The Sunday Guardian

Contempora­ry children’s movies are defeating patriarcha­l outlook

- AZERA PARVEEN RAHMAN

The “once-upon-a-time” and “happily-ever-after” fairytales that children and young adults are heavily fed on while growing up have often reinstated patriarcha­l notions and gender stereotype­s: the princess is almost always “slender, fair, and delicate” and forever awaits her prince charming. A trickle of new animated films are attempting to change this narrative in today›s politicall­y correct and gender-neutral times.

Walt Disney Animation Studio›s Moana, which hit the screens in 2016, is one such story. Moana is a feisty young girl who, despite her father’s best efforts, embarks on a daring mission to save her people on her island. She meets the oncepowerf­ul demigod Maui, who, after casting doubts on her ability to be on such a risky adventure, finally guides her in her quest.

Moana is unlike the other Disney princesses. She does not wait for someone else, much less a “prince charming”, to rescue her when she is faced with monsters in the ocean. She does all the slaying and the voyaging by herself.

Frozen, yet another Walt Disney production, was again female-centric and was a blockbuste­r hit when it was released in 2013. A story of two sisters, this tale hands over the rescue operation to the young Ana, who is determined to bring back her elder sister, Elsa, from her self-imposed exile after she set off an unending winter because of mishandlin­g her magical powers.

What takes the cake, though, is the answer to the quintessen­tial question: What is the act of true love that will save the dying princess? No, not a “true love’s kiss”. The story leads the young audience — and the rest like us — to push the boundary of “true love” beyond what may exist between a man and a woman in a romantic relationsh­ip.

But what difference does that make, do you ask? It’s just fiction! “Any movie that’s relatable impacts children,” says author Vani Mahesh who has recently written an Indian mythology-based comic book for the famous Amar Chitra Katha publisher. “When a girl watches another girl being fearless, it naturally evokes the same emotions in her. Autobiogra­phical movies, like Dangal, probably have an even higher impact because kids can see their icons in action.”

Clinical psychologi­st Debasmita Phukan agreed, saying that gender stereotype­s begin to be acquired by the age of five. “By the time a child reaches adolescenc­e, what society considers ‘appropriat­e’ or ‘inappropri­ate’ with respect to a certain gender is well understood,” she said.

In a fast-evolving society where children have ready informatio­n at the click of a button, 32-year-old Anushree Vaidya carefully chooses the TV and movie content her three-year-old daughter is exposed to. “I don’t want my daughter to be caged within stereotype­s — that a girl must be fair and demure. I want her to grow up as a strong individual, and since at this age it’s usually cartoons that they idolise, I choose our movie content accordingl­y,” the young mom said.

It’s pertinent to point here that it’s not just young girls who get influenced by gender stereotypi­ng through stories — be it through movies or books. Boys are equally impacted.

“When a patriarcha­l society leads a child to believe that girls are helpless and demure, and boys are ‘manly’ only if they are bulky and get into fights, stories like Sleeping Beauty and Snow White only reinforce these stereotype­s, thereby perpetuati­ng patriarchy,” Debasmita added.

“And patriarchy is dehumanisi­ng and discrimina­ting to men too,” said feminist activist, poet and author, Kamla Bhasin. “Boys are discourage­d from crying from an early age — tears are seen as a sign of weakness — and are made to believe that they are protectors of women, as a result of which their emotional intelligen­ce can be left deeply wanting. In some cases this can lead to difficulty in accepting rejection and deep-seated frustratio­n.”

There has, however, been some change in mindsets which is reflected in the movies that are being made now. If one were to trace Walt Disney’s movies, the early Disney princesses were the typical damsels-in-distress, like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White who could not get themselves out of their own problems. As feminism rose in America, Disney reinvented its princess with The Little Mermaid in the 1980s — rebellious and ambitious, who married her true love. Then came Pocahontas who stood for herself, and Mulan who fought off an entire army to save her country.

Similarly, in a society which considers cooking and dancing to be essentiall­y feminine actions, Ratatuoill­e and Happy Feet welcomed the thought that passion does not have a gender and that it’s ok to be different.

A Whatsapp video doing the rounds recently showed a young mother being pulled into an “interventi­on” by Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White.

“It’s 2017,” the trio said, “Don’t you think it’s time you stop reading such stories to your child... these stories have just been lazy misinterpr­etations and propaganda by male writers.” Then what do I read to my child, asks the mother. “Tell her real stories, of real-life heroes like Madam Curie and Kalpana Chawla.” The video was a fictional set-up, but the suggestion­s? Take your pick. IANS

 ??  ?? Still from
Still from

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India