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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not get Disney?

336 replies

Fridaysgirl · 14/09/2019 15:57

I'm talking about adults here, not kids.

Why do grown men and women feel the need to wear Minnie ears, buy mugs, bags and T shirts of Disney related stuff?

And why in god's name would you pay £££££s to go and gawp and an artificial pink princess castle when you could pay far less to see something real? Or cuddle a Minnie/Mickey Mouse (or should I say a stranger dressed up)?

Please can someone explain all this to me?

OP posts:
GastonTheLazybird · 21/09/2019 11:12

Maybe your idea of attractiveness is skewed? Are you just talking looks?Facial features?

ScreamingValenta · 21/09/2019 11:14

Gaston - is there a Disney film with an unattractive/not conventionally attractive female heroine?

GastontheLazybird · 21/09/2019 11:20

ScreamingValenta

Dumbo?Bambi? Lion King?

boujie · 21/09/2019 11:21

Snow White: being sweet natured
Cinderella: being kind and posetive no matter what situation you are in. It literally is have courage and be kind
Aurora: being positive no matter what
Ariel: if you some someone or something it will require a certain amount of sacrafice
Belle: don't judge a book by it's cover. Each of these movies thought a lesson. The waist size was the last thing on my mind as I watched them as a kid

To be fair, these are quite sanitised interpretations. You could just as easily say the following:

Snow White: a woman's place is in the home, caring for men. Gets sexually assaulted in her sleep.

Cinderella: if you tolerate enslavement with good cheer and are very beautiful, someone rich might rescue you

Aurora: where does she exhibit limitless positivity? She cries in despair when she isn't allowed to marry the first man she meets, and is then asleep for most of the rest film before she's also sexually assaulted in her sleep and then marries her abuser.

Ariel: you should use your body to make men fall in love with you - it doesn't matter if they have literally never heard you speak. You should also be willing to give up everything (family, friends, voice) for the love of a man you don't know.

Belle: Stockholm syndrome; if your captor treats you with some humanity, it makes up for the fact that they abused your father and imprisoned you against your will.

A lot of your defence of the films focuses on the idea that you should be sweet, kind and cheerful. And while there isn't necessarily anything wrong with those things, it is a really strong example of how girls specifically are socialised. Is that a good thing? Probably not - being kind is great, but why is this message aimed at girls and not boys? Why is always girls who are taught that they have to be accommodating, be kind, and make sacrifices? If these are universally good traits, why isn't there the same emphasis on teaching boys to be this way?

I'm not slamming Disney films outright. They can be fun, and some of the more modern ones (Moana, for example) have very good, positive messages. I also don't want to judge things like Snow White too harshly given that it's 80 years old. Some of them are very of their time. But I don't think we need to try and shoehorn a great feminist message into them where it doesn't exist.

I also think all of the points about the heroines all being thin, attractive, able bodied and (mostly) white are perfectly valid and not to be dismissed out of hand.

ScreamingValenta · 21/09/2019 11:24

Dumbo?Bambi? Lion King?

The animals in those films have been anthropomorphised to be conventionally attractive in a human sense, as far as they can be. None of them are overweight or old, and they have big eyes with long lashes.

Excited101 · 21/09/2019 11:34

I’ve never been particularly into Disney, we didn’t really watch films much as children. But we did go to Disneyworld when I was 9. It was a fab holiday and I loved all of it. I generally won’t tolerate the music or watch the films now unless with children, when it’s quite nice. But I went to Disneyland with a friend for a day a couple of years ago and had a fab time! I don’t like really big rides but I loved the shops, restaurants and general feel of the place. I loved the slightly more gentle rides and had a great day! We had Minnie ears but didn’t get involved with the characters, parade or merchandise beyond that. I don’t really ‘get’ that side of it for adults either but I loved going and really want to go back again. Each to their own!

redappleandaquamarinebow1987 · 21/09/2019 11:35

@boujie aurora grew up lonely in the forest with no human contact but she made the best of it by keeping company with the animals and remaining cheerful. Yes she was upset but she excepted she had a responsibility and duty as a princess. She went along so clearly she accepted her postion and would in her mind make the best of it

redappleandaquamarinebow1987 · 21/09/2019 11:37

Also boys do more or less get the same message. The hero always does the right thing by protecting the people tjat need protecting and putting the people needs furst

GeneralCustard · 21/09/2019 11:38

The animals in those films have been anthropomorphised to be conventionally attractive in a human sense, as far as they can be. None of them are overweight or old, and they have big eyes with long lashes.

😂 I think you are overthinking this!

GeneralCustard · 21/09/2019 11:42

The parade is so the children can get a glimpse of their favourites without having to queue or pay for visits.

My son was enthralled, in love with Mary Poppins, and had the best birthday ever by having breakfast with her. Nothing wrong with that.

