Gender Roles in Disney Films

            All of us have grown up watching the Disney classics, Snowhite, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and many more.  Every little girl grows up fantasying about being a princess who gets swept off her feet by her Prince Charming.  But why should every girl have to wait for a man? Why does Disney create this “damsel in distress” character that every little girl is dying to be? This is one of the many gender roles portrayed in Disney Films. 

            While kids are watching these films today they learn what women and men are supposed to be like in our society.  The gender roles in these films may not be messages we are comfortable showing our children.  For example, when watching Beauty and the Beast as an adult one may notice that Belle is in an abusive relationship.  Many little girls idolize Belle and her ability to tame this horrid creature and turn him into a handsome young man.  This movie teaches girls to remain in unhealthy, abusive relationships in the hope that they can change their partner into a loving, kind man.  This is just one example of the many gender roles created in Disney films. 

            For my final project I will study this topic and further investigate the messages Disney is putting out into society.  While identity the gender roles in these films, I will also being searching for a solution.  When interviewing an expert on this topic I will ask a variety of questions trying to develop more incite into this issue. Some questions include, “Do you think children truly absorb these messages?  Do you think Disney should be censored or banned from our society? If not, what do you suggest the solution to this problem is?”