About "queering disney"
Once upon a time, there was a woman in distress. She was lonely, or poor, or mistreated by evil step-family members, and was just waiting for a man to swoop in and save her. Just when hope was all but lost, along came her knight in shining armor. He saved the day, won her heart with his charm and good looks, and the two lived happily ever after. The end.
That is the stereotypical plot of a Disney movie. Women are oppressed and dependent, men are dominant, heterosexual love and marriage are a given and queers are left entirely out of the picture. As Disney is such a huge part of kids' lives at a time when their brains are learning and developing so fast, should these be the ideals and values we instill in them?
In J. Zornado's article called, "Children's Film as Social Practice," he talks about the substantial influence films have on young minds and the practice and strategy of pedagogy they subject children to. "Imbedded in the practice are ideas - often unconsciously held by the individual - that manifest as relational practices in which the individual learns the "right" way to relate to self, to other, and the wide world all around" (Zornado). The messages portrayed to children in these films have the potential to become ideals those kids will hold on to for the rest of their lives.
I think presenting these hidden ideals of heteronormativity to an audience of children is one of the most harmful ways our society perpetuates oppression and discrimination, especially toward sexual minorities. When they grow up watching shows that only represent straight, heteronormativity, they grow up thinking that is the only option.
My site aims to explore the ways Disney oppresses sexual minorities and perpetuates heteronormativity as well as point out the progress, if any, Disney has made to include the queer community or give them representation.
That is the stereotypical plot of a Disney movie. Women are oppressed and dependent, men are dominant, heterosexual love and marriage are a given and queers are left entirely out of the picture. As Disney is such a huge part of kids' lives at a time when their brains are learning and developing so fast, should these be the ideals and values we instill in them?
In J. Zornado's article called, "Children's Film as Social Practice," he talks about the substantial influence films have on young minds and the practice and strategy of pedagogy they subject children to. "Imbedded in the practice are ideas - often unconsciously held by the individual - that manifest as relational practices in which the individual learns the "right" way to relate to self, to other, and the wide world all around" (Zornado). The messages portrayed to children in these films have the potential to become ideals those kids will hold on to for the rest of their lives.
I think presenting these hidden ideals of heteronormativity to an audience of children is one of the most harmful ways our society perpetuates oppression and discrimination, especially toward sexual minorities. When they grow up watching shows that only represent straight, heteronormativity, they grow up thinking that is the only option.
My site aims to explore the ways Disney oppresses sexual minorities and perpetuates heteronormativity as well as point out the progress, if any, Disney has made to include the queer community or give them representation.
what is queer theory?
Queer theory is a set of ideas that emerged in the early 1990's from queer and women's studies as a critique of binaries and labels. It entertains the idea that identities are not fixed and do not determine who we are. Steven Seidman, in his chapter on Theoretical Perspectives, notes that it arose from gay and lesbian studies, which emphasizes the importance of identifying your sexuality to understand yourself and be happy. It is a deeply social view of homosexuality, while queer studies presents a shift from studying homosexuality to sexuality in general.
I found this topic most interesting because of the idea that we don't need labels to secure our sexual identities. I like the idea of designing your own personal sexuality with no name or label based on your individual attractions and behaviors. In a utopian queer-theory-driven society, heterosexuality and homosexuality would not exist, and sexuality were a free flowing, sliding scale of individuality. I think Disney promotes gender binaries and labels by perpetuating heteronormativity and providing unequal representations of sexual minorities. Here I hope to question that social structure being presented to young, developing children and raise awareness of Disney's flawed queer representation.