8 Women Disney Should Make Movies About

Now that I have efficiently slandered all the popular Disney princess movies, I should probably create an alternative for some retribution. So instead of creating a culturally dated representational list of women for girls to admire, I decided to do a little bit of research and compile a list of women (and sometimes girls) that children should look to for inspiration. These women are truly powerful and the impact they produced was unique to each of them. Many of these women defied what society expected of them; they were not side-tracked by domestic ideals but instead, strove to reach beyond the barrier many girls catch themselves trapped within. There are centuries of women within written history that have been complete, excuse my French, badasses. There is no simple way to put it. I admire the feats these women have accomplished and I think it important that girls recognize there’s more to life than just fairy tales. The following is a list of women I composed myself. Spread the word and teach little girls that beauty and strength can be found far beyond the lines of a storybook (though not always exclusively).

(Note: Perhaps some of these women are a little too gruesome for children’s stories)

1. Malala Yousafzai
   • Malala is truly amazing. Though she’s only 18, I really don’t think there’s anything she can’t do. However, what I love most about Malala is how strong of an activist she is for female education. The pursuit of education (whether in a school setting or not) is one of my highest values and the fact that she is willing to put her life on the line to defend that right for women is beyond remarkable for me. I definitely think Disney could, and probably should make a movie about Malala. She is an inspiration to all women, both young and old.
2. Maya Angelou
   • Maya dedicated her entire life to the arts. Though she started her career as a professional dancer, she eventually became the famous poet many of us know her as today. She has been through countless struggles that make her a solid role model for all children. From bouncing between family members’ households as a child with her brother to getting raped at eight years old (and subsequently becoming mute for five years thereafter), to being the first female streetcar conductor, to meeting all the greats in Civil Rights Activism, there is always at least something people can be inspired by.
3. Amelia Earhart
   • Amelia’s adventurous attitude and rambunctious personality teach girls to be themselves. Although she grew up in an era where women were traditionally house bodies, Amelia never betrayed her playful outlook. Despite all of her great characteristics, the thing that makes her most famous is the mystery of her disappearance. Amelia’s story is one of intrigued that teaches girls that the sky is the limit.
4. Sappho
   • Sappho is a poet from ancient Greece. If you have ever studied anything about Greek culture, you probably know that it was very hard for women at this time to get any recognition. Much of her life is a mystery since many of her works disappeared. However, it has been noted that she was called the “Poetess” just as Homer was dubbed the “Poet.” With such a heavy title as this one, she wrote with beautiful color and grace.
5. Anne Frank
   • I’m sure everyone knows this little girl’s story. However amazing her life may have been, she still has not had a successful movie made for children. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was a huge hit, so why can’t Anne’s story do the same? Anne’s innocence and development into adolescence during such a trivial time struck the hearts of all of her readers. The legacy she left behind does not just stop there. Her storytelling by the form of a diary has led way for dozens of adaptations. I think her story is worth hearing among children (little girls especially) and needs to be created into a movie by Disney.
6. Lozen
   • Lozen is the true definition of a warrior. As a member of the Chihenne Chiricahua Apache tribe, she also served as a prophetess. Fearless, she led the women and children across the Rio Grande fleeing American forces, and later joined her brother, Victorio (who was also the chief) to fight in the battle. Her brother described her as, “my right hand … strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy. Lozen is a shield to her people.” Later in her career, she even fought alongside Geronimo. As if this isn’t terrifying enough, Geronimo described her in battle, “he would stand with her arms outstretched, chant a prayer to Ussen, the Apaches’ supreme deity, and slowly turn around.” By this, she believed she could find where the enemy was hiding and how many of them there were.

7. The Night Witches
   • These women would fly their planes over the German pilots during the World War II for precision bombing. From the Soviet Air Forces, this all women crew was tough. Most of these girls were no older than 20 years old, but would fly up to 18 missions in one night. The Germans feared the pilots so much that they eventually donned the name: Nachthexen, which means “Night Witches.” For the women who survived to the end of the war, on average, they flew one thousand missions each.
8. Empress Wu Zetian
   • Wu Zetian’s road to Empress started out shaky. She began as a concubine for Emperor Taizong. However, when he died, she ended up marrying his successor, his son Emperor Gaozong. When he husband suffered a debilitating stroke, she took over control. Some of Wu Zetian’s successes include expanding China far into central Asia, creating allies, and improving education, religion, and social class within China. In addition to her powerful leadership, she was also the mother of four sons. Her reign began in 655 and ended in 683 when her son took over. She was the only female emperor in China for four millennia.

