This has to be one of my favorite readings yet. The depiction that Christensen makes discussing race and gender roles in cartoons is true and mind opening. In her piece, "Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us" Christensen has her students unravel the social stereotypes of gender and race in childhood cartoons. At a young age, the majority of information children receive is from the media. They are given a social structure based on stereotypes depicted in childhood cartoons. The cartoons that they watch teach them how to "act, live, and dream" (Christensen). This is something that Christensen wants to undo. A great example that Christensen uses are the Disney princesses. She focuses on their character and what they are really teaching young children. For example, Ariel changed from a mermaid to a human to get the man that she wanted. Same concept goes for Cinderella. She changed her hair and clothing attire to marry Prince Charming. In this instance, both of these stories are saying in order to get the man that you want, you must change who you are. Disney princesses are also teaching young girls that every women's goal and success comes from marrying a successful man. Not only does the princess stereotype teach young girls the success of having a man, but women of different race are angered about the lack of diversity within the princess franchise. Christensen quotes Kenya by reiterating, "Women who aren't white begin to feel left out and ugly because they never get to play the princess." Nowadays, Disney has made an effort including diverse princess roles like Moana and Tiana.
Christensen also mentions the stereotypes including obese people, step-parents, women, men, people of color, poor people, etc. and asks her students to observe how they are portrayed within cartoons.
I believe this is a well written response to the media and the character stereotypes it is portraying to young children. I think we need to work harder to install better content that help children become motivated for the future instead of negatively showcasing stereotypes that may have an impact on them. My question would be how can we advocate for better educational content in media, especially in cartoons?
Cartoons Who Buck Stereotypes
This hyperlink leads to an article that gives 11 examples of cartoons that go against all stereotypes that are originally displayed. I think this is a good contrast when discussing the content in Christensen's writing.
the issue that you're addressing was nicely stated on how majority of the children receive their information from social media. I agree with everything you have said and have nothing negative to say about your post.
ReplyDeleteSerena,
ReplyDeleteI love how organized your blog is. It is very clear and easy to read, and you make very good use of the space. Your pictures and hyperlink make it much more than just a block of text. Great job!
Serena, Thank you for your addition of the cartoons that buck stereo types. That was really interesting. I was wondering about Frozen, because I didn't see it but its more recent. I know it was really popular with the girls in elementary school. It seems like Disney at least is starting to move away from the Cinderella type somewhat. Thank you for your post.
ReplyDeletehi Serena I enjoyed reading your post and agree with the examples you've talked about with the princesses. I think you have a really good question that maybe could be talked about in class and I liked the hyperlink you've included in this too.
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