Children gain an understanding of the concept of sex and gender from an early age, as early as eighteen months. This is a process learned through the cognitive recognition of the permanence of the male or female character, called the concept of gender. These learned concepts can influence the gendered behaviors we display as we develop. The twenty-first century sees us challenging every stereotype as we strive to be a more tolerant and inclusive society. This essay explores some of the messages about gender roles, which are portrayed to children through the Disney Princess franchise. Through the vision of the feminine values ​​represented by Disney, this essay will examine the discourse on gender socialization in relation to the Disney Princess brand. These feminine values ​​refer to the way Disney depicts the feminine qualities of its princesses and this essay will reveal some of the hidden messages that prevail in some Disney films. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Gender was first introduced by sociologists West and Zimmerman (1987) as an “outcome”; the product of everyday social practices and behaviors that code us as men or women. Sociologists argue that gender is not a characteristic but something that is performed or “done,” hence the term “doing gender.” They believe that gender is something we learn from our environment from a young age. Psychologist Vivien Burr (1998) argued that “socialization refers to the processes through which people come to adopt the behaviors deemed appropriate in their culture.” Margaret Mead, an American cultural anthropologist, demonstrated in a study that different cultures around the world are known to have a division based on the sex of people. In 1935, Mead conducted research that demonstrated that three very different cultures each had different views of the role of women. In Western culture, males and females are often thought to have personality traits that distinguish them. Masculinity is equated with aggression, and femininity is associated with a caring and nurturing personality. To distinguish between gender and sex, scholars call them "gender roles." Sex refers to the biological characteristics of a man or woman, and gender refers to social roles and behaviors. It is argued that we are taught to be masculine or feminine. Once a child's biological makeup is revealed, there are thought to be preconceptions about how he or she should behave socially. This shows how children are born sexual but learn gender. Where Bandura's (1999) theory agrees with the concept that gender is something we learn through social processes, Kohlberg would argue the opposite. Kohlberg believed in gender constancy; that once children are aware of their gender identity, they recognize that superficial characteristics will not alter their gender. Kohlberg defined constancy as "...the awareness that one's sex is a permanent attribute linked to underlying biological properties and does not depend on superficial characteristics such as hair length...". According to Kohlberg's theory, children acquire understanding of gender through three stages. Gender labeling, stability and consistency. Gender labeling is the recognition, at a young age, that a child is a boy or a girl based on his or her outward appearance. Gender stability is the recognition that gender is constant over time but not consistent across all situations. Finally, gender consistency is believed to occur when childrenthey understand that gender is constant across time and situations. Sandra Bem (1981) also introduced a theory to try to explain how individuals acquire gender in society. By means of tests, Bem argued that once a person has constructed a gender schema through past experiences, it is more likely to build on that existing stereotype, thus reinforcing what that person learned in childhood . Information is almost encoded into long-term memory through repetition, organization and processing. An example test would be a child repeatedly verbalizing information such as Disney movie song lyrics. Organization involves the grouping of information in our mind, while elaboration is the cognitive process that involves extending or adding material to make it more memorable. An example of this in relation to Disney Princesses is the way princesses behave in films. By repeatedly watching the same movie or even Disney princess movies with the same theme, this information will become ingrained in their long-term memory. In popular culture, social constructions of female gender and femininity are often highlighted. It is especially women who are subjected to social constraints in relation to their gender. The mass media plays a vital role in the images it portrays of women and their gender roles. They constantly expose girls to a one-dimensional image of femininity. This problem is prevalent when looking at Disney Princess media. The eleven official Disney Princesses, which include Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Jasmine from Aladdin, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, Rapunzel from L The Tangle, and Merida from Brave, represent much more than just characters from animated films. They represent childhood ideals and are cultural icons for many. The Disney franchise covers a wide range of products such as toys, makeup, clothing, household items, as well as their animated films. Disney products themselves will include themes that can be biased and, at times, unhealthy. Before the advent of cinema and animation, parents engaged their children through storytelling and reading. Very often these are legends and fairy tales. Disney took this concept and built its empire by telling stories through another medium, where heroes and heroines come to life in glorious animated technicolor. Some suggest