By I
wrote this essay for two reasons. Firstly to show some of the more
subtle anti-male undertones in things which are seen to be pro male or
even anti-female, and secondly to show :how easy it is to use
subjectivity to make a point that cannot be refuted. All others doing
essays of this nature wrote about misogyny or negative stereotypes of
women (Vanity, weakness etc.) I decided to go the opposite route both to
credit my ideas and to discredit those of the others.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast can be seen as a very honest way of depicting how society feels about the gender roles of men and women. Firstly, of the main characters, two out of the three are in fact males. The interesting thing about this balance is that despite there being a higher number of males in the film, they are both shown to be at least partially villainous. Throughout the entirety of the film, the only two characters, main or otherwise, who truly embody and possess typically masculine characteristics (chivalry, a wish to fight to protect women, strength etc.) are both depicted as being wrong, evil, and negative.
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast can be seen as a very honest way of depicting how society feels about the gender roles of men and women. Firstly, of the main characters, two out of the three are in fact males. The interesting thing about this balance is that despite there being a higher number of males in the film, they are both shown to be at least partially villainous. Throughout the entirety of the film, the only two characters, main or otherwise, who truly embody and possess typically masculine characteristics (chivalry, a wish to fight to protect women, strength etc.) are both depicted as being wrong, evil, and negative.