Introduction
One of the main reasons why Disney movies can be picked as one of the examples of ever-changing gender roles and the breadth of societal influence in their approach to depicting women or female characters. The ability to mirror cultural perspectives of the given era is an instrument that is perfectly utilized by the company to remain in line with social norms and appeal to the community’s gender expectations (Coyne, Rogers, Shawcroft, & Hurst, 2021, p. 4; de Leeuw & van der Laan, 2018, p. 162). Similarly, the questions of identity and roles are often raised in Disney movies because they tend to follow cultural trends and contribute to an altered perception among younger generations of viewers. The author of the current paper chose to follow Disney’s path to see how the behavioral norms transformed over time and led to the growing difference between male and female outlooks on gender roles. As one of the toughest leaders in the entertainment industry, Disney has to appeal to a rather large audience, so it forces the company to respect societal norms and trends even more.
Knowing that there have been three distinct eras characteristic of Disney movies, it may be reasonable to claim that the majority of changes were introduced to appease the viewers. The development of new female characters was also a response to the “increasing social discourse and acceptance surrounding gender-role flexibility and fluidity” (Hine, England, Lopreore, Skora Horgan, & Hartwell, 2018, p. 4). This may also be a significant idea to follow due to the prevalence of media outlets and the growing number of online critiques surrounding Disney movies and their gender role choices (Azmi, Rashid, & Wahab, 2018, p. 688). The process of adaptation is not always as smooth as expected, meaning that Disney often has to fit into specific time frames in order to support important events and resonate with the surrounding culture.
Therefore, it may be assumed that Disney, for the most part, follows societal norms in its movies in an attempt to appeal to the viewers. Hefner, Firchau, Norton, and Shevel (2017) suggest that similar changes have already affected Disney in the past (p. 515). It is also acknowledged that “positive prosocial messages were presented” in Disney princess movies (Azmi et al., 2018, p. 687). It may be safe to say that the concept of gender roles in Disney movies and their transformation is a dynamic variable that recurrently responds to the changing interests and aspirations typical of the target audiences across the society.
A Shift in Gender Roles Generated by Disney Movies
One vital concept that cannot be overlooked when discussing Disney movies is the constantly shifting notion of gender roles that tends to alter completely from one movie era to another. The fact that children from different communities view the same movies makes it safe to say that their perceptions would differ based on the structure of the social group that they inadvertently represent (Coyne et al., 2021). At that, these differences will not be dramatic as “the brand is a phenomenon in international children’s media context” (Azmi et al., 2018, p. 687). Today’s entertainment industry has taken a different path toward the process of addressing stereotypes and inappropriate behaviors, leaving parents and their children responsible for realizing the best way of coping with bias.
With Disney movies portraying contemporary characters as freedom lovers and independent creatures, the entertainment mogul eventually affects the youngest members of the target audience (Azmi et al., 2018, p. 690; Xu, Zhang, Wu, & Wang, 2019, p. 14). Every trait possessed by the main characters from the third era of Disney movies is carefully portrayed by children in real life, with media sources aiding in the process of shaping these updated values, roles, and perceptions. Coyne et al. (2021) emphasize that “appearance rigidity (dressing in highly gender-typed clothing) is one way that children assert their growing knowledge of gender” (p. 1). Accordingly, Disney gains access to children’s outlooks on gender roles and alters them to respond to societal trends and aspirations.
Another important concept that cannot be ignored when discussing the role of Disney movies in shaping modern gender roles is that the company manipulates the long-standing stereotypes to have children explore themselves. Prior to the end of the twentieth century, Disney films reinforced “biased ideas about gender, social behavior and societal norms” (Indhumathi, 2019, p. 184). According to Hine et al. (2018), the obsolete concept of girls and boys wearing pink and blue, respectively, is currently sinking into oblivion, as no one is interested in stereotypical worldviews anymore (p. 245).
All the social norms and expectations were challenged by Disney not only in an attempt to appeal to the target audience but it was also intended to help the company push societal boundaries and create room for an unbiased community. This would mean that the promotion of previously unorthodox concepts would no longer be perceived as an invitation to discriminate or abuse the child in an attempt to standardize them (Anyiwo, Ward, Day Fletcher, & Rowley, 2018, p. 382). Society represents a crucial source of influence that cannot be seen as a one-sided variable when it comes to gender roles and the effect of entertainment on younger generations. Van Wormer and Juby (2016) state that by “camouflaged and highly seductive marketing methods… children are delivered to the market with the full support of their parents” (p. 584). This growing impact of Disney movies may also be affecting children’s identities to a certain extent, motivating them to shape their behaviors and attitudes in line with the main characters of the third-era movies such as Moana, Frozen, or Tangled.
