When I was a young girl, my parents kept me from watching television at all costs. They wanted to protect me from violence on television and other factors that they believed were not appropriate for the eyes of a small child. My parents wanted me to be as unspoiled by society as possible. Because of this, like many children, I was limited to a variety of films created by the Wonderful World of Disney. Disney, of course, is one of the main “princess film” factories. Little did my parents know, along with many others, that their children were being influenced with ideas that would later have an effect in their behavior within society.
Most of us have seen these Disney Corporation films. Films such as Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are among favorites for little girls for the last 50-60 years. These films all have a common theme, along with more recent films such as Aladdin and Little Mermaid. The female protagonist in each of these films is seen as a “Disney princess”, but oddly enough, traits such as submissiveness and servitude are represented in these films, contrary to expected traits of power and command which are typical in upper-class and royalty. However, since the premiere of Snow White in 1937 and the latest “role model princess” Fiona in Shrek in 2001, we have seen some changes in the portrayal of Disney Princesses.
This essay will focus on ten very popular Disney films: Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Mulan and Shrek and Shrek 2. These films were presented to the public starting in the year 1937 up until 2004. Throughout the last 70 years we have seen many changes concerning women’s rights and privileges. Through these animated films we can observe a change in the representation of a Disney princess and the way they represent women. Although the stereotypes still exist within the films we can see that there has been some progress in the way women are portrayed, even in an animated film.
Let us begin with Disney’s first animated feature film, starring a lovely young princess named Snow White, which came out in the year 1937. Snow White was forced to run from her home due to her step-mother’s insane jealousy. The evil Queen wanted to be the fairest of them all so she ends up hiring a “hit man” to murder her step-daughter while she is picking flowers by herself in the forest. Snow White flees and finds a small house which she ends up cleaning and tiding up for seven dwarves that work as miners. Here we see the stereotypical role of the housewife who cares for her hardworking man (or in this case, men). Later, when her stepmother realizes that Snow White is still alive, she decides to take matters into her own hands and makes a trip to the Seven Dwarves home and gives Snow White a poisoned apple (which she so innocently eats and immediately falls in an eternal slumber). However, all is not lost! The beautiful princess is saved when she receives a kiss from the prince, and they live happily ever after. Typical boy meets girl, girl gets in trouble, boy saves girl story.
A similar story occurs in Cinderella (1950), in which a young and beautiful servant girl is kept socially isolated and in servitude to her evil step-mother and step-sisters (who, like Snow White’s step-mother, are jealous of her beauty). Cinderella feels like she has a duty to a family that she acquired through her father’s marriage (who is nowhere to be found) and feels like she has no escape. She finds herself in luck when a fairy godmother comes to help her attend the ball and meet the prince, which seems to be her only escape from poverty. At this ball she meets the prince who becomes enamored of her due to her novelty and beauty - he had never seen her until the ball. The prince, however, can only seem to find the princess with the glass slipper that she has lost; it seems that he forgot both her face and her voice and cant seem to recognize her without her shiny blue dress. Both Snow White and Cinderella are classical narratives of social mobility. The notion that women rise in the social world because of the man they “snatch” or become attached to is very clear in both of these films. Both these women use social mobility as an escape from poverty into the luxurious life of a princess.
Both these tales are ones in which the main character is punished for being beautiful and forced into a servant or common role by a jealous mother or family member until she is rescued by a handsome prince. The same can be said of Sleeping Beauty (1959). She is cast into poverty due to a spell, cast upon her by an evil witch who in fact is also jealous of all the attention Princess Aurora receives. Aurora’s parents are forced to send her to the forest to live with three fairy godmothers (who by the way can change the color of the princess’ clothing, but are unable to help her with all the chores she is forced to do to keep their little country house running). The princess meets her prince in the forest one day but is later tricked into entering a castle and fulfilling the spell that was cast upon her many years ago. Like in Snow White, the princess is portrayed as gullible and naïve. Even though she knows of this spell and the reason why she is exiled she is easily duped and seems to find the only sewing machine in which to prick her tiny little finger. However, there is hope for the silly little princess. The prince barges into the castle on his valiant steed, battles the evil witch and manages to destroy the spell with a mere kiss and rescue the princess and mend her stupid mistake. In both Snow White and Sleeping Beauty we see a classic example of a submissive female. The princesses are portrayed as helpless women who must simply wait. They lie back, close their eyes, and wait to be saved. If life we’re only that easy. Sleeping Beauty is definitely a perfect example of a helpless and useless female that accepts and does not question anything that happens to her. To become the princess who lives happily ever after with a prince she does absolutely nothing.
