Buzzfeed, you've gone too far...

I am a Buzzfeed fan. I follow the Facebook page, watch the videos (which are usually hilarious, except for a few that make me go "who on Earth thought this would be a good idea...?") and I especially love taking the quizzes. Two days ago, I saw one particular Buzzfeed quiz pop up again and again on my Facebook newsfeed. It was titled "Which Letter From The Title Of "Frozen" Are You?"

This was single-handedly the most ridiculous quiz I have ever seen. EVER! Do people love Disney/Frozen to the extent that they want to know which LETTER from the movie title they would be??? Although I found the quiz completely pointless, I took it. I am apparently "F" from Frozen and Buzzfeed went onto say "You can't spell "Frozen" without F."Well duh. You can't spell "Frozen" without any of the other letters... Sigh.

I looked at the comments section and other people were not happy with this quiz either:
"Okay, Buzzfeed, we're taking a break from quizzes for awhile."
"This woman should not be allowed to make quizzes anymore."

Yeah, Disney is fun and Frozen is great (although I've yet to see it) but this is too much. Buzzfeed has run out of ideas.

If you want to take the quiz yourself and waste 15 seconds of your life you'll never get back, here's the link: http://www.buzzfeed.com/joannaborns/frozen-letter#.hdppxyweV

Response to "What's Wrong with Cinderella?"

Orenstein caught my attention immediately with the title "What's Wrong With Cinderella". I personally had no issues with the character - Cinderella is hard-working, does not blame anyone nor complain about her unfortunate situation, and keeps a positive attitude even while being the victim of emotional and physical abuse by her evil step-mother and wicked step-sisters. However, Orenstein failed to hold up to her promising title. I read through the article and came out unconvinced of Orenstein's argument.

I did not understand the author's strong dislike towards princesses. While I do agree that Disney princesses all posses Aryan features, I do think there is an explanation as to why. Disney is an American corporation, developed and based in America, targeting the American population. Therefore, it is understandable that these characters are Caucasian. If Disney had been based in an Asian country, for example Korea (my hometown), then I am 99% sure that the princesses would be Korean with Asian features. The target population determine what sells, and people relate more to things that are similar to themselves.

In class, we discussed children unconsciously picking up implicit messages from films/books that they are exposed to. One may argue that Caucasian princesses enforce the stereotype that girls have to be white to be a princess. However, while I do think this is a valid thought, how can this point be proved and supported with scientific data and research? As of now, it just remains a speculation that sounds quite plausible.

Orenstein provided some food for thought in her piece. I was particularly interested by her analysis of color and its association to gender. I agree with her on this specific issue. Pink is defined as "female" while blue is the color for boys. This was the only part of her piece that I thought was convincing. Although the article was well-written and sprinkled with facts, I was not persuaded by Orenstein but rather disappointed that I did not ever get to find out what exactly is wrong with Cinderella. 

Disney at Target

Disney Princess aisle at a Target Store

Over the weekend my friend and I drove to Target to buy some supplies for tenting. While wandering around looking for air mattresses, one aisle in particular caught my eye. It was the only aisle that was pink in the entire store - and it stood out. I walked over to find that this was called the "Disney Princess" section.

I was amazed. It was stocked with Disney princess costumes/dresses, figurines, shoes, and basically anything a princess would need. I realized the pervasiveness of the brand Disney in our everyday lives. Who would have thought an entire aisle at one of the leading retail companies would be dedicated to helping little girls fulfill their fantasies of becoming a princess?

This led me to think back to the discussion we had in class about gender norms that Disney implants into children's minds. Having a pink princess aisle may not explicitly say "for girls only" but it certainly is not inviting boys to play with princess dolls or try on princess dresses. Not only does this reinforce color pink with feminine qualities, it also unconsciously sends the message that the toys in this specific aisle are only supposed to be for girls.

Response to Janet Wasko's "Challenging Disney Myths"

Janet Wasko supposedly debunks the myths surrounding Walt Disney through "political economic analysis with historical, cultural, and audience research". However, I beg to differ. I find Wasko's piece an over-exaggeration and over-analysis of Disney. The first assumption that Wasko attempts to demystify is Walt Disney's role as a creative genius solely responsible for the success of his company. Her arguments include defamation of Disney's character/personality traits and family life - most of which are irrelevant in addressing the myth she is debunking. There is no denying that the huge success of Disney should be attributed to Walt Disney himself. Yes, there were others who helped him along the way, but same can be said about any corporation that achieves success. Facebook, Apple, YouTube were not the products of one man's work. Ultimately, Disney played the vital role in leading his franchise to success.

The second myth Wasko challenges is that Disney is a "unique and different company". She argues that Disney is just another profit-motivated corporation. I think this is common sense - of course it wants to make a profit! Disney has a great marketing strategy and its characters have a timeless appeal to children. This is why the empire is so expansive and includes consumer products, theme parks, media networks, and studio productions.

Wasko's analysis of the next three myths become weaker. For example, she asserts that women are portrayed as "weak, pristine, and incapable of independent action". She names Snow White as one of the examples of a female Disney character showcasing these traits. However, this is reading too much into a character. Snow White is a princess and she exhibits feminine qualities; I highly doubt that young children who watch Disney films are analyzing her character.

Overall, I was entertained by Janet Wasko's piece, but I soon grew tired of her anti-Disney arguments (which were at times weak and overstretched). Personally, I thought she was very negative throughout her article. Maybe watching some Disney movies would do her some good.

First Post

Like most young girls, I have always wanted to be a princess growing up. All the princesses in Disney movies like Cinderella, Snow White, and Princess Aurora were beautiful and ended up with the handsome prince in the end. I thought the key to a "happily ever after" lay with their luscious curls and long colorful dresses. This led to a period in my childhood when my room was decorated with all things Disney, with my favorite item being a silver tiara that I would wear all around the house.

I eventually grew out of that phase, but it remains an integral part of who I am. When I read the title for this writing course, I was immediately overcome with nostalgia. I chose to take Decoding Disney because no matter how old I am, I still love to see the princess and the prince find true love or sing along to "I'll make a man out of you" while cheering on Mulan.

From this course, I hope to analyze, dissect, and discuss the themes and characters in Disney movies. Re-watching the classic films will help me notice subtle motifs or messages that my younger self hadn't been able to. I am especially interested in studying whether these films have a great influence on the way children think and perceive race and gender roles.