Recently, I found myself watching the "Disneyland 60" celebration on ABC. What was supposed to be a celebration of the original Disney park, turned into a celebration of all things Disney (which surprised me, as Disney almost never misses out on the opportunity for a commercial, but that, again, is another blog post).
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Part way through the evening, there was a montage celebrating the strength of female heroines in Disney movies. Female celebrities began listing the many positive characteristics of Disney heroines while images of characters like Ariel, Snow White, Mulan, and Pocahontas flashed across the screen.
But here's the question: Are these characters really worthy of such praise?
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Yes, Ariel defies her father and takes every measure possible to pursue her dreams. But students who took my fairy tale class last semester can tell you that she did so at the expense of her voice (quite literally). She places herself within the docile feminine role, allowing everyone around her to act while she remains passive. Even going to Ursula, and from there actually becoming a human, isn't truly her decision - Ursula's minions fetch her. Of course she is going to go along with it - it's part of her passive nature! At least Hans Christian Andersen's little mermaid makes the decision to visit the sea witch. Though admittedly, Andersen's mermaid doesn't have a name, so the one cancels the other out.
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Then you have Snow White whose abilities can be chalked up to being beautiful. Oh, and cleaning. And teaching animal friends to clean. And "whistling while she works," because keeping house for strangers is so satisfying. Then there's Sleeping Beauty whose lines in the movie total 18. The only Disney protagonist who speaks less than her is the elephant Dumbo, and his movie is half as long. Mulan defies her gender, but is she doing so because she wants to or because she is taking up the feminine mantel of taking care of her family?
This isn't a fair overview. I realize that Merida does defy her parents' desire for her to marry, even convincing them that the decision should belong to her. And Belle's love of reading and desire for adventure can be inspiring for a young girl.
But if we just offer a sweeping statement of how "empowered" these heroines are and don't actually take a moment to question if that is true, then we are doing more damage to young girls. We are telling them that ending up with a man is the happily ever after. (Thank you, Merida and Pocahontas, for being the exceptions to this rule.) In fact, your dreams and adventures probably will lead to your marriage.
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Belle's "adventure in the great wide somewhere" amounts to being trapped in a castle with a beast, developing Stockholm Syndrome, while having access to one of the most amazing libraries known to cinema screens. Jasmine gets to exercise her own opinion by choosing to marry Aladdin (who for all extensive purposes will now become sultan).
Feminist children's literature scholars like Roberta Seelinger Trites and Lissa Paul encourage scholars to question the position of the female characters that are presented to us. How do we encourage young girls to do the same? I think it is by providing multi-dimensional heroines, questioning the status quo, and encouraging girls to dream. Of course marriage can be on the table. But don't let it be the only thing on the table. And for goodness' sake - don't include Snow White in your montage of empowered women!
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