CONNECTIONS:
In class on Thursday, we watched the Disney film; Brave. I had not
seen this movie before and was extremely excited to watch. Brave is about
a young girl named Merida, who is born into a wealthy family, the king and
queens child to be exact. Coming from a girl’s
point of view, I disappointedly say that this could have been a dream of most
little girls. Watching this type of
movie has showed me that there is more to life, and I commend Disney greatly
for making a movie as such. Hopefully this could change the next generation of
children.
To compare this movie to the article by Peggy Orenstein; “Cinderella Ate My
Daughter,” I would have to start by saying the plots of each are completely
opposite. In brave, Merida, the young
girl, does not want to be a princess and get married. In the article, Orenstein’s daughter was the
center of her writings. She wrote about
how her daughter was becoming a “princess” right before her eyes, and she
should have stopped it before it started.
As for Brave, showed how a girl can be independent and not always have
to have an obsession with the color pink.
Orenstein
spoke of how her daughter was drawn to Barbies, the color pink, princess dolls,
pocketbooks, and nail polish. -- All of
the things that are stereotypical to a young girl. Completely opposite to this, Brave’s Merida,
loved shooting her bow and arrow, riding fast on her horse Angus, and playing
with other weapons.
This
movie was a great move for Disney, because it was finally the first time a girl
was not a princess, saved by a knight in shining armor, or completely dependent
on the opposite sex.
another thing i would like to compare is the appearance of Merida.. she is not a typical "girl" figure that Disney has portrayed before. she has red curly long frizzy hair, and she seems to be pretty tall-looking in the movie. i have never seen a princess with red hair!
I
thought that these were two GREAT things to compare.
And
I thoroughly enjoyed Brave!!
questions/comments for the class:
if you have a daughter will you make sure that she becomes a strong independent lady? --does this mean NO barbies? will you sway her away from liking the color pink?
When I have kids (most likely adopted, for various reasons, one being that the idea of childbirth has never appealed to me -- but who knows? we'll cross that bridge in ten-to-fifteen years at earliest...), I'm going to do my best to let them just be who they want to be. I think telling a kid that they "can't" have a Barbie will only make them want one more; similarly, I don't think the color pink is the problem, but more of how it's being utilized by corporations (*cough* Disney and Mattel *cough*). Basically, I'm going to let my children decide what they like, regardless of gender or gender identity, and do my best to direct them in the stories they hear and the messages they receive. If they're watching something problematic, I'd like to be able to point it out to them in a way to make them understand that it is not a good thing (because they will more likely than not encounter it eventually anyway, no matter how much I shield them, so I think it'll be good if they understand for themselves the problems with what they're watching); similarly, I'd like to point out the good things in stories to them, too, so that they can be nudged in the right direction. I want to introduce them to messages that will help them make good decisions and to be decent people. Regardless, I will make sure that my kids all respect themselves and others, regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, orientation, identity, etc. I'm going to do my damnedest to make sure my kids are accepting and welcoming of other people.
ReplyDeleteAnddddddd... that turned into a tangent of what-ifs and we'll-sees. Nice job on your post!
I like your questions for the class. This is something I've thought about before. I don't think going against gender stereotypes means all girls should now be doing only "boy" things. If a girl likes pink or likes dolls, I think that's still okay, just as long as a girl doesn't feel like she has to like those stuff. I think the option should still be there for girls, it just shouldn't be shoved in their face.
ReplyDeleteNice thoughtful post, Alexa. Like the commenters before me I also really like your questions. I would love to have a daughter and I have no doubts that if I end up raising her with the boyfriend I'm currently with then she will definitely be a strong and independent young lady. I'll let her play with whatever toys she wants to play with. I don't necessarily think it's JUST about the toys. just like it's not JUST about the movies. What is vital is talking with one's child. Explaining things, pointing out problematic things when we see them, even if we're not sure the child will understand it quite at that moment. And when it comes to toys, giving them a diversity of toys, and I don't just mean racially. Toys in the house should not be gendered, the child should grow up with toys considered for girls, toys considered for boys, and toys marketed as unisex (WHICH ARE ALL TOYS). But, really, I think the most important thing is having an open and honest and truly communicative relationship with the child. If we
ReplyDeleteNice job bringing up Merida's appearance. Her appearance definitely isn't that of a stereotypical "princess" it's definitely a step in the right direction though...breaking down the barriers of stereotypes!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Your questions at the end are great. Also like Celine, I like how you mention Merida's appearance, although she's still thin like the rest of the princesses she's a little more unruly, which is wonderful!
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