So I was causally browsing through waltdisneyconfessions.tumblr and it actually really annoyed me.
I first found out about the page after feministdisney.tumblr reblogged a “confession” where the confessor stated:
“I strongly believe in gay rights, but I really hate that people want Disney to have a gay couple. I think it would just be so wrong to incorporate into their movies. I can’t even explain why to myself, but I just really hope it never happens.”
Whoa! What? So you support gay rights, but just as long as you don’t have to see gay couples? I think feministdisney summed it up well:
“everyone believes in gay rights these days, it’s like the cool thing to do. But it’s not even wrong in your opinion, it’s “so wrong” to have a gay couple?? Clearly you’re still internalizing the message that gay relationships are wrong/deviant/gross/not romantic in comparison to heterosexual relationships, there is no mysterious explanation here for the “why.” You might as well not believe in gay rights if your support only extends to people receiving basic legal rights but does not extend to treating them as equals in society, accepting their love as legitimate, and not perpetuating the idea that there is something unpleasant and wrong about children and adults seeing gay couples in love. You’re not really helping.”
That was just the beginning, the biggest problem with Waltdisneyconfessions was that a lot of the people confession didn’t seem to realise that Disney didn’t create a lot of the characters in their films and almost all the “Disney Princess” are not original Disney creations.
One confessor said, “I don’t like Ariel as a person but I adore her as a character. So much love and effort went into designing her, I can’t bring myself to dislike her.”
Yes the Dismey must have had a real hard time portraying a character that was already laid out fully formed for them! Ergh.
Another confessor said, “I absolutely hate how much all of the Disney movies have been changed on Broadway. I went to see Beauty and Beast and had to leave in the middle because all of the added unnecessary comments and new pointless songs infuriated me so much.”
Oh, really someone adapted the Beauty and the Beast story and it wasn’t EXACTLY like the Disney version you watched as a child, well tough luck. In the version of ‘The Little Mermaid’ I was brought up on SHE DIES AT THE END! (ok she becomes an angel, but still).
I adored classic Disney as a child. Pocahontas was my ultimate hero, I legitimately wanted to grow up to become a tall Native American woman (I grew up to be a short blonde white woman) but the magic has worn off. Disney used to seduce me into its world of magic, and colours and “follow your heart” and “true love always triumps” messages but now I see it’s flaws.
I don’t think teaching young girls that prince charming will save them is doing any good for their self esteem. I don’t think we’re sending a good message by giving them message to marry their kings son and everything will ok. And quite honestly, in my case, it gave me false dreams.
I think we’re making progress, Repunzel carries a wepon* and Disney’s newest heroine wants to make her own desitny. But while princess paraphernalia is still so popular the message isn’t getting through. While “classic Disney” is still cool their we’re not going to progress and people are going to still be ignorant about the ideas Disney are portraying.
*I could probably write a whole post about weather this is a good idea, I mean I have to carry I whistle to walk around my own university campus… Yeah I could go on…
