My Three Sources

Feminism in The Princess & The Frog (2009): Part 2

The first source I choose is a podcast from Yasmin and Elena, two friends who create many episodes that discuss and evaluate Disney movies. In this episode, they dive into the portrayal of gender roles and feminism through a princess called Tiana. She is referred to as an independent and empowered woman who is able to break the typical princess trope. I'm planning to utilize this source to create a comparison with gender values portrayed in Cinderella, an early Disney fairytale. Here is a phrase from the source: "When the two main characters opened the restaurant together, it was still named 'Tiana's Palace,' as opposed to 'Tiana and Naveen's Palace.'" This moment from the film reinforces my idea that Tiana is a decision-maker and capable of achieving success independently. I would use this source to develop my thoughts about feminism ideals and how this particular princess clearly distinguishes her from the others.

Cinderella: Gender Perspective (Blog)

Serena van der Woodsen published this blog on January 25, 2016. The main idea revolves around Cinderella, which the author refers to as one of the most iconic Disney princesses representing society's ideal woman. She is passive, obedient, and desires to be with a man. The author argues that examples of gender roles demonstrated by Cinderella are damaging to society. I will use this source to expand the idea about women's issues and compare this film's accepted gender roles to the others. As Serena said, "Cinderella's seemingly only ambition, and one that is heavily expected from women and has been for centuries, is to get married. Marriage is the ultimate end goal in this film and is the key to Cinderella's happily ever after, and it is Prince Charming and only Prince Charming that can give that to her." From this quote, I can see the difference between Cinderella and Tiana's life goals, which shows how princesses from different eras behave.

Killing Us Softly 4

The last source is a video from Jean Kilbourne. In this video, she emphasizes how destructive the influence of toxic advertisements is. Kilbourne points out society's expectations of women. Women have to be pretty, perfect, and submissive to be recognized as normal. As Kilbourne puts it, "The body language of girls is usually passive, vulnerable, and very different from the body language of boys and men. Women are often shown in very silly poses, whereas men are generally afforded dignity and strength, even as children." Through many examples she provided in the video, I can see the connection between these ads' misleading ideas and from early Disney movies. A woman's worth depends on her look, and this is why we keep seeing conventionally beautiful princesses in those movies.