Amanda's Second Article Review

Amanda Blohm
WGST 202H
Professor Currans
Blog Topic: Gender in Popular Films
Article Review #2

England, Dawn Elizabeth, Lara Descartes, and Melissa Collier-Meek. "Gender Role Portrayal and the Disney Princesses." Sex Roles: A Journal of Research 64.7-8 (2011): 555-67.

            In “Gender Role Portrayal and the Disney Princesses”, Dawn England, Lara Descartes and Melissa Collier-Meek discuss the gender roles through behavioral characteristics in Disney films, specifically in the ‘prince’ and ‘princess’, along with the change of these roles and characteristics displayed over time. Their study focuses primarily on the most popular Disney princess movies, not the actual impact that the inequality may have the children who view this media. As well, they make inferences based off the data and refer back to other material that has studied the affect such inequalities have on children in developing their social norms concerning gender. Their main point in this article is showing that there is in fact a vast gender inequality in Disney films and that despite advances in some of the princesses, they do not veer too far from the traditional gender roles even within the last few years.

            Firstly, England et al. talks about Media and Gender Portrayal and Disney Films and Gender Role Portrayal. Within these two topics they develop their concept of coding certain behaviors for their study that will be discussed later. There have been several studies of media besides Disney films where the basis is gender. In likeness with the point that England et. al is trying to make, one study found that “though male and female characters were portrayed stereotypically, cartoons produced after 1980 showed less stereotypical gender behavior than those produced before 1980” (556). Though this research finding does not completely relate to the findings of the main study featured in the article, it does present development away from the traditional gender roles over time. These studies as well found that the gender roles presented to the viewer heavily influenced them in their social understanding of gender. Unsurprisingly, many of these studies found that television exposure has been “been correlated with more traditional ideas of gender roles” as well as being identified as the dominant source of a child’s social influence on gender concepts (556). Similarly, when looking specifically at Disney princess films and gender roles, studies have shown that there is less stereotyping of gender roles over time. The study England et al. does has more to do with the previously stated sentence than looking into the actual effect it has on children. However, they do state that “part of its importance lies in the possibility that exposure to gendered material may influence children’s gender role acquisition and expression” (557). In fact, it seems that children are well aware of gender portrayals and can recognize when a cartoon is directed towards one gender over the other. The most important fact to note from this is that “when children see villainy in a character illustrated via gender transgression (e.g., a male villain appearing effeminate), they may develop lasting negative associations with non-stereotypical gendered behavior” (557). As Disney villains are constantly portrayed with non-stereotypical gendered behavior, this only reinforces the development of traditional gender roles as correct.

            The study that is reported fully in this article has three hypotheses, all having to do with gender portrayal. Mainly, the first hypothesis considered the gender of the character, specifically that princesses would display more feminine characteristics where princes would display more masculine characteristics. The second hypothesis predicted that princes “would perform more rescues than the princesses, and that the princesses would be rescued more often than the princes” (557). Lastly, the third hypothesis predicted that gender role portrayals would become more egalitarian over time. In order to study the characteristics and behaviors, England et. al. coded various behaviors as feminine or masculine. They then observed the Disney princess movies over time, starting with Snow White and ending with the Princess and the Frog. This gave them three groups: Early Films, Middle Films and Most Current Film. Within these, they could view each film individually but also consider the gender roles within each group. Concerning the first hypothesis, while there is some variation between behaviors, it could be considered a correct prediction. When considering the princes’ difference between masculine and feminine traits, they displayed a significant difference. For instance, “the princes displayed 494 traditionally masculine characteristics, 49.95% of their total characteristics” as well as displaying “495 traditionally feminine characteristics, 50.05% of their total characteristics” (560). Their gendered behavior splits nearly in half, showing that they are more likely to be presented with an even mix of gendered characteristics. In contrast, the princess display over half of their behaviors as feminine. While the most commonly portrayed characteristics for both genders include a mix of masculine and feminine, both still present their least common behaviors as opposite of their gender. The second hypothesis suggests that princes were more likely to rescue than the princesses, and the princesses were more likely to be rescued than rescued. Unsurprisingly, “the princess characters were rescued 17 times and performed only 13 rescues in the films”, which goes along with this hypothesis (560). On the contrary, the princes were rescued and performed rescues at the same rate. Still, even when princesses performed a rescue, they were never unaided by the prince or by another character. Although it would be interesting to factor Disney’s Frozen into the study, as one of the princesses does rescue another character without the aid any other character.

            Lastly, the third hypothesis suggests a more egalitarian approach with the gender roles and behaviors. For this, England et al. looks at the three groups. While the princesses still displayed more feminine characteristics than the princes in the three groups, the ratio of feminine characteristics “by the princesses decreased over time, with 86% (394 codes) of the princesses’ behavior in the early films coded as feminine, reducing to 58% (566) in the middle movies, and 53% (91) in the most current film” (562). Along with this, the coded masculine behaviors increased over time. While there is a significant difference between the early and middle films, as well as in the early and late films, there is not between the middle and late films. Still, no princess has displayed more masculine traits than feminine. The princes contrast from the princesses specifically in this way. They do not have as constant a development of difference in their characteristics over time, but there a few princes that display more feminine behaviors than masculine. These findings support most of the hypotheses that England et al. predicted. During the first few films, they “depicted in general more gendered attributes for both the princesses and the princes, and employed more traditional gender roles than did the five films produced in and after the 1980s” (562). For the most part, the princesses are displayed doing housework and presented happily doing that. Along with that, those princesses that displayed any assertiveness were not assertive with power figures nor their princes. During the middle films, we began to see less of this and more assertive princesses, especially ones who took up positions in politics and war. However, the princess in the Princess and the Frog, seems independent but she still falls back into doing what may be considered feminine duties about the house (cooking, for instance). In fact, it seems while the princes make great strides in developing more feminine traits (Aladdin for instance, and the prince in the Princess and the Frog, both present more feminine traits), the princesses do not. Even romance has a prevalent gendered aspect in the movies, as “a heterosexual romance is inevitable and often a central conclusion of the movie” (565). Unfortunately, while there are both traditional and non-traditional gender role portrayals, the “gendered messages did not consistently move away from traditional themes in more recent movies” (566).

            In relation to my topic of Gender in Popular Films, this article fits well as it addresses gender role portrayals in Disney princess movies, which are among some of the most popular films. Relating back to my first article review, these articles are very similar in the fact that they both address the portrayal of gender roles and stereotypes in films. However, Smith et al. makes assumptions and predictions about how these inequalities in the film industry will affect a child’s development of gender perceptions, where England et al. mainly studies how gender roles are portrayed and considers the affect it could have on children. Before reading this article. I had not considered the gender behaviors the princesses portray and how it lines up with the princes as well. I would have liked to see a breakdown of gender roles in other characters besides the prince and princess, but England et al. admits that this was one of many limitations in the study.