that, at the age of three to five, “the target market age is a period in which the distinction between reality and fantasy is blurred”. The main theme with Disney Princess traits always seems to be that of “selfless, innocent ingenues whose happy ending depends on their one true love.” This reinforces the stereotype of women having a rigid set of defined female roles. Disney caters to girls through its extensive line of toys, clothing and home goods. Their treasure trove of more than 40,000 princely products rewarded Disney with more than $2.64 billion in 2015, despite overt gender stereotypes. The media's popularity of Disney Princesses raises concerns about how the gender stereotypes they illustrate will influence the perceptions of young children. According to Wohlwend (2012), girls see Disney Princesses as more than just a fictional character; idolize the characters and consider them role models, Disney amplifies the discussion on femininity by focusing on the beauty of the princesses and canceling any variation in the personality or in the power to control one'sdestiny. Although Disney has tried to refrain from traditional gender roles in recent years, for example with the heroine Merida from Brave, most Disney princesses are still portrayed as passive or weak. A study conducted on Disney films between 1937 and 1995, focusing on 16 of the favorite princesses, showed that females were more likely than males to do housework. In contrast, males were six times more likely to be referred to as authority figures. An analysis of Disney Princesses illustrated gender inequality by finding that on average there were about nine more male characters with speaking roles than women, and female characters spoke 20% fewer than male characters. It's also a troubling statistic to find that Tiana from The Princess and the Frog is the only Disney princess to be employed as anything other than a princess, as she owns her own restaurant at the end of the film. Despite recent support for showing that heroine characters are more independent, these findings show that male characters are still dominant. Baker-Sperrry (2007) conducted a study that indicated that girls are aware of gender stereotypes prevalent in Disney media. The research found that children who engaged in literature about a Disney princess were able to recognize gender stereotypes and reinforced them when discussing the story. This may suggest that girls are accepting these traditional gender stereotypes and the feminized image of Disney Princesses. Holden (2003) draws attention to an interesting discovery regarding the design of clothing for boys and girls. Holden explains how the design of women's clothing is "traditionally designed to constrain women." Girls' clothes are meant to “impress,” while boys' clothes are meant for action. The Disney Princess line follows the same theme as girls' clothing ranges that include ball gowns, slippers and tiaras that don't outfit girls for adventure. While there is little evidence to show that engaging in princess play has links to girls' aspirations or self-esteem, there is evidence to suggest that exposure to certain gender stereotypes can have a negative impact on girls' mental health of young women. This view was supported by Lamb and Brown (2006) who believed that feeling pressured to conform to unrealistic standards would undoubtedly have a negative impact on girls' mental health. A worrying survey of 1,059 girls found that many girls had still accepted and internalized traditional gender stereotypes, even in the twenty-first century. Believing in these traditional stereotypes can cause problems such as anxiety as girls may feel pressured to look and behave a certain way, for example to be beautiful and thin just like Disney princesses. A study directly related to Disney princess media showed figures of three- and four-year-olds, who were asked to choose from six images of women dressed as princesses, identifying the thinner adult figures as the "real" princesses. The perception of being silent and submissive also adds weight to the thesis, revealed by a study, according to which girls who accepted gender behavioral characteristics, such as those of Disney, would consider them more feminine and therefore more susceptible to sinking into depression later on in life. A more recent study examined how powerful and consistent messages regarding gender norms and roles were disseminated through the eleven Disney princesses. They wereincluding thirty-one girls aged three to five. There were four themes recovered by observing the children playing princess. These centered on clothing, beauty, the exclusion of boys, and body movement. The findings from this study suggest that educators and parents should pay attention to the images the media may portray about gender and think about the effects it may have on their children. The study suggests they may want to reconsider the amount of media they provide to children. The APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls (2007) was formed in response to public concerns. She has long been involved in reporting on issues involving children and media content. Studies have shown that women, more often than men, were portrayed in a sexual manner. Additionally, there seemed to be a strong emphasis on the beauty standards portrayed in the media. The APA concluded that those with a high level of exposure to mainstream media hold physical attractiveness and appearance at the center of their values. The APA was able to link this exposure to mass media and distorted views of female beauty with the symptoms of eating disorders. There is concern that the target market for these products and Disney media are of an age where the distinction between fantasy and reality is blurred. Although between the