With Disney’s target audience spending more time than ever on their smartphones and tablets, the company does everything to address their knowledge and understanding of gender roles. Plenty of contemporary children easily associates themselves with the main characters of the third phase of Disney movies, with all of them being brave and independent (Coyne, Linder, Rasmussen, Nelson, & Birkbeck, 2016, p. 1911; Goldstein-Schultz, 2016, p. 59). The influence of the company’s approach to its target audience makes the latter turn into an exceptionally impressionable cohort. The fact that what is happening on the screen is not real does not appeal to the youngest viewers, but they perfectly grasp the novel values promoted via Disney movies and across contemporary society in general (Indhumathi, 2019, p. 186; Van Wormer & Juby, 2016, p. 581). This powerful stimulus is supported by children’s susceptibility to comparing themselves to movie characters, where they might ultimately see themselves as imperfect or even useless. As stated by Itmeizeh and Ma’ayeh (2017), the influence of social and mass media on younger generations may be so strong that their view of pop culture might eventually replace their real-life values (p. 34).
Discussion
Beliefs and ideas that were typical of the original Disney movies are no longer represented with that much rigor nowadays. The classic domestic type of princesses is now replaced with free-spirited, liberated female characters. Instead of displaying their ambition and engaging in rebellious events, contemporary Disney characters are much more likely to promote the values of self-assurance and autonomy (Coyne et al., 2021; Van Wormer & Juby, 2016, p. 589). For instance, critics note that a new type of princess has emerged, presenting “a brave heroine with a sense of humor and a commitment to saving the world without romantic distractions” (Hine et al., 2018, p. 3). This approach allows the industry mogul to appeal to a larger number of boys and girls watching their movies in an attempt to help them discover their identity.
Unique cultural phenomena and values do not seem to affect the bigger picture anymore because ideals are changing, and Disney is willing to support these transformations (Hefner et al., 2017, p. 523; Xu et al., 2019, p. 16). Disney’s impact is also associated with their approach, as Disney products “were not designed to prompt children to read the original story in its classical format, but rather to become consumers of the Disney rendition” (Van Wormer & Juby, 2016, p. 6). Gender-related expectations are also addressed by the company because Disney is a dominant icon that cannot afford to lose focus or disconnect from the target audience in the era of social media.
Today’s role models differ from the ones from the 1990s, but this point should not be stressed as a solely negative phenomenon, especially for Disney movies. Modern expectations cause the company to make movies that pay attention to every element of society so as not to cause inherent bias or cause certain characters to become outcasts (Coyne et al., 2016). Through social and mass media interactions, Disney tends to draw attention to its modern princesses and popularize the values that are much more respected by younger generations. Girls “want to be associated with the characters” in terms of certain merchandise as well as values promoted (Azmi et al., 2018, p. 692). Accordingly, there may be nothing wrong with the fact that Disney transforms its approach to movies in line with how society shapes its view of gender roles, body image, and other dynamic variables (de Leeuw & van der Laan, 2018, p. 168). Every present-day story told by Disney goes beyond the mere willingness to support progressive change or provide the target audience with a successful conclusion to a beautiful story. Disney and many other “film studios continually make and remake” modern people’s “picture of reality by controlling the images” they get (Van Wormer & Juby, 2016, p. 591). The company extends its reach and tries to explore multi-ethnic and multi-cultural environments to provide the audience with more unique outlooks on gender roles and societal images.
Conclusion
It may be concluded that Disney is always going to receive a certain amount of backlash irrespective of the quality of their movies. This would be most likely to happen due to the company’s pursuit of societal trends and alterations in the field of gender roles and identity. The modernization of characters allowed Disney not only to address their exterior but also created room for interior transformations related to behaviors, beliefs, and vital values. Therefore, the dynamics of gender roles in Disney movies majorly depend on media trends and societal approval in the first place. In addition to controversial new Disney main characters, the entertainment mogul also tries its best to fit its new movies into the modern era. Contemporary representations promoted by Disney are not as sexist or biased as the ones from the past, but it still proves that Disney tends to ride the wave instead of attempting to remain loyal to classical values related to gender, interpersonal relationships, and individual aspirations. The industry evolves together with its target audience, but there is still much room for improvement that could be utilized by Disney to respond to novel societal trends.
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