Analytical research

Cinderella

Theme: a traditionally feminine woman

Introduction

  The American popular culture is characterized by negative portrayals of females and rather than defining gender regarding biological traits, the popular culture defines gender concerning the sociopolitical arena. The sad thing with the negative portrayal is that it is harmful to the young children and adult since they reconstruct the gender roles in the popular culture. Cinderella (Ella) was a beautiful girl who was ill-treated by her two stepsisters (Anastasia and Drisella).  Since she was beautiful, she was invited into the king's palace together with her two stepsisters to participate in the grand ball social event.  As they were preparing to attend the social event, Cinderella had to do some tasks that were assigned to her by the godmother. For example, she was asked to go to the garden and bring her a pumpkin, sex mice, a whiskered rat and six lizards.  The exciting thing is that as Cinderella brought the stuff to the godmother,   the latter touched them and transformed them into precious things. As Cinderella arrived at the scene, she was so beautiful that the Prince admired to dance with her.  At this point, the life of Cinderella changed as not only does she gains hope but she is also married to the Prince, and both live happily ever after.  It is important to note that Cinderella is treated as a servant, but her invitation to the grand ball acts a stepping path to achieving success in her life. We learn that Cinderella is a strong woman who despite the ill-treatment she comes across, she does not resist, but instead, she presents good attributes of a good woman.  In a real sense, Cinderella in the film is setting up a gender role in the midst of enormous pressure she meets in life. In presenting gender roles, she is recognized through her physiques and attitudes.  The research paper focuses on the representation of gender and in specific the gender roles and stereotypes in the Cinderella film. 

 

Gender roles are set of behavioral norms which define males and females within the society.  Male and female are expected to have different attitudes and behaviors and the different play a role in establishing their identities.  Gender roles are constructed in the society in that the society defines what is appropriate to both male and female not only in character traits but also regarding clothing and many more.  It is also important to note that gender roles are defined as early as childhood age and as the child grow and develop, the social norms they present impact and influence their lives (Dines & Humez, 25).  For example, girls are expected to wear a bright color and play with dolls whereas boys are expected to attend sports and play video games.  Failure to follow these norms may bring devastating consequences in their lives such as being victims of harassment and abuse.  One may ask in which way do children understand the norms to follow but the point is that majority of the children learn the expected behaviors from the media sources such as children's media, mythical figures, popular movies, stories and more(Dines & Humez, 33).

Disney animated films, and in specific the Cinderella film is one of the media sources that children and adult have learned their exacted behaviors.  The power of Disney is remarkable as it has the capabilities to reach children and adults and teach them about the gender and social relations. The role of gender in the Disney film has changed and the all films including the Cinderella film features the gender roles and in specific the role of the female character.  About the Disney film, it is essential to understand that that woman started to fight for their femininity in the 1920s and they demanded equality and freedom from traditional standards (German, 125). They were for the passage of the 19th Amendment, but they did not achieve their goals due to their Great Depression. The latter together with the World War 2 affected women as they were treated like housewives whereas men were perceived as the breadwinners.  Women were not only treated as family caregivers in the society, but they were also portrayed in the media.  For example, the media portray of gender role is seen in the Cinderella film which was released in the 1950s (German, 127). In this film, women are portrayed as housewives, and the negative portrayal continued until the 1990s when women rejected the notion and demanded equality.  However, despite the fact that women continued to struggle for their rights, the social and cultural representation portray women with certain characteristics.

 In the film, Cinderella is presented as helpless victim whereas her step mother and step sisters are presented as greedy and selfish.  Cinderella is a female heroine but her heroic nature does not come from her own doing, but it comes from a forced situation. In other words, Cinderella is heroin due to her inward character, but she is referred to as heroin due to her outward appearance such as beauty.   In the grand ball scene, men admire her beauty, and this outside appearance rescues her.  Her beauty is valued most, and the Prince loves her simply because of her beauty but not due to her real character. Up to this point, we see that femininity rescues her and helps her find a marriage.  The King says that ‘No buts about it, my son has been avoiding his responsibilities long enough!... I want to see my grandchildren before I go…. (Lewis & Robbin, 1). This shows that Cinderella is valued for her beauty and the king wanted her to become a wife to his son.  Cinderella does not even have the chance to challenge the status quo, but her dream is bounded by social structures and patriarchal order.