 

Honorable Mentions:

• Ancient Women:
  • Trung Sisters and Phung Thi Chinh
  • Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia
  • Marie Curie
  • Joan of Arc
  • Sacajawea
  • Khutulun
• Modern Women:
  • Oprah Winfrey
  • JK Rowling
  • Emma Watson
  • Jennifer Lawrence
  • Michelle Obama
  • Sirimavo Bandaranaike
  • Aung San Suu Kyi

 

 

What Princes Are Teaching Our Boys

      

The effects of Disney Princess movies on little girls are pretty obvious, however, it is often overlooked how much it impacts our little boys. I am not saying that girls have it easy, but at the same time, I am not going to stand here and say that boys do not face similar levels of discrimination. Growing up in the late 20^th and 21^st centuries is hard for the boys, and here’s why.

1. How do princes look?

At the very root of all princess movies, appearance holds the highest standards. Of course girls are expected to look a certain way, however, with the recent progression of the 21^st century, more diversity has been brought into the fairy tale world, but this cannot be said for the boys. Even in the 21^st century, the princes are vastly underrepresented. They are to be tall and muscular. In addition, they should have a sculpted jaw line, a dazzling smile with sparkling white teeth, and glimmering eyes. Their skin should be white. There are several movies with racial diversity, however, it is definitely not accurately depicted to reflect society.   On the other hand, the hair is normally of a darker shade, such as brown or black with exception of Kristoff (though he is sure to be more of a “sandy blonde”) and John Smith (though not really a prince).

2. How do they act?

Princes and other male Disney characters have a tough personality requirement to fit. The girls have been allowed a more evolving character type such as playful and carefree for the newer movies, or domestic and responsible for the older ones. The men, conversely, have remained pretty consistent since their creation. They are to be very charming with a loaded arsenal of wit and comical responses. Even more, they are to be overly masculine and controlling of their female counterparts. Princes should not be emotional but rather the anchor for the “emotionally distraught” women. This is not too great for their mental health. The only semi-representation would be the emotions of The Beast (who tends to be very angry) or Aladdin (who though he is not emotional, he is rather depressed with his current life situation). Furthermore, the men are expected to be lady-killers with very arrogant and self-absorbed attitudes.

3. What do they do?

While women relax in their castles and maintain the households, the men have to overcome various obstacles with ease. Horseback riding, dragon slaying, and villain whooping can all be found within a day’s work. Atop of all of this, they still have to get the girl, which they assume will just crumble at their feet upon their arrival to save the day.

Despite these physical characteristics and expectations, the men are disproportionately underdeveloped compared to the women. As placeholders, they are created to fit the mold to make way for the princess’s fairy tale. It is her story, not his.

How does this all affect our boys?

Boys often feel like they do not fit within the Disney community because it is, for the majority, directed towards girls. They see these overly abused male representations and do not feel like they can identify with these characters. There is a massive amount of responsibility put on these little boys’ shoulders. They are bearing all of these burdens and expectations but they are not allowed to show the pressure it has on them.

Perhaps part of the problems American society has with the image of femininity and the lack of equal rights could be found in how Disney represents its men. Girls are portrayed to be a certain way, but so are the boys. Even more so, boys are taught to treat women like they do in the movies. Likewise, girls expect every relationship to be with Prince Charming. In order to propel America into the direction we want, boys need to be relinquished from their responsibilities as men in Disney movies. Girls don’t need to be constantly looked after, rescued, and cared for and there is certainly nothing wrong with an emotional man with a strong mind, but not body.

Progression has been taking small steps for our girls, but it’s time we pay a little more attention to what our boys are seeing.

 

Where Did They Come From?

For those of you just hopping in, let me real quick explain what I am going to be doing the next couple weeks. I’ve started a mini-series analyzing the role of princesses (and inherently princes as well) in our society. I am pulling apart these “monumental” figures in the lives of millions of children across America. Instead of holding our children to the expectations of princes and princesses, it is my goal to create a more open environment for children to be independent, ambitious, and realistic.

To begin, for this week, it is important to lie a bit of foundation. Since these Fairy Tales are so popular in molding how our children conceptualize the ideal life, let’s see who the role models are for our princesses themselves. In the timeline below, the history of princesses and the original developments of their story are plotted. Notice the trend of where the majority of these princesses stem from. It appears that the one sided role models of our children’s lives were also constructed from one-sided role models of their time.

 

As you can see, except for the handful of outliers, the majority of the original tales of the princesses came from the Georgian and Victorian Eras (1714-1901). There is a lot that can be said about this, but the main thing is the women’s culture during these years.

