Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017) Graduate Research Symposium 2014

Apr 21st, 1:00 AM - 2:30 AM

Long May She Reign: A Rhetorical Analysis of Gender Long May She Reign: A Rhetorical Analysis of Gender

Expectations in Disney’s Tangled and Disney/Pixar’s Brave Expectations in Disney’s Tangled and Disney/Pixar’s Brave

Caitlin J. Saladino University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/grad_symposium

Part of the American Film Studies Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Gender and

Sexuality Commons, Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Social Influence

and Political Communication Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons

Repository Citation Repository Citation Saladino, Caitlin J., "Long May She Reign: A Rhetorical Analysis of Gender Expectations in Disney’s Tangled and Disney/Pixar’s Brave" (2014). Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017). 4. https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/grad_symposium/2014/april_21/4

This Event is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Event in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Event has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Research Symposium (GCUA) (2010 - 2017) by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact digitalscholarship@unlv.edu.

A Rhetorical Analysis of Gender Expectations in Disney’s Tangled and Disney/Pixar’s Brave

1937-1959 1989-1998 2009- present

“Genre” as an Organizing Principle

AbstractThis project addresses messages about gender expectations in Disney princess narratives. The two films included in my project are Tangled (2010) and Brave (2012), which feature the most recently inducted princesses to the marketed Disney Princess line (Rapunzel and Merida, respectively). Using genre as an organizing principle, I argue that Rapunzel and Merida are different from the past Disney princesses (Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, etc.) because their narratives reflect new ideas about gender expectations in modern society. The central tension appearing in both films is the opposition between the image of woman as traditional, domestic, and dependent and woman as progressive, motivated, and independent. The ways in which Rapunzel and Merida address this tension reflects changing roles of women in society more generally. In Tangled, Rapunzel experiences consciousness-raising in her quest for self-discovery, and the film's audience is also invited to experience consciousness-raising about gender expectations. In Brave, Merida's quest for control of her own destiny is in tension with the expectations of her mother, the queen. Merida’s experience is reflective of the unrealistic expectations of the can-do discourse in society, which influences young women to believe they can have a rewarding life as a home maker and achieve a fulfilling professional career, if only they are willing to work hard enough. I find these messages appear most explicitly in the princess narratives and song lyrics in each film. These messages are considered moral messages because they suggest ways about how the world ought to be, and therefore may resonate with young children who view Rapunzel and Merida as role models. My thesis is a valuable addition to current communication studies literature because while princesses have been analyzed rhetorically in the past, a scholarly investigation of Disney’s newest princesses has yet to be published. Disney’s prominence in American culture suggests that this research can appeal to a large readership beyond the walls of academia.

Through this historical account, I argue that Disney princesses speak and act in ways reflective of gender expectations of women

in society during the time the films were released.

Caitlin J. Saladino Department of Communication Studies

Tangled Brave

Long May She Reign

Extrinsic / Conceptual BackgroundRhetoric = the way that people use messages to create meaning

• “Criticism must be polymorphous because rhetorical acts are polysemous.”1 !

• Polysemous - multiple meanings • Polymorphous - multiple forms

Disney Princess Marketing Line• started in 2000 • fastest growing Disney brand • largest franchise worldwide for girls age 2 - 6

•2009- present

•1989- 1998

•1937- 1959• Snow White, Cinderella, & Aurora • passive, domestic, waiting for marriage as rescue • Walt Disney Company

• women excluded from creative roles !

• Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, & Mulan • active, adventurous, but marriage as hegemonic end • Walt Disney Company

• women included in creative roles, but no lead roles !

!• Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida • determined, rebellious, disinterested in marriage • Walt Disney Company

• women occupy leadership roles in film production • female directors and producers

• Synopsis: “Rapunzel spends most of her life in a tower with her chameleon friend, Pascal, imagining the world outside. When she meets Flynn Rider, the two of them go on an adventure so she can finally live her dream.”

Justifying the Study of Rapunzel and Merida:

1. Examining gender AND race is outside the scope of this project.

2. The tension for both princesses originates in expectations set forth by their mothers.

3. Rapunzel and Merida are the two most recent princesses.

•Synopsis: “Merida is a Princess by birth and an adventurer by spirit. She spends her days practicing archery, riding her horse Angus, and exploring the world around her. She loves her family, but she wants to control her own destiny.”

• Consciousness-Raising • A rhetorical strategy, “of the affective, of the validity of personal

experience, of the necessity for self-exposure and self-criticism, of the value of dialogue, and the goal of autonomous, individual decision making.”4

• 2 Step Process: • Rapunzel’s Consciousness-Raising • Rapunzel’s Narrative as Consciousness-Raising for Film’s Audience

• Androgyny • “Androgynous individuals are independent, industrious and

courageous, and at the same time they are nurturing, tender and expressive. They do not rely on gender as an organizing principle.”5

Mother Imposes Control on Princess’ Ambition Mother’s Control Conflicts with Princess’ Ambition Princess’ Ambition Reigns over Mother’s

Mother Imposes Control on Princess’ Ambition Mother’s Control Conflicts with Princess’ Ambition Princess’ Ambition Reigns over Mother’s

• Self-Efficacy • “the belief that one has complete control over his/her life”6 • Merida’s Struggle:

• wants to change her fate • no interest in being a princess if that means she can’t have

her freedom

• Can-Do Discourse • “The can-do discourse encourages [young women] to

imagine they will have high status careers and successful families if they are but willing to invest sufficient effort.” 7

!

Conclusions & Future DirectionsMoral Messages“messages about how we ought to live, about morality”

1) Marriage is not a necessary end. 2) Rejecting tradition is necessary in the quest for self-discovery3) Standing up for yourself is important. 4) A “real” girl should be androgynous.

Opinion editorial writer, Katie Patton states, “As adults, we know that what makes a princess, of the Disney or real-life variety, isn’t what she is wearing or how she looks; whether Prince Charming sweeps her off her feet or she carves her own independent path. What makes a princess is, who she is and what she stands for.”

• Frozen (2013) • Disney’s “I Am A Princess” Campaign

1.Karlyn Kohrs Campbell, “The Nature of Criticism in Rhetorical and Communicative Studies,” Central States Speech Journal, 30 (1979): 8. 2.Peggy Orenstein, Cinderella Ate My Daughter (New York: Harper-Collins Publishers, 2011) 3.Synopses of Tangled and Brave, Disney Princess Logo, and Princess Icons taken from the Disney Princess website: http://princess.disney.com/ 4.Karlyn Kohrs Campbell, “The Rhetoric of Women’s Liberation: An Oxymoron,” Quarterly Journal of Speech, 59, no. 1 (1973): 79. 5.Sangeeta Rath and Aakankshya Mishra, “Gender-role Perception and Employment Status in the Self-Efficacy of Women,” European Journal of Sustainable Development, 2, no 3 (2013): 58. 6. Ibid. 7. Julia Wood, “The Can-Do Discourse and Young Women’s Anticipations of Future,” Women & Language, 33 (2010): 103-107. 8.Annalee Ward. Mouse Morality: The Rhetoric of Disney Animated Film. (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002), 1. 9.Katie Patton, “The Princess Redefined; Long May She Reign.” Hello Giggles. last modified October 26, 2012, http://hellogiggles.com/the-princess-redefined-long-may-she-reign. 10.Rapunzel and Merida Images, and Frozen Image taken from HD deskop wallpaper website: http://hdw.eweb4.com/