Is Disney Making a Change in Gender Representation?

• In Event: 398 - Visual Media Poster Session

Abstract

Disney movies are often looked upon with romantic nostalgia. While Disney films can remind us fondly of our childhoods many films have come under scrutiny for their static and predictable stereotypical gender representations. These representations have an impact on how young boys and girls understand the world, including their understanding of gender roles and romantic expectations. In recent years, Disney has started to make a positive shift in the type of female characters and representations portrayed in their films. This presentation seeks to answer questions of consistency in the shift toward more diverse and dynamic gender representation in Disney programming. Is this shift seen in all of Disney’s programming? Is more equitable gender representation being seen for all characters? This presentation explores the gender representation in Disney films and television programming. By using a thematic analysis to examine these movies and television shows we are able to get a better understanding of the gender representations present in media for boys and girls of all ages.

Author

• Abigail Walsh, University of California Santa Cruz