'Disney vs. The Future of Men\r'

'Thesis: The constructs of maleness plant in most Disney movies create an milieu of images that perform and define what younker boys view as masculinity. By presenting sexist coitusships, sensible expectations, and violence and dominance to equate power, young boys argon left feeling emotion all toldy unattached and physically inadequate. How many Disney movies did you apprehend as a child? How many of those movies did you watch oer and over again? And how many of the songs you so lovingly watched over and over again can you unbosom sing straight off?The Walt Disney Company has been a tidy force in creating childhood culture all around the human. Disney’s massive success is establish on images of innocence, magic and gaming. Its live films in fact ar praised as wholesome family bindment. These movies argon endorsed by teachers and parents, and are obviously immensely common with children. The fun and innocence may have its value, but it is chief(prenominal ) to understand how these movies are representing the moral geekistics that the children viewing them give eventually grow up to represent themselves. some alarmingly is the representation of masculinity throughout many authorized Disney movies much(prenominal) as Mulan, The Lion King, and watcher and the Beast. These movies are presenting masculine complexes to young boys all over the world, gift them distorted images of what it means to be a man, and likewise how to relate to women. What is most dangerous about the focal point Disney movies represent masculinity is that the answer is not a quick one. The means in which the media influences the way we hypothesise is less immediate, and has a a good deal less great forward impact on the way we think.Disney movies in particular create a certain environment of images that we grow up with and eventually become use to. An example of such a group of images is the invariable representation of the staminate body in Disney mov ies as buff, and chiseled. After a while these images begin to physical body what young boys know and what they understand about the world around them. This is not an immediate effect, but kinda a slow accumulative effect that is much more subtle than we are aware of.One of the biggest problems with this process is that the Disney conglomerate has spanned over nearly five generations, so no one thinks to challenge the idea that an animated Disney movie is a great way to entertain children while simultaneously sharing with them a function of traditional culture. One of the most perverting ways in which classic animated Disney movies are providing young boys with false and distorted images of masculinity, are the ways in which men are shown in relationship to women. Most Disney movies revolve around a heterosexual relationship containing a hero and heroine.Feminists have studied what these characters reassure girls about themselves, but it is just as primary(prenominal) if not more important to understand what these movies are telling boys about how real men act with and treat women. Often the message to boys both explicitly and implicitly is that men should view women as objects of delight or as servants to please them. A gross(a) example of this misrepresentation is in the movie Mulan. In Mulan, and entire song called â€Å"A Girl deserving Fighting For”, explains what a man is looking for in a adult female.Some of these traits include cooking, cleaning, and looking beautiful for her husband. This reference from the song shows exactly what attribute of sexist characteristics are represented in Mulan. â€Å"I want her paler than the moon, with eye that shine like stars, my girl give marvel at my personnel, adore my participation scars. I could vex less what she’ll wear or look like, it all depends on what she cooks like” Anformer(a) highly destructive construct that Disney movies present to young boys is the representati on of the phallic body.Disney movies glorify one particular body type above all others. Chiseled abs, a tympan chest and massive arms are natural of a male Disney character. Men with any other body type are generally viewed as outcasts, weak or subservient. One of the most positive examples can be found in â€Å"Beauty and the Beast”, where the contrast betwixt the powerful male heroine figure, Gaston and his sidekick, LeFou is undeniable. The song entitled simply, â€Å"Gaston” is entirely dedicated to glorifying Gaston’s manly physique and strength.In contrast to this, LeFou is shown as short, chubby, and bucktoothed. In â€Å"Mulan”, when Mulan movements to join the Japanese army by temporary as a man, she is taught very quickly that masculinity is defined by strength and physical baron alone. In the song, â€Å"I’ll Make a spell Out of You” Mulan is taught that in order to achieve honest manhood she must overcome strictly physi cal obstacles and challenges as opposed to any emotional ones. early(a) movies such as â€Å"Hercules” and â€Å"Tarzan” depict their main characters as buff, muscular men, with almost super human strength and ability.While Tarzan surfs tree branches and swings from vine to vine with ease that can be compared to an surpassing gold medalist, Hercules lifts giant boulders, and sleighs a three-headed mythological beast. though the aspect of fantasy plays a role in these movies, the take home message is that characters like Tarzan and Hercules are men to be admired, imitated and idealized. Not only do most Disney movies glorify their characters bodies but also the take of violence and dominance they exhibit. Masculinity in relation to violence and dominance is very clear in most Disney films.Not only is the victory of a battle glorified, the unwillingness of a character to fight is lots shown as pitiful or weak. An example of such an instance is in the animated movie, B eauty and the Beast. In a candidate where Gaston has beaten the beast to the reason he exclaims, â€Å"What’s the matter beast? withal kind and gentle to fight back? ” This is flower example of how movies such as these are commandment boys that violence is the answer, and that any challenge to that idea is mind of as weak or emasculating. The climactic scene in most films is a battle between two men.A violent battle to win the issue of a woman or maintain arrogance and status is the most important scene in establishing which of these characters is the â€Å"better” man. There are two major problems with this idea. First, that boys are being taught that dominance and violence is something to pass for and respect. Second, that these types of behaviors are necessary if not mandatory in gaining the acceptance and love of a woman. Never in a Disney animated movie will you see the losing character of a battle win the woman in the end.Because a lot of the mos t popular animated Disney movies were created in the mid to late 1900’s a lot of the themes shown in them are solely sexist and have no validity in current society. So basically, as long as parents continuing present their sons Disney movies in which a character has to achieve some physical task instead of showing affection, or an emotional club, men will continue to have no idea what women want. Because we as Americans feel such a deep, loving connection to theDisney movies we grew up with, it is only natural that we sit our children master in front of the television in an attempt to share with them a piece of our own childhoods. besides as much as Disney has become embed in our subconscious as wholesome and magical, today the world is a opposite place with different people and different ideas. The harmful effects of showing a child a Disney movie, especially a young boy can leave a dangerous mark. From body distortion, to dysfunctional relationship issues, the elect romotive force these movies have to alter a child rising is certainly enough to switch off the Disney way and turn on Lifetime.\r\n'