fairest of them all

I came across this picture on the internet the other day and was instantly reminded of my desire to write about Disney's portrayal of women. Being quite a Disney fan myself, I tend to be in denial of the way gender roles are enforced through Disney and often will play devil's advocate and say that we are simply reading into the stories too much. After all, they are fairy tales and they are definitely not the first of their kind.

Unfortunately, the image above makes it very apparent that the gender roles enforced by Disney movies should not go unnoticed. Take for example, Snow White. Released in 1937 as the first movie of it's kind, Snow White is a very historic thing for not only Disney but for the movie industry as a whole. Snow White was the original Disney Princess and opened the door for the rest of them. Still, it is crucial to look at the details of the story.

Snow White is a victim of her Step-Mother's vanity: after a mirror tells the Queen she is not "the fairest of them all" and Snow White is, she orders that her stepdaughter be killed. The man hired to do the job is unable to do so, and allows Snow White to run for her life. After stumbling upon a cottage in the woods, Snow White takes it upon herself to clean up after the "seven little children" who appear to inhabit it. She sings a song while she sings, cleverly called "Whistle While You Work", and even in the song alone the gender roles expected to be taken on by woman in the late 30's are apparent with lyrics like " as you sweep the room/
Imagine that the broom is someone that you love..." Not only that, but the idea of men being messy is directly implied just by the appearance of the house.

But the gender roles don't stop there.

Just as in most fairy tales, Snow White falls victim to a rather cliche downfall; an apple. One bite of this poisoned apple and the princess is sent into a death-like sleep until the Prince plants one on her and whisks her away into the sunset. To make matter's even more outrageous, I offer one other little know piece of information about our dear Snow White;

She is only fourteen years old.

How's that make you feel about the entire ordeal? Sure, it's lovely to see such a morose tale go "right" in the end, but really? A fourteen year old girl constantly subjected to her outward appearance and helpless to the point of needing a Prince to save her life?

Even I, the Disney (and Snow White loving) fanatic can see the undeniable truth. Still, I don't feel that Disney should be accosted for the gender roles enforced in the movie. That, I believe, should be left up to parents who allow their daughters to watch the movie. And the fact that they don't though, and movies like this are often used to raise children, only opens up an entirely new conversation. So, without going off on that tangent, I would like to know how people feel in regards to this movie, and this movie alone.

Are the gender roles in the movie really that subliminal that we need to rethink the movie's position in our pop culture? Or is it something people read too far into?
-Stephanie Kate