Alas, one of my favorite Disney movies, "Mulan," which features a wonderful Chinese girl who pretends to be a boy so she can fight the Huns...also has a song called "A Girl Worth Fighting For." I'm well aware of what Disney movies tell children about gender...this little video really captures it well.
My kids, unfortunately, love Disney movies...but the lesson of this video is that I need to do a better job having discussions with them about reality...and the kinds of lessons Disney movies consistently have. Males are big, strong, and tough...females are either vulnerable or villains...and parents die. My favorite Disney movie continues to be "Lilo and Stitch," because it presents strong female protagonists, great music, and lessons about friendship and family. (Although the parents are dead...sigh...)
And while we're deconstructing Disney movies, here's one on racism--granted, many of these film shots and images are from the pre-PC era, but still...it shows a pattern:
My kids, unfortunately, love Disney movies...but the lesson of this video is that I need to do a better job having discussions with them about reality...and the kinds of lessons Disney movies consistently have. Males are big, strong, and tough...females are either vulnerable or villains...and parents die. My favorite Disney movie continues to be "Lilo and Stitch," because it presents strong female protagonists, great music, and lessons about friendship and family. (Although the parents are dead...sigh...)
And while we're deconstructing Disney movies, here's one on racism--granted, many of these film shots and images are from the pre-PC era, but still...it shows a pattern:
Kudos to feministing.com for the links!
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