Next on the list is The Little Mermaid (1989). Ariel is the first princess to break out of the obedient and submissive princess stereotype. Unlike the previously mentioned princesses she demonstrates stubbornness and defiance. She crosses the boundaries set forth by her father, and unlike her sisters who spend their free time combing their hair and preparing for concerts, Ariel explores her surroundings and wishes to learn more about the outside world. However, this film is a perfect example of beauty over brains, or even personality. The Little Mermaid is the movie in which the hot redhead in the shell bra makes a deal with the evil witch Ursula and decides to trade in her voice for a pair of legs, in hopes that she can nab Prince Eric. Surprisingly, she is able to make him fall in love with her despite the fact that (or perhaps, because) she had no voice. What is this movie telling little girls? As long as you are beautiful like Ariel there is no need to even speak, men will simply fall at your feet. Once again, in this film the role of the delicate and submissive female is represented. In every film we have analyzed so far the princess has a fundamentally passive role: she is waiting to be picked, saved, found, rescued, and taken from a life of servitude, poverty and isolation.
In Beauty and the Beast we begin to see a change. Belle is a woman who seeks knowledge but is clearly criticized by all the townspeople when they break into song saying that she always “has her head stuck in a book,” and that she is “odd,” mainly because she refuses to marry the most desirable bachelor in town: the big and strong Gaston. Gaston merely wishes to have Belle as his trophy wife, because she is the most beautiful girl in town. But Belle sees past his façade and, unlike the other town maidens, sees him for what he truly is: a buffoon. In this film, Belle yearns for “something more than this provincial life”, and thinks of ways in which she can escape her small town in France and live a life more like those she finds in the books she reads. Belle is criticized because of her dreams and aspirations and is seen as odd by those around her because and doesn’t fit in to her society’s expectations. And as Gaston clearly puts it, “you won’t have time to read when you are taking care of our three strapping boys”. Clearly this is not what Belle wants, but it is what society deems as the correct path for a young lady.
However, through various tragic occurrences, Belle ends up living in the Beast’s castle in exchange for her father’s release. She is imprisoned, but with time, begins to sooth the savage beast and even prefers him to the handsomest man in her village. She is much braver and more assertive than Snow White, Cinderella or Aurora, but is still rewarded for her beauty and valor with the same end: she is a princess that will live happily ever after with a prince in a life of luxury and adventure like she had dreamed of.
Despite Belle’s assertiveness and intelligence, she manages to make her transition from poverty to wealth through the same means as Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty: marriage.
In Aladdin (1992) marriage is also one of the main themes. Jasmine is being forced into marriage by her father because of royal law. Jasmine refuses to marry the many rich suitors that try and court her; she insists she wants to marry for love. She doesn’t want to marry for financial stability or status seeing as she has had this all her life. With hopes of trading her restricted life for one of adventure and excitement, she chooses to run away from her life of luxury and meets Aladdin, a poor street-rat. Although Jasmine is more assertive than past princesses, she still achieves her goals through the same means as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. She only finds the adventure she seeks through a man: Aladdin. Later on, when she is taken prisoner by an evil sorcerer who takes over the kingdom, she merely waits to be saved from certain death by Aladdin and his wits.
Unlike the previously mentioned films, the person who benefits from the marriage is Aladdin, who will now live a life of luxury as a result of his marriage to Jasmine. This situation is similar to the type of contract that was done during the 19th century in which women needed a dowry in order to attract a suitable husband. A woman with no dowry was seen as undesirable and was unlikely to marry rich or find a suitable husband. Another important point is demonstrated in Aladdin: a woman cannot rule without a husband.
Until Aladdin, no woman from a non-European background had been represented. Jasmine was the first non-white woman to be represented in a Disney film, even more so as a princess. Aladdin was the first film in a series of more global representations of women. Pocahontas (1995) followed suit as the daughter of a Native American chief, and is represented as a strong and independent woman whose life is changed with the arrival of the English. More importantly than the fact that now women of different cultures are being represented, it is the fact that when faced with the decision to choose between her love interest, John Smith, and her people, she decides to stay behind. Pocahontas is the first Disney Princess to make a decision that is not seen as “beneficial” for a woman (which would be leaving her home and moving to England, to a place in which she could have a “better” and “more civilized” life). This ending is a breakthrough for both Disney and for the role models that young girls now have. Pocahontas decides to stay with her people and act as a mediator between the New World and the Old World – a very progressive role for a female in a Disney Film. However, many of the viewers of this film may not like this ending because it doesn’t fall into the typical “happily ever after” ending often associated with this type of film. Pocahontas is rarely considered a Disney Princess, and rarely falls among the favorites of little girls when given the choice between Pocahontas and other princesses like Cinderella or Snow White.
