All stories are bound to tell a valuable story that teaches a moral lesson for the person reading it. Lessons that are bound to teach us right from wrong, explicably talk of optimism rather than pessimism, and somehow let us dream of becoming big… that sort of ‘unimaginable’.
It’s quite odd, but there are some stories that teach us that reality is far from fantasy. That we need to wake up before everything gets ruin and totally mess up.
Disney movies are bound to be like that. The lessons from the movies itself are sort of lose-it-all-for-all-your-care themes… and quite disgusting if it really happening in real life… really…
Curious? Here’s why…
Lesson #1. Women must give up everything for the person they love…
In The Little Mermaid, Ariel gives up her voice for legs and then basically becomes an object for Prince Eric to gaze at. And when they finally end up together at the end of the movie, she leaves her family and her life as a mermaid to be with a guy she’s only known for a couple of days. She goes right from being controlled by her father to her husband.
So lasses, are you willing to take that risk? I don’t think so…
Lesson #2. Women should endure abusive relationships…
In the Beauty and The Beast, Belle and the Beast’s relationship basically blossoms because Belle tries to ‘tame’ and ‘fix’ him. She doesn’t escape this domestic violence and endures the temper of this aggressive man, communicating that staying loyal and controlling The Beast is her duty.
Ladies, kind of martyr, isn’t it? Abusive partner? Oh, my! NEVER!
Lesson #3. Men should be relentlessly pursuing women…
In practically all of the Disney movies with male protagonists, the message is the same: get the girl, save the day. Every relationship is heterosexual (except for a nod to a likely gay minor character in the recent film Frozen). If chasing after a woman is not a man’s first priority, like in the instance of emperor Kuzco from The Emperor’s New Groove, then he is portrayed as lazy and narcissistic.
In reality, sadly, some men are not like that… chase a lady? a bit funny for them!
Lesson #4. Love will show up on your doorstep…
Love at first sight is basically a requirement in nearly every Disney movie. In most of these instances, kids get the idea that falling in love with someone right away is how every relationship starts–no work needed. In fact, in the case of Cinderella, your doe-eyed, glammed up soulmate will show up to your castle!
That fast? There’s no need to court, or even wait a little bit? Ugh! love at first sight? NEVER happens!
Lesson #5. Women are no match for the obstacles in their lives and need to be saved…
This NOPE goes both ways–a bad message for both men and women. Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty and Snow White wake up only after they have had a “true love’s kiss,” while Meg from Hercules and Aladdin’s Princess Jasmine can only be with their loved ones if they are rescued from their evil captors. This tells girls that they must rely on men to solve their problems and tells boys that his worth is determined on his ability to save a woman.
Ooops! Strange thing! Not for both women and men in reality!
Lesson #6. Men must be princes, or they’re not worthy of your love…
In the movies where the male protagonist doesn’t have a title, such as Aladdin and Quazimodo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame he either has to become noble or doesn’t stand a chance to win the girl (in Quazimodo’s case). This communicates the idea that women only appreciate and are capable to love men with a prestigious title or money.
We women are too picky? Absolutely not! Mostly, for us, intelligence and attitude is VERY important.. What to do with a good-looking rich guy but can’t compete with your brain? Ugh!
Lesson #7. And if they’re not perfect-looking, ladies, they’re not the one…
Besides Beauty and the Beast’s villain Gaston, What Culture points out, most of the men in Disney movies are portrayed as ugly or fat if they do not fit the “Prince mold.” These men include the soldiers in Mulan, the palace guards in Aladdin and the men in the tavern in Tangled. This tells girls to ignore men who don’t look like Abercrombie models because they can’t possibly be their “Prince Charming” even if they are kind and interesting.
This just ruin the saying “Women love through their ears…” We women don’t ‘actually’ look for good-looking guys out there.. I think this applies for all the boys because you know “but men love through their eyes…” Am I right, lads? 😀
Lesson #8. If you’re an overweight or imperfect woman, you’re evil…
Ursula. Lady Tremaine (Cinderella’s evil stepmother). Maleficent. Cruella De Vil. The Queen of Hearts. Mother Gothel (Tangled). All of these female antagonists are depicted as old, frail, disfigured, or fat, suggesting that these kinds of evil people are physically distinguishable from “good girls.” It’s a similar trope for men, as mentioned above.
Hell, no! You know, being good is not based on the looks! 🙂
Lesson #9. And if you have a certain body type and face, you’re a good person…
By rejecting the glammed up version of Brave’s Merida, Disney recently was able to break the mold of what a female protagonist should look like. But, unfortunately, every other film still instills the idea that good, kind women should have a smaller than small waist, be blemish-free and made-up at all times. Basically, you’re only as good as your looks. The same goes for the male protagonists: muscles, good hair and a strong jaw are the makings of a hero.
Really? More likely in reality, bad girls often comes from pretty ones.. like me.. 😛
Lesson #10. Women can only be free if they disobey their parents…
From Mulan to Ariel to Pocahontas, the female leads go against their parents advice in order to find themselves and declare their independence. This may seem like a good message– “girls, don’t listen to your parents and pave your own way!”–but, this may just as easily become misconstrued into, “go hitchhiking by yourself or put yourself in other dangerous situations in order to succeed!”
No! I know it’s quite true, but are you willing to take that risk, girls? just DON’T!
Lesson #11. Men can justify killing if it’s for the greater good…
In The Lion King, Simba reclaims the throne from his evil uncle Scar, who dies falling from a cliff. But that’s okay, right? Because he’s evil? The same sort of fate comes to Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Gaston in Beauty and the Beast. The “good guys” are celebrated for their bravery, because the message is that the other characters did not have the right to live.
Now, I don’t know what to say… Everyone deserves a second chance, I guess.
I know hearing these ‘moral lessons’ from Disney movies are a bit of depressing. But the most important lesson? Don’t take all of these seriously. Act what reality calls for. Dream like what you want to and take your principles off with you. Because at the end of the day, you can’t take the blame for the movies, but for yourself. And that’s how you learned the real lesson well. 🙂