Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us (Hyperlinks). -Disney Style

If anyone knows me, you will also know that Disney has always been  a big part of my life. I am an 18 year old girl who loves the POSITIVE messages it brings forth, the emphasis Disney has on happiness. I have lived my whole life watching Disney movies and I am not corrupt. I am not what the media wants me to be. I am my own person, and I am all for change, value of who you are, and acceptance. So who is to say that because a little girl aspires to be a princess that they are corrupt? A "princess" can be someone who is high above the rest in life, above what they do not like about the world; completely content with life and their ability to make decisions for themselves. A princess can be a hardworking girl who is proud of all that she is accomplished.
When you think Disney princess, many ultimately see beauty. But do you see the brain power? Well, again; it is how you see the world. So if you think each and every movie out there is made with the intent of imposing racial, gender, or sexual barriers; you might just see the gowns and happy endings. But it is important you stick to your beliefs, your take on every situation.

I understand I might get criticized for this post, and I am completely okay with that; but I just want to broadcast a point that will be different from many other people's blogs this week. In the book titled Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us by Linda Christensen, she addresses the fact that "Our society's culture industry colonizes their minds and teaches them how to act, live, and dream" (126). Most people would take this quote and see it as "society  teaches us negative things about life"; which in many cases, it does. But why can't we, as open-minded thinkers; with the ability of having perspective on the world; take this quote as a positive? Yes, she may have shown her students that cartoons and movies did have many negative gender, race, or sexual issues embedded into them; but she did not say to ban these movies all together and to completely forget they exist. She is teaching her students to read between the lines through these movies.




There are a few things that we can take into consideration when analyzing and dissecting a movie; but I want to show you some other things you can take into consideration. Snow White was created in 1937. She often gets criticized for her beauty in the media, and they state that she only cooks and cleans. But she is 14 years old. Of course she wishes for a prince to sweep her off her feet; of COURSE she is cleaning and cooking as a part of her everyday routine. Women did not know any different. Look at the 2014 woman. Independent, capable of much more than this.

Let's look at how Snow White is depicted in the show "Once Upon a Time" on ABC. She is strong, she fights for what she believes in, and is not scared to take a stand. She is the modern Snow White, the way Snow White SHOULD be depicted in this day and age. I get that some children do not watch this show, but it is living proof that the way a character is depicted can be changed and viewed in a different light based upon how the world works now. A place where woman can be of power and make decisions, for this example. If Christiansen were to have her class dissect this show, I am sure they would find many positive messages being showcased.

There has always been the argument over Disney being racist. Tianna was the first black princess, from the movie The Princess and the Frog. However,  we cannot forget Jasmine, who was Arabic, or Mulan, who was Chinese, and Pochahontas, who was a Native American. We also cannot forget that Merida, who was Scottish, will forever be depicted as white. She is from Scottland. You will not find an African American named Merida in Scottland. Most Disney movies make their characters based upon the settings  of those movies. As we have learned from this class, you can have a culture even though you are seen as white. So that is something I always like to take into consideration when I watch ANY movie, not just a Disney movie!

This makes me think of more positives I believe Disney DOES show. I found another blog where a girl writes about all the messages she took from Disney movies. I think it is something we can all benefit from reading if you clicked here. The messages I took from this are that you can feel like you have power after watching certain movies, it is what's inside that counts, and that love matters the most. Ariel, from The Little Mermaid taught me that if you really want something, you need to go for it. Cinderella showed me that when one door closes, another one opens. (Her father died and she was left with her step-family who did not treat her well, but she got her wish to go to the ball and find happiness). Tianna showed me that if you have a plan, you must carry through with it; no matter how hard it might seem to get there. Merida showed me that you can be a girl and be tough and independent. Yes, Christiansen did say that "no one wants to admit that they've been "handled" by the media" (128); so reading a post that spins the way this reading wrote about Disney movies may shock you; but it is another way to look at it. I think Christiansen would approve of the way I am dissecting movies and characters from my personal point of view; even though I am not looking for negatives, just positives.
This link here also speaks about positive messages you can receive from Disney movies as whole; that I personally can agree with. Yes, there are many negatives that were pointed out in Christiansen's class about these movies; but her students are not corrupt by watching them; they are just more knowledgeable about the world around them. And that is what she wanted to get out of her lesson as a whole. We have learned directly from this class that life can be depicted from the way we look at things; and so can these movies!!