Goldfarb 1

Rachel Goldfarb
Dr. McLaughlin
Multimedia Writing & Rhetoric
22 March 2015
Abstract:
This research paper will analyze the evolution of the Disney princess as it mirrors the
development of various feminist movements of the times. Disney princess movies have
traditionally presented women in weak, discriminatory gender roles. However, the most
recent films display a progressive shift in characterization of the Disney princess
protagonist. I am a nineteen-year-old female who grew up idolizing Disney princesses. I
had a Cinderella backpack, Ariel bedspread, and numerous Halloween costumes.
Growing up, I had never considered the repeated weak portrayal of the female gender in
these films. More recently, I heard about the controversy surrounding this issue and was
compelled to find out more. I plan to investigate and discuss the problems of the
traditional Disney princess and analyze her evolution as it reflects the various waves of
feminism.
Annotations:
Bell,Elizabeth,LyndaHaas,andLauraSells.FromMousetoMermaid:ThePoliticsof
Film,Gender,andCulture.Bloomington:IndianaUP,1995.Print.
ThisbookisacollectionofessayscritiquingDisneycinema.Disneyfilmisanalyzeds
culturalpedagogy,genderconstruction,andidentitypolitics.Becausethisisa
collectionofessays,thereareanumberofdifferentauthors.Theyarewritingtoan
audienceofDisneyfans,hopingtochallengetheiraffection.Thebookoverallseemsto
bearesponsetothefundamentalproblemsofWaltDisneyProductions.Theauthorsall
findunderlyingissueswithDisneymovies.TheyarearguingthatDisneysendscertain
negativemessagestoitsaudience,andattempttoconvincetheirreadertobelievethe
same.ThereisadefinitenegativeattitudetowardsWaltDisneyProductionsandits
products.Theauthorsprovidemuchfortheirclaims.Eachessayincludesspecific
examplesfromfilmsasevidencetosupportitsclaims.Thisbookhassimilarclaimsto
myothersourcesincriticizingDisneysportrayalofwomen,notonlyintheprotagonist
butinsecondarycharactersaswell.Ibelievethisbookwillbeextremelyusefulin
findingargumentsaboutthefeministproblemsoftraditionalDisneyprincessmovies.
Orenstein,Peggy."What'sWrongwithCinderella?"NewYorkTimesMagazine24Dec.
2006:3438.TheNewYorkTimesMagazine.TheNewYorkTimes,24Dec.2006.Web.
23Mar.2015.
In this magazine article, author Peggy Orwell voices her concerns over the growing
princess fad. She experiences the powerful influence of Disney princesses firsthand
through her young and impressionable daughter. She has problems with Disneys
portrayal of women as it sets a negative example for the young female viewers. She is

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writing to an audience on the fence about the Disney princess vs. feminism debate. She
hopes to persuade the reader to agree with her viewpoint by the end of the article. The
article is a response to the gender roles displayed in Disney princess movies in light of a
growing feminist attitude. Orenstein supports her arguments with evidence from films of
weak feminine characters. This article is similar to the other sources in its critique of
Disneys portrayal of women. I could find ideas and support for my own arguments in
this article.
Rothschild,Sarah.ThePrincessStory:ModelingtheFeminineinTwentiethcentury
AmericanFictionandFilm.NewYork:PeterLang,2012.Ebrary.ProQuest.2012.Web.
19Mar2015.
Thisbookisananalysisofthetypicalprincessstory.Ittakesalookatwhatthetypical
princessstoryinvolvesandwhatculturalexpectationsabouttherolesofwomenareput
outthroughsuchstories.Theauthor,SarahRothschild,takeslessofanangryandrigid
approachthanotherauthorswritingonthistopic.Sheiswritingtoanyonewhohas
interestinprincessstories.Whilesheiscriticaloftheprincessstory,shedoesnotoffer
asmuchofacritiqueasotherhave.Shenoticesprogressthroughthevariouswavesof
feminism.SheviewsthedifferentDisneyprincessstoriesasfallingintodifferent
categoriesbasedontheirtimeandwhichwaveoffeminismtheyareaffectedby.She
usesvariousexamplesfromprincessstoriesasevidencetosupportherclaims.While
similarindiscussingtheflawsofprincessstories,Rothschildtakesamoreanalytical
ratherthanargumentativeapproach.However,shedoesexpresssimilarconcernstoother
authorswritingonthistopic.Icouldusethisbooktohelpmatchuptheevolutionofthe
princesseswiththedevelopmentandwavesoffeminism.
Rozario,RebeccaAnneDo."ThePrincessandtheMagicKingdom:BeyondNostalgia,
theFunctionoftheDisneyPrincess."Women'sStudiesinCommunication27.1(2004):
3459.Print.
Inthisarticle,authorRebeccaAnneDoRozarioanalyzestheDisneyprincess.This
analysisoftheDisneyprincesslooksatherintermsofherpositioninthekingdom,her
relationshipstofemmefatales,fathers,andbadboys,andherperformanceinagenre
largelyshapedbyfilmmusicalandfairytale.Rozariowritestoanaudiencewithany
mereinterestinDisneyprincessesorcuriosityinthemanylayersunderneath.Shedoes
nottakeanargumentativestance,butratheroffersanalysisandbreakdownofDisney
princessfilms.Asthereisafocusontherelationshipsoftheprincess,charactersare
discussedindetail.Therelationshipsrevealalotaboutthefunctionofaprincessinthe
greaterfairytale.Thisarticleoffersinsightintotherelationshipsbetweenaprincessand
hersurroundingcharacters,unlikeotherarticlesofthistype.Thereislessofaview
beingtakeninthisarticlewhencomparedtoothers.Icouldusethissourcetofind
evidencetosupportmyclaims.
Sawyer,Nicole.FeministOutlooksatDisneyPrincesses.CommunicationStudies.James
MadisonUniversity,18Apr.2003.Web.24Mar.2015.

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This paper is designed to look into gender identity and gender roles through Disney
movies. The author, Nicole Sawyer, focuses on four main Disney princesses and uses
their tales to look at how media exposure affects gender, in particular young girls. The
author also looks at the correlation between the thoughts of the Disney Corporation and
the feminist movements. Sawyer writes to a naive pro-Disney audience. She is
responding to the discordance between feminists and the Disney Corporation. She does
not offer her own opinion but merely regurgitates opinions from various sides. Sawyer
explains the perspective of feminists and their discontent with Disney princess films, but
she also offers the perspective of the Disney Corporation and what factors went into
making those films. I think this will be useful for my paper because of the authors focus
on the development of the princesses along with feminism.
White,Mimi."RepresentingRomance:Reading/Writing/Fantasyandthe"Liberated"
HeroineofRecentHollywoodFilms."CinemaJournal28.3(1989):4156.Print.
This article focuses on the representation of women in romantic films. Romance and
marriage are represented as choices for a female protagonist who is able to break out of
conventional roles. The author, Mimi White, focuses on the relationships of women in
recent Hollywood films. She is writing to contemporary moviegoers. She is responding
to the new freed role of women in Hollywood. White expresses disagreement that this
new role is liberating or freeing, hence the quotation marks. She believes that
women deserve more freedom and power than they are being given currently. She
analyzes several different films and focuses on the womans romantic relationship. This
is different than the other sources in that it does not revolve around Disney. However, it
is similar in that there is a strong feminist vibe throughout the article. I could use this
article to get a more broad sense of feminism in Hollywood beyond the Disney
controversy.