All in all since Ariel is one of the early disney princesses she is not very evolved in the idea of femininity and stereotyping women. She follows most of the key characteristics that Disney tends to follow in their Disney Heroine’s. The gender representation is apparent throughout the entire film, which displays men in powerful positions such as the king and the prince. Meanwhile, the female characters are very sexualized and seem to be more interested in pleasing men, than pleasing themselves. The Little Mermaid in no way empowers or encourages women, and in fact, encourages them to aim low, and dream of marrying well. It tell young girls that the key to true happiness is marrying a good looking, wealthy man. However, “To fall in love; to join in romantic union with the ideal man to achieve a happily ever after, is one of the bad faiths women fall into.” (Wolfe, 2014, p.1). This film was clearly created with a biased and narrow idea of what and who a women is and should be. As a child growing up I did not realize how poorly represented women were in these Disney princess movies, mainly because their was a consistent message throughout all of them. It is my hope that in future Disney movies that women are more empowered, and don’t just worry about meet and being with a man. I believe women should look forward to things such as a career and personal success before worrying about being with a man, that is what Disney movies should be teaching children, to aspire to do great things.
References:
Ciaramella, K. (n.d.). Ariel's Body. The Little Mermaid. Retrieved July 28, 2014, from http://hookedonariel.weebly.com/ariels-body.html
Wolfe, A. (n.d.). A Woman's Ambition: A Reflection on Disney Princesses. Sailing Dreams. Retrieved July 28, 2014, from http://wolfewritingdreams.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/a-womans-ambition-a-reflection-on-disney-princesses/