Social Construction and Why it Matters by Gwen Sharp, Ph.D. and Lisa Wade, Ph.D.
This source is an informative video about social construction and, get this, why it matters (mind blown, I know). This video gives a general overview of the definitions and the psychology behind social construction. It also really drives the idea that social construction is a result of mass image association. I think that one good quote is their example of men wearing pink. “Certain celebrities have been able to redefine pink as an appropriate color for men to wear.” (8:56) I think this is a very important example because I can relate this to Disney films in the podcast. Disney films are held to such a high standard, like pop stars, that they could change social standards as we know them.
Killing us Softly 4 by Jean Killbourne
Killing us Softly 4 is a recorded persuasive speech about the harmful effects of female beauty standards from ads. Overall, Killbourne talks about various topics, such as ads, diets, photoshop, and psychology to show how advertisements have been a catalyst for beauty expectations. One thing that Killbourne covered was body size. One quote says, “On the deepest level, the obsession with thinness is about cutting girls down to size… So no wonder we have an epidemic of eating disorders in our country and increasingly throughout the world.” (17:19) I think many Disney princesses feed into this idea that having a perfect figure is what makes you beautiful. The only one I can think of that doesn’t perpetuate this is Moana.
Beauty and the Beast Pod Academy Podcast by Tatiana Prorokova
This podcast goes over the general plot of the movie and picks out details that portray either good or bad representations of female role models. This source was produced by Pod Academy and is narrated by Tatiana Prorokova. It aims to show how the live action Beauty and the Beast succeeds, but ultimately fails to succeed in providing a message of good gender roles. I think this line from the podcast is really good, “Belle falls in love with the man whose prisoner she was. If she had
been free to choose, she might have simply run away from him. She is thus forced to live the life that he imposes on her, including the ultimate marriage. In turn, Agathe appears to be a witch – the image even more dehumanizing than that of a crazy beggar.” (6:21) I like this quote because it points out the major flaw keeping this movie from succeeding in presenting good role models. In the end, society defeats out two female leads and they are not seen as equals to men. I think this quote can be used to explain work that Disney need to improve on in the future.
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