What did they look like?  Women in this time only came in two types: fair white skin and everybody else. In The Body Project by Joan Jacobs Brumberg, she studies the intimate history of girls ranging from the 19^th century to present day including insight on female maturation and expectation. Her key details of the ideal woman, as she noted from enormous data collection, were found to be as one sided as many of the princesses deriving from this era as well. Not only was the woman expected to be white, but also she was expected to be fair skinned. Everyone, from peasants to physicians, likened a pale woman to purity and innocence. This woman was thought to be rich enough that she did not have to leave the house in order to do work. This meant that she had other people below her doing the work so she could just lie around being “ladylike,” I suppose. Similarly, it was popular for a woman not to eat food in order to get a “skin and bones” body to show she was too weak to do any real work. If any pale woman were to go outside, she would take extra measures to make sure her skin was protected from harmful elements such as dirt, scratches, and the sun. On the other hand, women of any other color were seen as workers. By being a worker, it also reflected poor living standards and often times illness due to more exposure to, well, life. Physicians of the time even labeled colored women as unsanitary and unhealthy. These colored women had strong, working bodies with healthy dieting practices and immune systems. In this era, the fairer the woman, the better.

What did they act like?  In this time, the most important thing a woman could do to prepare for marriage was to remain pure. Women were expected to be “ripe” (as they called it) at the time of marriage. She was to belong to her husband and nobody else. Men, on the other hand, were allowed to sleep with other women until marriage. In fact, there were even red light districts and other forms of prostitution in this era to allow men to have sex with other women. Purity for men was not held to the same standards as purity for women. Unfortunately, sexual diseases also began gaining momentum during this time, especially syphilis. Women would catch these diseases from their husbands, permanently damaging any form of purity she may have had, regardless of if she contracted it herself or not. To make matters worse, these women would then normally die in their mid-40s from the infection.

Furthermore, women were expected to be the moral compass of the family. In this way, she gained some sort of leverage in the marriage. If a woman questioned the morality of an event or occurrence, then the husband would have to listen to her. Although ultimately, he gets the last say, he will still (if he is a typical “gentleman” of the time) take her opinion into account.

In addition to these major things, women were also expected to behave quietly and simplistically. They were obedient and poise. They were levelheaded and punctual. If a family were like a tree during this era, then the man would be the roots of the family. Ultimately, he gets the say in where they will plot their life, what comes in or out, and how the source of income and power will impact the family. However, the woman would be like the trunk. She harbors the branches and controls the strength and direction they may take. She is in charge of sharing the wealth the roots bring in to the branches as well as protecting them. Although branches may fall, the trunk will hold firm. Branches, in terms of the 18^th and 19^th century lives, were the children and different assets a family has.

In this era, it is key, that above all else, the woman leads a sexually and spiritually pure life.

What did they do?  At home, women were expected to pursue “accomplishments” such as embroidery and sewing, cooking, cleaning, and musical talent. It was discouraged to chase academic skills. Sometimes, a woman’s writing would be published, but this would normally happen after she had died as a way to show her purity and the tragedy of losing such a soul. If a woman’s writing was published in her lifetime, she was often deeply humiliated and would even possibly write an apology at the beginning of her work explaining how she didn’t want to publish it, but she was forced to.

As you could assume from above, there weren’t too many options for women to do occupationally. Most women were expected to stay in the home. Their daily chores included maintaining the house, caring for children, and when the husband came home, attending to his needs. On the rare occasion, a woman may go to work. These women were normally unmarried or widows. Their jobs reflected as an extension to the work they would complete in their own home: domestic servant and cleaning, and child rearing in the form of being a teacher. Once the telephone and typewriter were invented, women would sometimes work as a secretary of sorts for a man.

Although it wasn’t common, women in this era did grow to become professionals. Laura Bassi became an astronomy professor (1732), Maria Agnesi was a famous mathematician, Emilie du Chatelet was a physicist. The first female dentist was Lillian Lindsay in 1895 and the first female architect was Ethel Charles in 1898.

It’s not difficult to see how these harsh expectations of women and the lack of diversity transmitted into the popular fairy tale literature of the time. Disney princesses often have pale skin, light colored hair, frail and thin bodies, and little occupational skill. They are pure, and though they may teach children great moral standards, they do very little work outside of maintaining the home or completing domestic work.

So what?

The times, they are a changin’. Although this may not be true in every country in the world, women are leaving the house. Since the 20^th century, there have been countless improvements to the woman’s everyday life. Women are receiving educations, they are attaining successful careers, and they are exploring new fields of math and science right alongside men. Two hundred years ago, this would be appalling. However, things are still hard for women. Equality between genders is still more than an arm’s stretch away. One way to move women closer towards this end goal is to dismiss the assumption that our girls want to be like these princesses from the 18^th and 19^th centuries. It’s crucial to stop limiting girls in this way.

