings of Disney princesses as career women. We see Jasmine as a “UN ambassador who fights for what’s right”, we see Snow white who is a “leading psychologist known for being caring and thoughtful”, we see Cinderella as a “dedicated animal rights activist”. Burt translates the beauty ideals that are associated with the Disney princesses and shifts the focus from looks to skills. For each female protagonist, Burt uncovers the special skills and talents they possess and effectively amplifies these skills in order to create them as dignified, courageous and most of all, it makes them equal. According to Burt, Disney princesses have become more than just characters. Burt states that “they have become influential women and cultural icons”. This is why it is crucial that these Disney princesses are given successful careers because young children have something to look up to. Moreover, the Disney princesses were also given careers that have been male dominated jobs. It gives a mindset for these young girls that it is perfectly acceptable to strive for careers across the board-even if they may seem unconventional.

Some attributes Snow White is prominent for is that she is thoughtful, caring, and sees the good in everything. Burt pairs her qualities up and writes that “Using these strengths paired up with hard work, she earned a doctorate in psychology and is one of the leaders in mental health”whether they’re feeling happy, bashful, grumpy, or anything else. It’s her mission to not only help her clients but also support other mental health professionals”.