Whatever you’re into, wrestling stars or porn, I don’t tell you it’s wrong!

1ColdFish · 21/09/2019 11:42

I like the Disney films but I am not fanatical about Disney. However taking my eldest son to Disneyland when he was a toddler was an amazing experience, magical and bought tears to my eyes literally and certainly was not at all soppy in my early 20s!

Writersblock2 · 21/09/2019 11:43

@ScreamingValenta - some of the older princess movies, sure. But they were mostly from a time where everything was like that.

Newer Disney movies? Brave, for a start. Non-typical female lead who was tomboy-like, had more normal proportions, and wouldn’t take shit.

Moana? Again, non-typical in appearance and stood up for herself. She was no flake.

Zootopia - Judy Hops is brilliant. Though yes, she’s a bunny.

Coco (my favourite of the newer ones). Mexican boy. The whole movie is about the concept of death and family.

You were saying?

GeneralCustard · 21/09/2019 11:43

1ColdFish Exactly

Writersblock2 · 21/09/2019 11:44

Jessie from Toy Story.

ScreamingValenta · 21/09/2019 11:51

Writersblock2

All of those you mentioned are young and slim, with tiny waists and have long, abundant hair (albeit Jessie's is in a pigtail) and huge appealing eyes. And they're all able-bodied.

JacquesHammer · 21/09/2019 11:51

Tangled.....? Rapunzel is ace!

ScreamingValenta · 21/09/2019 11:56

Tangled

Other than the long hair having to go at the end for unavoidable plot reasons, the heroine conforms to the Disney standard of female beauty.

I can't claim to be familiar with every film Disney has ever made, but I would be surprised if there are any with female heroines that don't fit conventional ideals of beauty.

Writersblock2 · 21/09/2019 11:58

@ScreamingValenta - they may be young (obviously - the target demographic is young) but Merida and Moana have normal body types.

JacquesHammer · 21/09/2019 12:02

Other than the long hair having to go at the end for unavoidable plot reasons, the heroine conforms to the Disney standard of female beauty

I didn’t mention visuals. She’s a decent character.

I mean we could try Rapunzel without the hair but it would be a very dull tale Grin

Writersblock2 · 21/09/2019 12:02

@ScreamingValenta - I’m curious as to what you allow your children to see. And what you choose to watch.

I’d suggest that some of the newer Disney movies, with their diversity types, promote discussion of different issues and cultures. Body types can be raised as a topic for discussion within this context, even with little girls. Critical thinking should be encouraged, not avoidance of exposure, I would think.

I can certainly say MY ideas of society’s expectations of beauty haven’t come from Disney as much as they have the myriad of pornified “popular” TV shows.

ScreamingValenta · 21/09/2019 12:05

normal body types

Eh? Their heads are wider than their waists! Anyone who thinks that is a normal body type really has been dangerously conditioned. The average woman's head is about 22 inches in circumference.

ScreamingValenta · 21/09/2019 12:14

Writersblock I can't answer the first question as I don't have children, and I don't want to start saying that if I did, I'd stop them watching this, that or the other, as I don't know realistically how easy it is to police what children watch in this era of 24/7 screen availability. I wouldn't encourage children (or anyone) to watch Disney movies.

What do I watch? I'm not a great TV watcher - I generally have the TV on once or twice a week for a couple of hours in the evening. I've got broad tastes and I'll watch anything that looks interesting.

boujie · 21/09/2019 14:48

aurora grew up lonely in the forest with no human contact but she made the best of it by keeping company with the animals and remaining cheerful. Yes she was upset but she excepted she had a responsibility and duty as a princess. She went along so clearly she accepted her postion and would in her mind make the best of it

Which is fine, but it's not necessarily the best message for a kid, is it? It's basically telling a girl to accept her lot, take no positive steps to change her life or exert any kind of control over her destiny, keep her chin up, and if she's very lucky and beautiful maybe someone rich and handsome will rescue her.

Aurora is a profoundly passive character - she exerts almost no agency over her own life and is unconscious for most of the film. It's not a great model for modern girls. And to be fair, it's not a modern film. But we shouldn't try and justify it by pretending it has a great message for girls today when the reality is, it's possibly quite unhelpful.

redappleandaquamarinebow1987 · 21/09/2019 15:16

@boujie I always saw it as her knowing as a princess she has a duty to serve her country in a way only she can. Be that to increase natural resources, wealth, power or peace. She knows as a princess she has no choice. She chose to do what is right for the people she is responsible for

boujie · 21/09/2019 15:23

I always saw it as her knowing as a princess she has a duty to serve her country in a way only she can. Be that to increase natural resources, wealth, power or peace. She knows as a princess she has no choice. She chose to do what is right for the people she is responsible for

But she didn't know she was a princess while she was hanging out in the woods, so how does that work?

Not to mention that she does precious little in the way of increasing resources, power or peace...

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