The new wave of Disney Princess films - Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995) and Mulan (199 
- are notable for their adaptation of stories or characters from non-Western cultures. Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine isn’t groundbreaking, essentially because she’s not the main character, and in many ways is Aladdin’s trophy.
However, in Mulan (1998), she is no one’s trophy. To me, this film is truly the first groundbreaking Disney film in which a woman is seen as capable of taking on the same roles as men and becomes detached from her family and society; something that is rarely seen even today, due to the type of culture that is established in China). Mulan breaks social boundaries and expectations and becomes a soldier in the Chinese Imperial Army. Mulan disguises herself as a man so that she is able to join the army and replace her father in a time of war (a crime punishable by death). Unlike other Disney films, there is not much romance in the film, mostly because she is disguised as a man. However, Mulan is a perfect example of female empowerment, and the first film in which the woman has no need to be rescued by a man. She takes control of her own life and chooses to go against her society’s expectations (preparing to find a good husband and training to be a good wife). Luckily, she saves the Emperor from the Huns. Had she not, she would have most likely been killed.
Mulan, by Disney standards, is revolutionary. She is not European and she does not hold ideals of demure maidenhood. She is sort of a Chinese Joan of Arc. By disguising herself as a man, she saves China from invading Huns and restores her family’s honor. Even though she doesn’t “snatch” a man by the end of the story, she manages to live happily ever after knowing that she helped her family and served her country.
As time progresses between each film, women take more control over their destinies. (Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, all had to wait to be rescued, as was the little Mermaid). Starting with Beauty and the Beast, we begin to see some change. Belle refuses to marry the big and strong Gaston, and loves to read - even the villagers comment that she is odd, with her “head always stuck in a book”. She is criticized for not wanting to marry Gaston the buffoon. Same situation occurs in Aladdin. Jasmine refuses to marry any suitor simply because it is required by law. She wishes to marry for love. However, she ends up being the “trophy wife” to Aladdin, who will later acquire the throne to Agraba. Later on we see more independent women like Pocahontas and Mulan, who take fate into their own hands and defy typical social expectations.
Finally, one of Disney’s most recent films, Shrek 2 (2004), and its enormously successful predecessor, Shrek (2001), take the moral of Beauty and the Beast to the next step. If true beauty reflects moral worth, the hero and the heroine might as well be ogres. The heroine is still a princess, though.
Shrek 2 turns the whole transformation tale and the notion of beauty on its head, when Princess Fiona, now the ogress wife of Shrek, takes her new husband to meet her parents, the King and Queen of Far Far Away. They are more than a little dismayed when two ogres arrive, rather than a beautiful princess and her handsome husband. The moral is of course that true beauty lies within and not on the surface. But this understanding of the connection between beauty and goodness has always been an integral part of the princess tale. It’s one of Western culture’s immediate visual signifiers: beauty equals worthiness, ugliness equals wickedness.
Shrek is the latest in a series of “princess films”. In the first film we see Shrek rescuing Fiona. She was taught since infancy that her purpose in life was to wait in a tower for a handsome prince on his valiant steed that would save her from the dragon and be her true love. As the film progresses we see that Fiona is quite different and does not fall into the typical stereotype of a princess. She is independent and can defend herself from dangerous situations as seen in a fight scene in the first Shrek film with Robin and his Merry Men. She is also not the typical delicate female. She enjoys eating and burps on occasion, surprising Shrek the Ogre. However, later on in the film we learn that she was in fact, also an ogre, and that her beautiful daytime appearance was due to a spell that was cast when she was a child. At the end of the film, she chooses Shrek as her husband and turns into an Ogre permanently. Here we see the female take control over her destiny and decide that personal, internal happiness is more important than external appearances. This is the first movie in which inner beauty is valued and the princess is not “rescued” to have a better life. However, Fiona remains a princess with a privileged life.
Unfortunately, many women today hold a “princess attitude”, and aspire to have a princess type of life. This attitude can be seen among some girls and young women. They often believe that marrying well, especially financially, is desirable, so they can easily live the life of a princess. This may very well be an effect caused by the women that are presented to us in these films since early childhood.
Although the way in which women are presented in Disney films has progressed throughout time, there is yet to be a true role model for women that demonstrates that: 1) a woman does not need a man to be happy (whether married or not), 2) that a woman does not need a man to achieve success (whether it be personal or financial), and 3) beauty isn’t everything. Personality, intelligence and education are very important factors in determining success in life. Until Disney can find a way to represent this in their films, I am not sure if I want my daughters and future generations of women to be exposed to these films. Children are like sponges, and how to be a prissy princess is certainly not educational material.
