Femina Cartoonica: Gender Dimension of Disney Themes as a Pedagogy of Popular Culture
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American Journal of Educational Research, 2021, Vol. 9, No. 8, 518-521
Available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/education/9/8/8
Published by Science and Education Publishing
DOI:10.12691/education-9-8-8
Femina Cartoonica: Gender Dimension of Disney
Themes as a Pedagogy of Popular Culture
Lejla Mušić*
Department of Sociology, Faculty of Political Sciences Sarajevo, Sarajevo University, Bosnia and Herzegovina
*Corresponding author:
Received July 02, 2021; Revised August 05, 2021; Accepted August 16, 2021
Abstract Disney project, as an all enhancing pedagogical project, offers interactive methods of learning for
preschool children, and multidisciplinary, trans disciplinary, multicultural teaching methods on all levels of
schooling, involving advanced levels of Gender studies inside Social studies disciplines, on the upper educational
levels.
Keywords: multicultural, Disney Pedagogy, Disney Heroes, Disney Heroines, Femina Cartoonica
Cite This Article: Lejla Mušić, “Femina Cartoonica: Gender Dimension of Disney Themes as a Pedagogy
of Popular Culture.” American Journal of Educational Research, vol. 9, no. 8 (2021): 518-521.
doi: 10.12691/education-9-8-8.
1. Introduction 2. Objectives
The discussion on influence of the themes inside Multiculturalism in classroom, through the prism of
the Disney movies, and research projects developed Disney characters, offers heroines that originate from all
around the idea, influenced pleads of new and developed over the world, from Europe( Germany, France, Norway)
teaching methods for understanding the contemporary to Saudi Arabia, Polynesia, South America, America, Latin
society, and developed gender roles system, in popular America, China, Russia, and speak diversity of languages
culture. such as French, Russian, Arabian, German, Chinese
Garden, and Sandlin in their e book Teaching with Mandarine, etc, in multinational surroundings. The obstacles,
Disney [2], emphasize that teaching Gender in the and problematic occurrences, are multiple, and unique for
classrooms, through the popular Disney pedagogies, every Disney character, and if we are discussing the
offers multicultural perspectives on depiction of the development of the Female characters, influenced by the
teachers, and different females, inside the Disney world feminism waves, there are differences in between the roles
(Emperor’s New Groove: Kuzco’s Academy, Elena from of Disney female characters, from 1950-ties, in comparison
Avalor (sister’s teacher). Femina Cartoonica represents with his contemporary heroines (Merida, Mulan, Moana).
the notions of the female characters emancipation Feminisney idea as an Disney transfixation into Feminism,
influences inside cartoon industry, mainly through in postfeminizam era, influences the making the Gender
the prism of the Walt Disney characters. As the equality representative in the Media [5].
emancipation of Women Human Rights from 1970-ties
continues, the understanding of Women Skills, and
Female heroines, changes from the patriarchal 3. Methods
perspectives, to the different forms of emancipated
female multicultural characters. Inside the literature, Investigation on Identification with Disney characters
Disney Villains, male and females are mentioned, and Population sample: MA students of Sociology of
developed. Negative side of Women Leadership in Gender ll, Sarajevo University, Faculty of Political
Fashion Industry, in the most celebrated Cruella de Vil Sciences, Department Sociology (MA).
(101 Dalmatians), and see urchins such as Ursula Inherently to the research, the examinees were asked to
(Little Mermaid), Evil Queen (Snow White), Maleficent find the most interesting Disney male, and Female
(1 and 2), are investigated by pleads of the authors character, after watching the short movies about Disney
such as Glen Dakin, Victoria Saxon, Serena Valentino, Heroes, and Disney Heroins, with the special requirement,
Amy Davis, etc. The focus of this work is the not to mention the same character.
emancipation of Disney female characters, and positive Inside the chosen sample, 30 % of students were males,
influences of this perceptions on the feminist stance and 70% were female students. The questions raised were:
advancement, inside the focus group of the university 1. What female Disney character do You find the most
students of both genders. accomplished?
