Beyond Magic, Disney Princesses and Their Influence on Gender Narratives

“And they lived happily ever after…” marks the last sentence in almost every fairy tale or animated film for children, but while it speaks of the end of the narrative, at the same time it opens the way for the beginning of a story that does not take up much space for description, especially when the combination of the words “happiness” and “forever” is present. Thus, animated films and fairy tales, in addition to capturing children’s attention, traveling together in fantasy or even easily putting them to sleep, exert a great influence on the creation of worldviews which often gain longevity beyond childhood years.

For a long time, the Walt Disney company has produced a large number of animated films which, in addition to their huge success, have also been subject to numerous criticisms, especially for the patriarchal atmosphere and stereotyping of gender roles they contain. Although the main characters in these productions and in their titles are girls, this is not always accompanied by highlighting their agency and non-oppression. Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are the three productions of the first generation of the Disney princess genre (produced in the years 1937-1959) and the three characters who are known by the nickname “passive princesses”, precisely because of the lack of exercising agency and her delegation to the princes, who, by being described as prudent and courageous, ensure the happiness of the princesses. They become so important only within the domestic territory, cleaning or cooking, as typical traditional roles of women that are injected from the beginning in these minor girls and which are modeled in the film broadcasts to the children who follow them (mainly girls). Thus, the characters in question appear to us built from feminine qualities such as: gentleness, being quiet, few words and caring, while the boy characters, apart from being economically rich and with a higher awareness of self-care, possess freedom from the four walls , which may explain why they easily become the heroes of the story.

Such romanticization of happiness – which cannot be seen without a savior prince, without marriage and sacrifice of dreams – as well as the naturalization of men’s dominance and control over women enable the reproduction of patriarchal values, which being much more accessible to the new generations risks affecting their education in this spirit. Sociologist William Corsaro refers to the term “symbolic culture of childhood” to explain the different symbolic and value representations of children that take shape from three main sources such as: children’s media content (for example film), children’s literature (for example fairy tales, fables etc.) and mythical figures (for example Santa Claus). Add here the fact that Disney is involved in children’s lives as in the design of various products for children: clothes, school supplies, toys and even birthday cakes that are decorated with Disney motifs. However, the Disney effect does not end there. Modeling certain behavior and conveying them to the viewers can remain a cultural relic, often unconscious, even in the routine of an adult, apart from the nostalgia to repair sequences of the magical world of Disney.

It is also interesting to reflect on the relationships that are created between the same sex in the stories turned into Disney film productions. Let’s face it, the difference between Cinderella and her stepmother’s daughters lies in the possession of physical beauty, gentleness and fragility as well as skills in cleaning and cooking, qualities that the twin girls portrayed as negative characters do not have. Consequently, standardizing pressures of “ideal girls” are encouraged, who, possessing these qualities, manage to get married or win the love of the prince who turns into their life hero. The same happens with the mermaid Ariel, who in the name of love denies a part of her body as a mermaid and loses her voice to fit into the world of the prince – even for this she is advised by the witch Ursula to use the beauty of her face and her now transformed body to make the prince her own, as her voice was gone. Likewise, the tendency for powerful women to be judged as evil spirits appears in Cinderella and Snow White, in their relationship with the stepmother – apart from the fact that the role of the stepmother is historically colored as insensitive towards orphaned children, especially girls.

However, in all these years of film production, an evolution of Disney films can be seen and this is shown in the passing of some ideas from one generation of films to another. The first generation with Snow White (1937), Cinderella (1950) and Sleeping Beauty (1959) which lays the foundations of the exclusivity of life fulfillment with marriage and eternal happiness, evolves into the second generation with characters such as Ariel (1989), Bella in Beauty and the Beast (1991), Jasmine in Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995) and Mulan (1998), which represent the prototype of princesses with more personality – in the sense of greater emphasis on their subjectivity and persistence to be guided by it. Meanwhile, with the third generation, with productions such as: Princess and the Frog (2009), Rapunzel (2010) and Elsa and Anna in Frozen (2013), they do not necessarily survive the absolute efforts to preserve the title of princess or marriage. This best suits the character Merida (Brave), a 2012 Disney film that tells the story of Merida, a Scottish princess with a bow, who strongly refuses to allow her parents to betroth her to one of the boys of the neighboring kingdom. In sharp contrast to pre-2000s princesses, Merida is unconventional and prefers climbing and exploring to singing about finding a husband. Above all, Merida achieves her happy ending without tying it to the romance of a prince.

Finally, the deconstruction of the identities and messages conveyed by Disney characters is of particular importance to see how certain values are planted, which, in addition to speaking about the social contexts of the time when they were realized, testify to the need to reflect on the narratives genders that are constructed in society and that impressively preserve fragments in the childhood memories of many of us.

Trina Hoti is a second year student in the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Philosophy. Since the age of 13, she has been engaged in advocating for children’s rights, chairing the Municipal Assembly of Children – Pristina and then the monitoring group for children’s rights, Respect Our Rights, while she is currently the facilitator of the Youth Reference Group in the UNICEF program in Kosovo. As a delegate of Kosovar youth, Trina has represented Kosovo in two international events, such as the European Week of Action for Girls (year 2018) and the Western Balkans summit “It takes two to tango: the Western Balkans between hope and reality” (year 2019). Also, she has met senior Kosovar decision-makers and not only, and has led several parliamentary sessions in the Assembly of Kosovo on the occasion of international children’s days.