In the spirit of the animation Snow White since we’ll be watching it in class, I decided to make my blog post about it. In the film women’s gender roles of the time are reinforced by Snow White’s behavior Throughout the movie we see her doing domestic tasks such as cooking, cleaning, washing, etc. She often does this while gleefully singing or humming along. She is presented as the good woman in the story who also takes care of the seven dwarves with not a word of dispute.
Interestingly enough the stepmother is the more active female in the story. However she is portrayed in a much more negative way than Snow White. She is seen this way so much so that her death is seen as justifiable. What does that say about the roles of women should take in 1930s American society? However you could argue for the sake of the story that the stepmother had to be this way in order for it to take place. Snow White often faints in the movie and has very little to do other than domestic tasks.
The film itself was released during the Great Depression when many men were out of work let alone if there were any women working at all. She even starts singing at one point declaring that someday a prince will come for her. This was probably a wish for many women at the time to marry a rich man and to have no worries regarding wealth.
This week I commented on Brittany Alberry’s blog and Megan Pettry’s blog.
animashunation said,
March 5, 2010 @ 10:51 pm
I noticed this about the story as well. I watched Snow White as a kid so obviously I didn’t notice the same things I noticed watching it this time around with a more mature mind set. I definitely noticed her being a domestic housewife, and the only reason the dwarfs allow her to stay with them is when she tells them she will cook for them. This reinforces the whole “men will work and the women will cook and clean for them in return.” When she forces them to wash up before they eat it signifies a more motherly side in contrast with the with to role of the house keeper earlier. Another thing I noticed about Snow White this time around was Grumpy’s words towards Snow White. While watching the movie as a kid gave me the impression that Grumpy obviously didn’t like Snow White, it wasn’t until looking at his dialogue now that I realized he didn’t like Snow White because she was female. Whenever he showed his anger towards her he would say “hmph women.” It seems Grumpy didn’t like the interference of a female in the dwarf’s manly house. He saw that his friends changing due to a female presence and he refused to give in to it. At the end of course he warmed up to her after all. After all, it is a Disney movie, and what kind of an ending would it be if Snow White wasn’t loved by ALL by the end?
amartin78 said,
March 11, 2010 @ 5:58 pm
It is true, Snow White was the epitome of how women were viewed, or desired to be. Happy at home, happy cleaning, happy to just have a man. Snow White would have never made it out of the feminist movement alive. Needing a man? Never! Enjoying a day full of housework? I have a college education! Snow White was kind of the Donna Reed before her time. But in all truth, she was a terrible role model by our standards, she had no motivation and was supremely gullible.