tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683546417186768820.post5380492082516134983..comments2021-02-13T04:51:17.282-05:00Comments on Nth Wave Feminism: Disney: Teaching Girls To Live With Violence Since 1923Kyriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01488063301300315710noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683546417186768820.post-4290357962814521412011-11-09T10:01:03.570-05:002011-11-09T10:01:03.570-05:00Good point. But, when I think about little childre...Good point. But, when I think about little children who may be watching that movie (like my 5 yo niece), I'm thankful for how Belle reacted toward Gaston. If she had given in to his whims, that could have conveyed the message that girls should sacrifice themselves for the mens, even the sleazy scumbags.<br /><br />Of course, she goes on to do that very thing with the Beast anyhow.Desihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15401789935772205218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683546417186768820.post-62879984388413749952011-11-04T13:20:42.525-04:002011-11-04T13:20:42.525-04:00@Desi: I liked Belle, too, being a giant book nerd...@Desi: I liked Belle, too, being a giant book nerd as a kid, but now I'm bothered by the fact that the movie expected me to like her partly because she turned down Gaston. On the one hand, okay, he was a douche and so that's evidence of good taste, but on the other hand, I'm not gonna judge a lady for getting busy with ten douches. I mean guy-douches, not, like, Summer's Eve.Kyriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01488063301300315710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683546417186768820.post-45336355652515521332011-11-01T14:18:05.435-04:002011-11-01T14:18:05.435-04:00Wonderfully interesting article. I have to confess...Wonderfully interesting article. I have to confess that violence and domination are so intertwined in these stories (both Disney, but also the larger cultural ones) that I often miss them. <br /><br />"He was handsome? Rich? Is that what we're supposed to be telling our daughters is more important than their ability to express themselves in even the most basic ways?"<br />Yup. These kinds of morals don't happen in a vacuum. From European and far eastern immigrant notions that American streets were paved with gold to the Horatio Alger-style work hard and get rich, the underlying American value (for men) is to obtain wealth. Now, as women don't have access to things like jobs, what is their way of obtaining <br />wealth? Men. <br /><br />"For contemplation he and valor formed,<br />For softness she and sweet attractive grace;<br />He for God only, she for God in him." -Paradise Lost<br /><br />I know subjugation is only one element of the greater whole here, but I'd say that Disney movies (most of which are not original stories) are part of a larger, deeply ingrained western and Judeo-Christian traditions. I think, and I'm sure you would agree to at least some degree, that these are the symptoms, not the disease (of course these systems solidify the disease). <br /><br />My as always jumbled and scatterbrained two cents.Alex Seelighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11380511351958738740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683546417186768820.post-8499875764848598082011-10-28T09:01:53.815-04:002011-10-28T09:01:53.815-04:00I always liked Belle at the beginning of Beauty an...I always liked Belle at the beginning of Beauty and the Beast--the quirky book nerd who rebuffed the vile Gaston. If only she could have been more assertive against the Beast.<br /><br />The messages these princesses convey is pretty disturbing. Hopefully, though, parents will be able to have conversations with their children about them and, as you suggested Steve, provide strong female role models as alternatives. <br /><br />There is a little light in the end of the tunnel from Disney, though. They have teamed up with Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli to produce a line of anime that appeal to kids and have stronger, more complex female protagonists. I won't assert that there's nothing problematic about the films, but they do present some better characters and richer stories. And even though they come out of Disney studios, these films aren't as wrapped up in the consumerism. At least not yet.Desihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15401789935772205218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3683546417186768820.post-72267033837896598662011-10-27T16:01:08.811-04:002011-10-27T16:01:08.811-04:00Well, my wife and daughter both LOVE Disney, and I...Well, my wife and daughter both LOVE Disney, and I certainly enjoy it as well, though not to the same degree. We still get Florida resident passes every year and probably stay overnight there 4 or 5 times a year. We spend most of the money on food, some t-shirts, and what my klepto grabs while sitting in her stroller. My little girl will often declare that she works at Disney with Spiderman. She does love the place.<br />Meggie loves the princesses, and I have no problem with that. She has enough strong female role models that the issues you raise aren't a concern right now. Anyway, while she loves the princesses, and she calls herself my princess, we both know I am grooming her to be a left-handed starter for the Boston Red Sox. :)Hard to pitch effectively in a pink tafetta dress. <br />I kid. Somewhat. Seriously though, I really do not worry about it at all. She is a smart kid, and her mom and I will teach her and show her how to live as a strong young woman.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com