We no longer live in a nation where it is O.K. to be only one type of girl. Racial diversity, distinct physical body types, varied spiritual, intellectual, and personal pursuits, and individuality have become inevitable (and prosperous) characteristics of a beautifully progressive world. Don’t get hinged on the idea of a sort of monogamous relationship with girls and the world. There is much more to be seen of women and fairy tales just don’t capture that whole vision.

 

Check out the sources I used if you’d like:

A BBC article, Ideals of Womanhood in Victorian Britain 

Occupations of women throughout history, A History of Women’s Jobs

Joan Jacobs Brumberg’s Novel, The Body Project

If you’re bored, you can take this little quiz that puts you in the position of an 18th century woman.  It asks you questions and determines how you would fend off. In addition, it gives you historical notes about women in this era.

Read the complete stories by the Brothers Grimm here

Read the complete stories by Hans Christian Anderson here. Be warned, he can be very violently graphic. You can also read a little bit of history about him on this site as well.

 

What’s Wrong With Our Princes and Princesses

Is it just me, or have there been a lot of Disney princesses floating around this year? We’ve seen it all, from reimagining the princesses with average waistlines to reillustrating these girls in the form of a hotdog with accompanying toppings and everything else in between. I’ve even seen a post that likened sponges to the princesses. And when I say sponges, we’re talking the plain old squares (and sometimes for those who dared to be bold enough, round sponges with a little curve), with nothing more than an associated color. But it wasn’t just the princesses who were getting rehashed. I even saw a countdown of which prince had the nicest butt (poor Prince Charming got the worst dreamy butt).

Although some of these posts have been really important, like when the girls were dressed in historically appropriate clothing or when the gender roles were swapped between the main characters, the fact of the matter remains: it has become really obvious that there’s something seriously wrong with the driving influences of our little “princesses.” Girls across America are watching these unrealistic movies and idolizing them. Parents tell their children that they are “their little princesses,” without fully explaining what that means. Since when is it cool to place such a harsh gender stereotype on little girls in the 21^st century?

As a parent, I know it can be very hard to slip into this state of mind, but if we’re going to show our children Disney princess movies, then please, let’s at least take the time to explain to them what is happening and what is not happening. For example, in Cinderella (a classic stock image of Disney princess):

What is happening: A girl loses her mother and father early on in life, but not without being replaced by an evil stepmother and stepsisters who impose cruel punishment. She falls in love with a man she meets in one night, for a mere several hours; then she proceeds to marry him. And of course, they live “Happily Ever After.” To name a few.

What is not happening: The girl is not defending herself, but rather submitting to torturous punishment (though she is old enough to get married, she is not old enough to protect herself). There is no getting to know a guy, maybe going on a couple dates, seeing a movie, going out to dinner, before she subjects herself to a life of marriage. Also, there is no real life “fairy godmother.” The movie teaches you, that if you have a problem, you cannot correct it yourself or have a friend or family member help you; instead, you must wait until some magical fairy comes to rescue you. Honestly, the list could go on and on.

I’m tired of watching these stories unfold in the movies and expecting our little girls to be just like them, or even likening them to these women. I’m tired of comparing our little girls to helpless women in movies who can’t seem to get a move on in their own lives. I’m tired of living in a society where we want our children to be little white girls dressed in beautiful, and probably back breakingly expensive dresses only to be worn once in a lifetime, with a pure morality and little room for error (or else she doesn’t get to marry a charming prince), and expecting them to live happily ever after without any hard work or effort on their part. Most of all, I am tired of letting our girls think that it’s o.k. to let someone else predict the ending to their story for them. I want our girls to be strong, independent, inspired, and motivated by all the right things. The way to get there is to start by analyzing the movies we allow them to watch and expect them to emulate.

In the next couple weeks, I am going to be rhetorically analyzing various Disney princess movies and calling out all their bluffs. In the mean time, please don’t sit back and relax. I ask you to join alongside me in rethinking how we want the future of the next generation of girls, and boys, to be like.

 

While I’m working on these next pieces, check out this cool article I found about these princess movies and their casting roles, speaking roles, and other aspects: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/25/researchers-have-discovered-a-major-problem-with-the-little-mermaid-and-other-disney-movies/

 

If you’re still bored, see how princesses (and princes) have been redrawn this year:

Click here to see historically accurate princesses

Click here to see princesses with average waistlines

Click here to see princesses as hot dogs, or in case you need help recreating these lovely hot dogs for yourself, check it out here

Click here to see for yourself what a princess may look like as a sponge

Click here to see what a little bit of makeup and long hair can do to swap genders of famous Disney characters

Click here to see one of the new ones I found where Disney princesses are recreated with different races

Click here to see the ranking of sexiest princes’ butts

Click here to make your dreams a reality by seeing Disney princes and other male Disney characters drawn in real life

 

As you can see, the list is endless so please feel free to google some of your own finding and share your favorites with me.