Reflection
Unlearning the Myths that Bind Us
Linda Christensen
Fairy tails are a topic that I've debated my entire life. I was always told by movies and T.V. and by many around me that life was supposed to be like a movie. This article includes some of the ways that cartoons and fairy tales have molded the ideals for today's society. I feel that this is all too true. As a child, I looked to the Disney princesses as my main role models. I saw these beautiful women being saved by their Prince Charming and living
happily ever after. I thought that women had to be skinny and beautiful and a damsel in distress or else they were not good enough to be a princess. I grew up with the impression that if I didn't have an hourglass figure and long legs a flowing hair that I was not good enough. I also felt that if I couldn't find a man to save me, I couldn't have a happily ever after. This was especially hard for me because I was also told I had to be strong and independent. The two were just so contradictory that I grew to be confused. I was told to be like a princess but then I was also being told to be myself and never be like anyone else. These cartoons were controlling who I was and who was to become and it was the same for many all over the world. Cartoons have come a long way but they continue to lack the diversity and representation children desire.
I can also look back at the Disney movies see that it could promote the message that a guy can get with an attractive woman the first time they meet with little effort and it all works out. But reality is not necessarily like that. Do these stories necessarily covey these messages that influence our lives or do we choose to view it that way? Are there more pressures that promote these messages then what is shown in these cartoons? Those are the thoughts I get from reading your post.
ReplyDeleteJulianna, I can relate to feeling like "I need a man to save me" while also being taught by my mother to be strong and independent. Having these contradicting views growing up led to a lot of struggles. As a child, movies and shows taught me in order to be happy I needed a "husband" so I went looking for love in the wrong places even at a young age. It wasn't until I experienced what I thought was my first "heartbreak" and coming into my teenage years did I realize I had everything twisted and my mother was actually right, not the movies ans shows. This allowed me to grow into myself as a woman and individual and have my own beliefs and opinions on things while standing my ground against other people that thought I was "wrong or Stupid" for just being a female with a strong mind.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis of the reading so much. I grew up the same way with the same beliefs as I grew up. It's sad that so many kids are being put under these pressures indirectly through movies and cartoons.
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