Growing up, as everyone knows, I absolutely loved Disney (of course I still do!) But I always hear the criticism that "there are very few strong women in Disney films", and I have to say that, within the films I grew up with, I agree. You don't have to look very far to see evidence of weak women, who just want to please their fathers/husbands/boyfriends/anyone else who comes along. There's Snow White, who doesn't really even do anything, Sleeping Beauty (it's in the name, she literally falls asleep), Maid Marian in Robin Hood, Wendy and Tiger Lilly in Peter Pan. Even the Swan Princess. I know that isn't a Disney film, but it was one I watched quite a lot at one point. But she really didn't do a lot, except turn into a swan. She's the eponymous character and I can't even for the life of me remember her name, although I think it ends in "-ette". How's that for weak?
And you see what I mean. There are no strong women in that list; just some awkward racial stereotypes and some princesses who couldn't look after themselves. Snow White is the perfect example of this. She is the loving daughter, who does everything she's told. She can't defend herself from anything, including a tree the catches on her dress. She's so pretty that even a hired hitman can't bring himself to kill her. She looks after seven, incompetent men (that's another stereotype we'll talk about another time) by cooking and cleaning for them. It just puts forward this horrendous image of the good little girl who couldn't do anything for herself, except the housework.
And I know part of that is because it's a fairy tale which is (at least) as old as my dad, back from a time when young ladies did as they were told. And the other part is because it's a film from the thirties when women were still massively restricted in what they could do.
But nowadays, these women (Snow White and the type) have such an enormous impact on young girls. I heard it described once as "Disney films do to women what pornography does to men." Whilst crude, this makes a fair point, I guess. Both provide unrealistic ideas on behaviour and relationships in all forms and for both parties. If you compare it in that way, the affect that Disney has on little children is somewhat scary.
But the thing is, strong women do exist in Disney. It's just that I was never introduced to them. Looking back at it this weekend, I realised that all the films I never saw as a child are the ones where the women do the most. Mulan, who literally goes away to fight for her country. Pocahontas, who tries to protect her family and her tribe from a force she doesn't fully understand. Megara (from Hercules) who, although she once sold her soul to Hades to be with a man, has learnt from her mistakes and now stands on her own feet. Esmerelda (Hunchback of Notre Dame), who fights for what she believes in, even if it means she is persecuted.* Then there's all the modern films which I just couldn't watch as a child because they didn't exist: Merida in Brave manages not to fall in love for an entire film, Anna and Elsa fight for each other and themselves in Frozen, even if they don't quite do what you'd expect, or even suggest, and Tiana in The Princess and the Frog (although she actually is a frog) also manages to work hard and do everything for herself - or at least try! You could even argue that Rapunzel is arguably up there too, as she stands up to Flynn/Eugene (having never even met anyone who wasn't her "mother" before) and later standing up to Goethel herself.
And even in the films I watched, the powerful women were never the protagonists. For example, look at Lilo and Stitch. Nani, Lilo's sister, is one of the most strong women in any Disney film in my humble opinion. Her parents have died, leaving her with a younger sister to look after while she herself is trying to succeed in life. She must only be a teenager. She works as much as she can, and still manages to be the best guardian Lilo could ask for. She even lets her feed the goldfish peanut butter!
And this is exactly what we need more of in Disney. There are so many films that have these strong characters in them that girls can look up to, they're just hidden behind a layer of flounce and looking gorgeous. Or they're pushed off to one side to make room for a cute yet gross alien. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you have a child, you should try to expose them to women in as many different roles in film as possible. Show them powerful women, and weak women, women who can lead, and women who follow. Both boys and girls should learn that anyone can be anything - it doesn't matter whether you're male, female, or neither. You can be strong if you want to.
*I am fully aware that there are cultural misappropriation issues with some Disney films, including Mulan, Pocahontas and Lilo and Stitch. There is absolutely no way that I'm say that this is excusable or acceptable, but that is a matter for an entirely different post. The women in those films are still powerful and clever.