American Journal of Educational Research 519
2. What Disney male Heroes do You find the most ones, that are more patriarchal princesses, mainly only
accomplished? Mulan, Merida, or Moana are chosen. Not even one male
3. Do male students chose advanced female characters, student has chosen the traditional female character, that
or more patriarchal models? responds to gender stereotypes.
4. Which female characters are chosen, and in what
statistical measurements?
Inside the responds, on the choosing of the female
characters, the repeating of the same character, was more
often, when compered with the analyses of male character.
This confirms, already constituted general hypothesis,
that Disney’s most accomplished characters, are his
princesses, that are globally celebrated, and admitted into
multidisciplinary investigations, inside the Social Sciences.
4. Results
Figure 3. Do male students chose advanced female characters, or more
patriarchal models?
The rest of the female students had chosen traditional
female Disney princess characters, involving the trans
human performativity (Supernaturality of Hair, and
Animal transformativity).
Additional explanation for choosing this female
characters can be found in the following explanations:
Figure 1. What female Disney character do You find the most
accomplished?
Female students more often chose Disney Princesses,
mainly Snow White, and Cinderella.
Only two female students had chosen the modern
female characters, such as Merida, and Mulan. Figure 4. Which female characters are chosen, and in what statistical
measurements?
Women Rights are Human Rights once and for all!
(Hillary Rodham Clinton, Beijing Conference) [3].
According to the interest based on the audience that
influenced the high level network selling, the diversity of
the most sold animated Disney princess, is somewhat
different.
5. Discussion
The best earning female featured characters are less
mentioned, while as the best sold male featured characters
Figure 2. What Disney male Heroes do You find most accomplished?
are well known.
The research had shown that male students prevailingly The over billion dollars earning Disney featured female
chose tour advanced female characters, rather than the Heroins, are Oscar winners Alice in the Wonderland520 American Journal of Educational Research (2010) for Best Art Direction, and Costume Design, and Moana [7], represent “savior of father from death through Frozen 1, won Oscar for Best Animated Feature Frozen 2, the transgendered identity, becoming the China’s greatest involving trans speciation themes, Beauty and the Beast, heroin”, or “searching her own path, through the archery and Zootopia. skills”, trans humanly “answering the Oceans call to set The only two Disney, male featured Heroes, that are 1 the things right, after the demigod Maui reaches her island, billion of American dollars success, are Lion King, and Moana seeks out demigod by her own quest on open seas”, Alladin. the New Disney Heroins challenge the traditional Lionel Bailly in Lacan: Beginners Guide [1], in the patriarchal values, and in line with the Social studies chapter Through the Looking glass: Mirror stage, notion on the importance of the skilled female emphasize the following notions on the Mirror Stage, professionals, they practice their skills, rather than being since according to Lacan the opposite is the truth: “at the subordinated component of patriarchal order. Mirror Stage, the intellectual perception of oneself is alienating experience, and the beginning is the series of the untruths; but it is a necessary alienation that allows 6. Conclusion Subject access to the symbolic realm” [1]. The “Me” formation, in Lacan’s theory “The making of The prestigious female Heroins Elsa, and Anna, offer “le moi”, after hearing his/her name pronounced (Moana, the idea of sisterhood, as an universal principle, and when Mulan, Alice, Elsa, Belle, Alladin, Kristof)”, it has heard Queen Elsa makes a mistake (that causes infinite winter), its name before, but now, it affixes it to the image in the her sister Anna makes things right, through the tremendous mirror” and identifies himself/herself: “That is Elsa. Elsa efforts [4]. “Winter girl “/Elsa(Frozen) inside the literature, is me!”