 

A gender stereotype is a key theme in the Cinderella film, and the film shows that the roles are socially constructed by the society.  In American today, we see changes in the cultural gender roles in that majority of women are not housewives, but they also work to support their families. There has been a transformation of the gender roles in that women do not depend on their husband, but they utilize their strength to live a meaningful life (Benshoff, 1).  However, despite the fact that the gender roles have been transformed, the Disney in his film still presents the gender stereotype where women are treated as salves.  Even though Cinderella is a protagonist, she is a passive character and a commodity in the society. Cinderella has no individual power, and she enjoys life later after being married.  On the hand, male characters are assertive, and they are perceived as important being in the society. Focusing on the gender stereotype in the society, it is clear that the stepmother's views on marriage are not based on true love, but she wanted her daughter to be marriage by the prince and enter into the higher class.   About the film, the research finds that the society has suppressed the femininity despite them being strong women (Benshoff, 13).  Focusing on both Cinderella (1950) and Cinderella (2015), it is clear that the society has transformed the role of women in that in the former film, we see Cinderella as a strong woman and can make decisions over her life. However, in the latter, she is portrayed as submissive, and she does not have the opportunities to make choices, but rather she adheres to the rules of other people.  The reason for the differences in both movies emerged due to the feminist movement of the 1960s (Benshoff, 13).  The transformation of gender role is supported by the theory of performativity which states that gender roles and social construction in that the society expects woman and man to behave or act in a certain way. 

  Author Judith Butler states that the traditional notions of gender are based on the aspects of masculinity and femininity.  She argues that to understand the feminism and the identity, the gender should be redefined.  The point is that rather than defining gender about sexed gender, gender should be based on social construct and eliminate the sex/gender distinction (Butler, 43). Also, the popular culture which defines gender roles has embedded social ideologies that empower a certain group and disempowers the other.  Butler disagrees with the notion that ‘gender is the cultural meanings that the sexed body assumes' and argues that even though there is a dominant social structure with a set of norms, it is also important to focus on the normative ideals and people should define gender by doing (Butler, 48). She supports her ideas by using the performativity theory which states that gender is not defined through the internal concept but it is about the set of acts

  This research paper argues that the modern entertainment industry has shaped how society should define the gender.  Faustino (128) argues that the era of American cold war gave rise to the traditional patriarchal society. Since this period, manhood and motherhood are important aspects that shape one's identity. In other words, the Disney's animated film not only produced the traditional mothering ideology but it also gave rise to the second of wave of feminism where women are disempowered in the society.  In modern society,   femininity gender is characterized by women's mothering, and it features the ideal American woman.  About the film and the American dream, Fraustino argues that ‘ A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes.' (Fraustino, 130). This means that Cinderella focus on achieving the dream of marrying wealth and she shows her effort in achieving the dreams through dancing with the prince.  In the film, we see that Cinderella makes a deal with the stepmother and the deal benefits her as she succeeds in life. Similar, women in modern societies are expected to adhere to certain norms and in specific be under the male dominance for them to succeed in life.  They are expected to preserve the patriarchal order and fulfill the domestic duties for her dreams to come true.   The entertainment industry or rather the media images have not only defined what is moral and evil but has also produced the stereotypes of certain people (Fraustino, 145). Thus, these images shape the society's attitude that women are valued concerning their physical appearance   especially when making an intimate relationship.  In the film, Cinderella's beauty helps her get a man and to make her identity.

Conclusion

 Every girl desires to become a princess as they watch the film, but they do not recognize the hardship, and the negative experiences met in trying to create their self-identity. In specific, Disney has much control over the media, and   the films are critiqued in that majority of the film have a sexist view and negative portrayal of women. The film have changed the attitude and traditional values of a princess in that a prince was perceived as a daughter of a king but in today's film, princess are defined concerning their beauty, and there are rewarded due to their hardworking, dedication among other attributes.  In achieving the American Dream, women need to have self-control and adhere to the patriarchal law and order.   For the case of Cinderella, she is determined to escape from the situation she is in, but the appalling thing is that rather than using her rebellion, she puts her focus on someone who would rescue her.  As she makes a deal with her stepmother, she is also expected to make a deal with the prince through dancing for her to achieve her dream.

 

 

Work cited

 

Butler Judith. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity.  Routledge, 2011

 

German, Lindsey. How a Century of War Changed the Lives of Women. London: Pluto Press, 2013. Print.

 

Benshoff, Harry M, and Sean Griffin. America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at

the Movies. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Internet resource.

 

Dines, G, and J M. Humez. Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Critical Reader. Thousand Oaks: Sage,

2011. Print.

 

Lewis, Zoë, and Robbin Cuddy. Walt Disney's Cinderella. New York: Disney Press, 1995. Internet

resource.

 

Fraustino, Lisa Rowe. ""Nearly Everybody Gets Twitterpated": The Disney Version of Mothering."

Children's Literature in Education 46.2 (2015): 127-144.