A Satirical musical commentary on classic Disney Princesses as they welcome Princess Leia to the family and show her 'the ropes'
Seeing as I've always been an avid Disney fan and extremely passionate about the films and it's characters I remember fondly from my childhood, it seemed like a perfect fit for me to choose a topic that would allow me to express my love for the beloved icons past and present. However, even as a person who loves Disney, I am not beyond giving it serious critique when it comes to how the company has dealt with matters concerning sexism, racism and others social issues in the past. The Disney franchise, especially the Princess line, is something young girls have grown up around he world with ever since the debut of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 and have idolized far into adult hood. It's just unfortunate that these so called princesses haven't exactly been the best role models for children, women who opt for waiting around inactively until that one magical day their prince charming will come around and whisk them away. They pushed around stereotypes of subservience and dependence on men to achieve their happy endings.
Disney does get a lot of flack for their skewed views in the past, but personally, I rather take a more positive spin on it. I see a lot of their characters, especially their more recent ones such as Jasmine and Belle as works in progress. They aren't perfect in their design, but both of them do display strains of independence and security that were absent from earlier princesses.
Then came films like Mulan and The Princess and the Frog, both very progressive in terms of what drove the female protagonists within their story, a passion that went far beyond simply finding love and getting the prince. Mulan became the savior of her entire nation in order to bring honor to herself and her family. Tiana's dream was to open up her own business and become a successful restaurant owner. While they both found love interests in the end of their stories, their happy endings relied more on their personal accomplishments more so than finding 'their man'. Not only that, but Mulan in particular was all about breaking gender stereotypes, going through great lengths to reject what her society has set her to be as a woman and kicking major ass along the way.
Then came Disney and Pixar's most progressive film to date, Brave where our main protagonist Merida's main focus are the gender roles that are forced upon her my her mother as the sole princess of her kingdom, denying her dreams of being the archer and adventurer she truly wishes to be. It progresses out to become a feel good story about her and her mother's broken relationship and how they both go through great lengths to repair. In the film, there are no love interests, as the film establishes that the men who try to woo her for her hand in marriage are complete strangers to her, something that flips the romances in Snow White and Sleeping Beauty right on it's head!
As I said, Disney isn't perfect..there is always room for criticism where it's appropriate, and I think that's what needs to be done so that this influential company will continue making high quality pro-woman films that will inspire young girls, but also empower them.
Link to Tumblr Blog: The Magical World Of Feminism
In the above link, you will find a blog I created out of my own passion for the subject. It consists mostly of reblogs, critiques, pro-woman images, satirical views on our leading ladies, observations and just general Disney love!
Seeing as it's already gaining a small following, I will probably continue to update long past after this course is over so keep your eyes peeled!
Some sources I've personally posted on the blog:
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