talking point #4

Christensen

1. "There should be more women of color who play the leads in these white-on-white wedding cake tales."

Hardly ever do you see a white person as the main character in any Disney or other children's company that makes movies or anything that has to do with what children see, hear or even interact with. Disney started when people of color were not treated like they are treated today. It is not unbelievable that Walt Disney would have been racist and not make any of his main characters black. The characters that are darker colored are usually the ones who are the villains. Just recently I heard that Disney was going to be coming out with a new princess that is black. I think it's a good idea and it is about time that this children industry shows that it doesn't matter what color you are, everyone is an equal character.


This is the conclusion but it won't let me move it after i posted it!
I loved reading this because it made me realize things that I had never taken time to think about before. I enjoy watching Disney movies but now I will like them even more because I will be able to tell the secret messages they are trying to say. Disney does seem to be turning itself around now with the making of the new movie with the black princess as the main character.


2. "The newer cartoons -like Mulan, Aladdin, and Pocahontas - are subtler and take more sophistication to see through."

Like Christensen was talking about, the older cartoons are very open about how they feel towards women, people of color and even poor people. Now when you watch cartoons you need to really be aware of what you are looking for. When we watched the scene from Beauty and the Beast in class I realized things that I had never seen before. When I use to watch the movie I never thought that Bell was being treated differently just because she was smart and wanted to learn. Someone doesn't think of these things unless they are told about it previously. I asked my 16 year old sister what she thought of that same opening sequence and she said she loved the song and wanted to go watch the movie with me. Unless I told her about the prejudice toward Bell, she never would have thought twice about it.

3. "The Barbie syndrome starts as we begin a lifelong search for the perfect body. Crash diets, fat phobias, and an obsession with the materialistic become commonplace."

Mostly all characters we see on TV or in movies are thin and pretty. Not until recently has bigger people and people who are not as pretty been main characters in shows or movies. I even see this Barbie syndrome in young children today. My cousin looks at Cosmo magazine in the stores and says that she's getting fat. She is 11 years old and should not be doing this. She is beautiful and does not need to change anything about herself. But the image that the media is giving her is that there is something wrong with her. A big thing growing up was that she was tanner than everyone in her class and it really bothered her. Fortunately she has come to realize that it is OK to look a little different than everyone else.