Princess: A Gender Equality Essay Example

Gender roles have always been a controversial topic in this society that many are still struggling with today.  Women have always faced challenges with sexist remarks towards them personally and through the media.  Isabelle Gill writes, in her article, about the discrimination women still face today and how it is incorporated into the reviews of princesses.  Isabelle Gill wrote an article for Young Scholars back in 2017.  The purpose of her article was to announce the differences between men and women in Disney storylines.  In the article “Representation of Disney Princesses in the Media,” author Isabelle Gill discusses how unequal statements are directed towards Disney princesses in the movies and how they should get better praise.  

Author Isabelle Gill lists many examples on how the vocabulary directed at the princesses can be sexist. Gill states her findings of 95 adjectives that were used in a stereotypical feminine way and how they are also uncharacteristic and demeaning.  Some common descriptions used for princesses are, “feminine”, “flirty”, “sweet”, “kind”, and “little princess.”  Gill says, “If the reviews accurately represented the princesses in the films, almost half of the vocabulary used to describe the heroines should have been masculine in nature” (741). These words not only take away from their character, but also from their true meaning. A princess is built on a deeper and more complex foundation rather than the basic feminine words used against them. They encourage bravery and independence in women for all ages and generations to see. Side stepping on these more accurate descriptions can lead to more negativity being built towards young girls. A younger female audience may see the illustrations used towards princesses and potentially harm their feeling of self worth and confidence. Gill states, Disney films stay some of the most important sources of children’s gender role pictures, and these films have been strongly evaluated for their gendered content, in particular their princess portrayal. (739). This states that there needs to be changes made to the way princesses have their story told as it will affect children from now on deeming them weak. Such a difficult time of age needs more attention shown to it so children do not lower their standards of themselves and say they are only a timid and shy pretty little subject.

Because the characters in Disney films are weakened by the physical characteristics used in describing them; it may show women in society they are better off complying to the way they have always been viewed by the media and men. According to Gill, Almost 20 percent of the audits considered center exclusively on the heroines’ appearance instead of their identities and do so in a way that’s more disparaging than complimentary (742). This further relates how women may render themselves to the beauty standards of men. The lack of representation can make it seem as women are incapable to compete at the same level as men. Gill quotes Lemire, who says, “Elsa is described as looking like a ‘real housewife of some sort,’ which is degrading in a different sense -- once again, the reviewer focuses on her physical appearance, but this time the implication is that she is not intelligent, the commonly held stereotypes about the ‘Real Housewives’ (744). 

The physical attributes are not all there is to a female in this day and age. Women today are not at the same level as they used to be when all they thought they could do was provide for a man. Today, women are taking charge in the working world using their intelligence and drive which contrast to what the media lacks taking notice of in the storyline of most Disney movies. The princesses are suggested to be weak and unqualified as role models, whereas they should be admired for their dauntlessness. 

Gill states, by subtly influencing society's views of filmmaker princesses during a manner that means they’re stereotypically female, these media weaken the understanding of the princess's strengths and center of attention as an alternate on options like beauty and domesticity (747). The fragile physique pinned towards the princesses have little progress in changing the way the media renders them.  Statements made in Gill’s article have been proven successful to be unethical towards the princesses and how they haven’t been fully empowered to the highest of their ability. Furthermore, the claims directed towards these women should be carefully analyzed for future reference. Gill further states, “Future research could examine children’s perceptions of the Disney princesses at various age levels in order to determine whether or not adults are more likely to subscribe to these inaccurate portrayals than children” (748).  

This aids Gill’s argument by drawing attention to the fact that these movies are teaching children that women are not as strong as men and need protection. These teachings create an unbreakable cycle where children are taught certain values about women, which are then passed on to their own children. Gill mentions in her article, “The other patterns seem to perpetuate stereotypical values for women, whereas critiques saying the princesses are not empowered enough would lead readers to assume that the reviewers do not wish these stereotypical values to be perpetuated” (746). This statement increases the authors point on how assumptions continue to be said opposed to how society wants them to be stated.  It has been shown that princesses do not get the kind of respect that is deserved in today’s society. For many years, women have fought the battle for their dominance and need for better treatment and judgement of princesses in the media is a perfect place to start. By making a small change to the way the world views an ordinary Disney film, can lead to a domino effect of improvements for many more years to come.

In her article, “Representation of Disney Princesses in the Media”, Author Isabelle Gill discusses how unequal statements are directed towards princesses in the movies and how they should get better praise. This essay continues to support claims made by the author that society needs to modify the way women are treated in person and through social media. The audience now might pay more attention to these false statements directed towards princesses in the media and can help make a difference in the way things are viewed, so this dilemma does not progress further into a problem that can no longer be handled.  

The overall analysis represents the misread and bland declaration of princesses and how better treatment should begin instead of the continuation of false display. In closure, princesses have not yet received the proper media view they should be getting these days.