ages of three and ten children become more aware and able to distinguish between what is real and what is fantasy on television, some children still believe that everything they see on television is real, as Howard's research suggests ( 1998) at the age of four still believed that a fictional character like Bugs Bunny was real. These studies provide some evidence that there are links between Disney princess media and gendered behaviors, however, due to the small sample size, it is difficult to generalize the findings with certainty. Learning about gender is essential for children to help form their identity as role performers. the gender roles they observe help them feel powerful, happy, and desirable. Although a person's ideas of gender may change as they mature, the early years are the most important years for children's development as they begin to understand themselves and the world around them. Ramsey (1998) argues that this understanding of gender differentiation and dominant gender stereotypes concerns children who are beginning to construct their own gender. Children are limited to certain types of clothing, toys, games, and friends due to the expectation of certain gendered behaviors. Compared to other types of media models, which some parents consider highly sexualized, Orenstein (2011) observed that parents generally like Disney Princesses and consider them “safe.” Others, such as Ehrenreich (2007), support the sense of security of the Disney Princess brand and are concerned about the potential negative impacts it could have on girls growing up. There are key themes that seem to be present in all Disney Princess films. , where the princesses' goals and aspirations are not those of career and independence but those of domesticity and the idea of ​​a romance with their one true love. One of the first films released by Disney, and one that is still a family favorite today, is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Snow White is depicted as the “perfect housewife” (Haynes, 2010) who cooks, cleans, and cares for the seven male dwarfs who work hard every day. Zipes talks about the recurring domestication of Disney Princesses and describes them as "...helpless ornaments in need ofprotection, and when it comes to the action of the film, they are omitted". Similar themes continue in the film Beauty and the Beast. Belle is described as intelligent at the beginning of the film when she is seen reading a book, however when she talks to the baker regarding the book, she is ignored and seen as an outsider. It gives the impression that being intellectual is unnatural for women and is based on the stereotype that men are the intellectuals who go to work and women should stay at home and take care of themselves. care of the house and children. Maoi (1998) discusses how young women are seen as “…naturally happy housewives who lie in a state of suspended animation until a man gives them a life.” her adventure ambitions to settle down and get married like many of the Disney Princess characters. A Disney film released in 1995 challenged the typical Disney Princess story and starred a more ambitious and adventurous character, Pocahontas. Pocahontas was a woman who stood up for what she believed in and “continues to stand out as one of the few female protagonists whose story does not end in marriage.” Even in this film, Pocahontas still follows her love interest to the end and leaves her home country for the man she loves. In addition to Disney Princesses, it is important to discuss the roles and characteristics of villains in Disney media. In most Disney films, villains normally possess qualities that women are taught are unattractive or desired by men. For example, in the movie The Little Mermaid, Ursula's physical appearance completely contrasted that of Ariel. Ursula had an amazing personality, was outspoken, and had a much larger figure. Ursula is never desired by men when we see her with an “ugly and overweight figure”, but when she transforms into her petite figure, she manages to attract male attention and divert Eric's attention from Ariel. This sends yet another negative message to girls, that women are not desirable by men unless they have slim figures and beauty. Beauty and the Beast delivers a disturbing message to children about the way the Beast interacts with Belle. Belle constantly lives in fear of the man she supposedly loves while the Beast is seen emotionally abusing her and locking her in his room. Belle is seen as responsible for controlling the Beast's anger in the film, which conveys the message that women can stop abuse if they are "nice and sweet enough". As well as Disney films, television viewing as a whole could impact children's gender stereotypes as the media is guilty of indulging in gender stereotypes. In the twenty-first century, most children have grown up with multiple televisions in the home and thus television viewing is high among children. Neale (1973) and Davidson (2008) roughly estimate that children born in the early 1970s will, by the time they reach the age of eighteen, in addition to sleeping, have spent more time watching television than they would have spent with any other activity. Not only do television programs conform to stereotypical gender roles, but advertising also contributes greatly to the way women and men are portrayed. Recent reports from the Advertising Standards Authority show that there is evidence to suggest that harmful stereotypes can limit the aspirations, choices and opportunities of children, young people and adults. Reinforcing these harmful stereotypes through advertising can risk unequal gender outcomes for individuals, but also cost the economy and society. The ASA is developing new standards that are expected to go into effect later in the course.”