[1]. Bailly explains the most important maxima of also had received the negative interpretations, related to Lacan’s, is that “Human beings are very largely oblivious the promotion of anorexia, and bulimia, and “girl frozen in of their own subject. The ego is what person says about time” [20]. Raja and the Dragon, as the newest Disney himself/herself: The subject is unrecognized self that is female character, inside the trans human, and trans special speaking” [1]. On the question who is Moana, Mulan or environment, admits the notions of female advancement, Merida (The Brave), as female identities, or Alladin, and in new adaptation of the Cruella, the deconstruction of Kristof, even Gaston, Huntsman, Hercule, Tarzan, or Peter patriarchalism as a project. Disney Film as a medium of Pan, as male identities, is their own quest for identity. In Cultural Pedagogy, in Jack Zipes’s critic [6], Breaking the the Lacanian Mirror stage: “the Subject is an active mind, Disney Spell: But what the Disney spell mean? The great that produces the concept itself, as the Other in the mirror, “magic of the Disney spell, is that he animated the fairy but it cannot recognize itself”. “The subject is the product tale only to transfix audiences, and divert their potential of the Subjects imaginary game, it produces unity, Utopian dreams, and hopes, through the false promises, of although not wholeness.” [1] the images he cast upon the screen.” [6]. Matusitz and Moana: “What if that is not who am I”? Her voice Palermo [14], in the article entitled The Disneyfication of wavered, as all the fears of disappointing her family and the World, offer the “Grobalisation Perspective”, through people churned in her stomach“[7]. Merida as an subject the depicting of the differences, in between the in her teenage age states: “My name is Merida. I’m the Disneyfication, and Disneyisation, referring to the idea of Princess of DunBroch, a kingdom in the Highlands of the the great companies such as Disney (Walmart, Coca-Cola) Scotland” [8]. to impose them self globally, for the reason of the profit Kristin Schiele, Lauren Louie, and Steven Chen, in multiplication. Disneyisation is the Disney attribution to study entitled Marketing feminism in Youth media: A the shopping malls, and it in Baudrillard’s terms consists study of Disney, and Pixar animation, “through the of “the double proces of cannibalisation (by host culture), thematic analyses of 17 Disney, and Pixar animated films and carnivalisation (by American cultural Hegemony)” (produced in between 1989 and 2018), and featuring [15]. Disneyland Parks, Films and Phenomenology of female lead, or co-lead” they analyze the messages imagination, in contemporary Sociology, in Hong Kong, transmitted to Young female consumers [4]. Tokyo, Shanghai [13], Paris, and in California, Florida, as Defining Disney production, according to Forbes’s list, a form of Hyperurbanisation, and Hyperreality (Eco) as a “240 billion entertainment business encompassing inside the investigation field of Disney culture, reopen film, television, theme parks, broadcast, character different forms of scientific conclusions, and nouvelle licensing, and merchandising”[4], Chen, Louie, and debates [12]. Supporting the feminism ideas, black history Schiele, show that most of the female heroins are in some month ideas, and raising “responsible and inspiring form of identity quest, and passing through the mirror campaigns around gender” Disney in 2016, inside stage, of early self searching, and self understanding, multimedia (channels, apps, parks) “announced its Dream (I will focus onto the ones mentioned by my case study Big Princess Featurettes campaign” [16], as a part of group) through the some form of trans special element, Women empowerment discourse, real girls stories vs. such as Little Mermaid “makes Faustian bargain with a princesses”. Eco in his Travel to Hyppereality, precepts sea witch, to meet human prince on the land”, Belle Disneyland, and Disney World as a “artificial cites “Offers herself to the Beast (prince under magic spell) to dedicated to entertainment” [17], Baudrillard considers save her Father”, Rapunzel (with her trans human that “Disneyland, is presented as imaginary, in order to “magical hair she is about to discover her true identity, make us believe that the rest is real, when in fact, after being closed in the tower for so many years). all of ..... and the America surrounding it, are no longer Especially celebrated, in my case study group, real, but of the order of hyperreal, and of simulation” contemporary female Heroins such as Mulan, Merida, [18], and concludes that the “Disneyland is a paradise.
American Journal of Educational Research 521
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