Representation

The Little Mermaid

ARIEL

 

1989 version

Motivation

The first proportion of the film suggested Ariel's desire to explore the world above, to be "Part of That World". However, the story later took a turn, it no longer focuses on Ariel's wishes to jump and dance on a pair of feet, or to stay all day in the sun. Conversely, her motivation became mostly about the princess's romantic interest.

As a woman, Ariel's choice of giving up her most powerful asset - her voice - made her unable to communicate and advocate for what she wants. This may cause discomfort in female audience since in the past, woman were asked to obey and not speak unless ordered to. In her scenario, Ariel willingly gave up the only element that could have give her stronger personality and became passive in her own story, while relying on others to help her regain her voice with the only motivation of receiving love from an unknown man.

Visual

Ariel was described as: Caucasian; fair skin; skinny - small waist; red hair; blue eyes. Most of the traits belongs within the traditional Western beauty culture at the time. 

After losing her voice, Ariel's physical appearance became the only thing that made her stand out. This reliance on physical presence subtly sustenance the stereotype that a woman's value only lies at her beauty which may trigger those who watches the film. 

2023 version

Motivation

In the newer version, Ariel's motivation was expanded beyond romance. Her desire of exploring the land was highlighted a lot more, while also hinting a romantic narrative in between. It was clearly encoded that it was her own freedom and independence that she longed for. The new Ariel's characteristics were relied more on her interest of self-determination and curiosity. 

Despite still giving up her voice to Ursula, the scene showed that it was a conscious choice in which Ariel made as a sacrifice to fulfilling her own ambition as there was a certain emotional weight.  This represents self-empowerment, as she was clearly aware of the consequences of her choice. 

  

Visual

By casting Halle Bailey, who is African-American, Disney truly challenged the expectations of the audience as it broke the conventional expectation of a Disney princess. With a darker skin tone and curly hair, Halle's character inspired an entire generation of Black girls as it would be their first time seeing someone representing them as a Disney princess. This provides a modern representation of beauty while challenging the established beauty standards. 

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DISNEY PRINCESSES

The differences between the characterization of Cinderella in 1950 and Moana in 2016 truly depict Disney’s adaptation of the changes in societal assumptions about women and what they are capable of into their production and narrative development. 

Cinderella (1950)

Cinderella could be described as extremely kind and gentle. Some may admire her gracefulness when dealing with hardships and difficulties (such as when the evil step-mother and sisters forced Cinderella to do all the chores), while others claim that she was too obedient and did not have the courage to speak up for herself. Cinderella’s character was based fully on the ideal image of a woman in the 50s (post-World War II): caretaker; soft-spoken; patient. Instead of searching for her own opportunities of happiness, Cinderella was incredibly passive and relied on external factors to change her circumstances. For instance, it was the Fairy Godmother who provided our main character a chance to attend the ball, and it was the Prince who ultimately “saved” from the abusive family through marriage. From here, it was clear that the storyline relied heavily on traditional gender roles, as it was depicted that a woman’s only way of achieving happiness and stability is by binding her identity to a man’s. 

Moana (2016)

Although Moana is also produced by Disney, the movie illustrated a completely different perspective of women-empowerment through the main character: Moana. Unlike Cinderella, Moana was not afraid to take actions, creating changes to the environment as well as the mindset of those around her about the ocean. Instead of waiting to be rescued by a prince or find her "happily ever after", the film focused on aligning Moana with her sense of leadership and emphasized on how she made her own decisions without any male figures or romantic storyline. 

Regarding physical appearance, Cinderella had a slim figure while also being fair skinned, with blonde hair and bright, blue eyes. Those are all beauty standards that were prevalent during that time. On the other hand, the animation of Moana truly reflected her Polynesian heritage with honey-like skin tone, wavy locks combined with a more athletic physique, all promoting a healthier body image for the target audience: children.

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CHARLIE'S ANGELS

2000 - 2003

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu

The movie "Charlie's Angels" released in 2000, along with its sequel in 2003 under the name of "Charlie's Angels: Full throttle" was centralized with sexualization of the three main characters. 

The "Angels", or spies, were frequently dressed in bikinis, lingeries or other provocative costumes, while the camera would often track their bodies highlighiting curves and edges, all supporting the male gaze.  In addition, their sexual appeal was also taken advantage of during undercover operations, using strageties such as seduction, being flirtatious as well as posing in sexual manners. This further sustenance the assumption that women have to rely on physical appearance in order to succeed in life. The character "Charlie", a male protagonist, was also in hold of authority, "fundamentally reproducing gendered and patriarchal relations".

 

Source: https://oru.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1789601/FULLTEXT01.pdf 

2019

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska

The reboot created a significant change in how women are represented in media. The alternation of Charlie's Angels programme into a worldwide community of women working together to save the world from those with bad intentions. As it was directed by a woman, Elizabeth Banks, the characters seemed to have more relatable traits that may appeal to female audience, in oppose to the past version directed by McG (a male director), which based the storyline quite heavily upon the male gaze. Unlike the older movies, the 2019 version emphasized the spies' intelligence, physical abilities and teamwork. The film also explored the concept of women being in charnge and of female leadership which connotes cerebral equality in society. 

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