Paper #3

Jenna Thorne

Lydia Hearn

EWRT 2 9:30

March 14, 2013

Merida and the Progression of Gender in Disney

Imagine this. A little girl is wandering around in a Disney store. She wants to buy a doll.

All of the dolls are lined up against one wall, but there is a display case that shows what they

look like outside of their boxes. There is Cinderella, standing stiffly next to Prince Charming

with a cheerless grin. There is Aurora, in her long pink ball gown and shimmering blonde hair.

There is Ariel, with her fishtail instead of legs. There is Mulan, posing and smiling in her pretty

pink dress. But there is Merida, smirking playfully with one hand on her hip, and one hand on

her trusty bow. Which doll avoids feminine stereotypes that include looking pretty just for the

sake of it, or helplessness, or a personality void? Which doll seems like the strongest, which one

reflects her character? And why does it seem that there is only one doll that fits those standards?

Unlike other dolls in the line, the Merida doll had features akin to those of a more traditional

action figure; this indicates a shift within the Disney corporation to support less traditional

conformation to gender roles within their toys as well as their films, and in turn shows how

modern American society is recognizing the need to reflect these more progressive ideals within

the media.

The Merida doll features more characteristics associated with action figures, and less that

are associated with dolls; this serves to differentiate it from the other toys in the same line as her,

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as it indicates that she is meant to be used in different, less conforming ways. For example, all of

her joints are articulated. The other dolls in the Disney Princess Classic collection—featuring

older characters such as Cinderella, Aurora, Snow White, Jasmine, etc.—are jointed in a more

traditional fashion, much like Barbie; their only moveable joints are their hips, shoulders, and

necks. Merida, on the other hand, has joints akin to a G.I. Joe; her hips, shoulders, knees, elbows,

wrists, ankles, and neck are all fully moveable. The older dolls are meant to be played with a

certain way; that is, they are supposed to just stand there and pose, or model different clothes.

Mainly, their purpose is to look pretty. Merida’s articulated joints indicate that she can be used

much more creatively; not only can she be posed to look pretty, but she can be put into “action

poses” or “fighting poses” and is therefore provides more options and freedom in play. Because

these “action poses” are usually meant for “action figures”—again, like G.I. Joe, Merida may be

more closely associated with a traditional action figure rather than a posing doll.

Another way by which the Merida doll has deviated from the other dolls is that she

includes a weapon—her bow and arrow—which happens to be her only accessory, unlike the

other dolls which typically include hair accessories or other items related to beauty. In the film,

Merida’s bow is a very important part of who she is, and is one of her defining characteristics. It

makes perfect sense to include such an item as an accessory to her toy. However, when looking

at the Mulan doll, who is also a “warrior princess,” it is noted that she includes no sword, none of

her armor, and instead is glittery and wears her flower clip. Because Merida is the only doll in

the line which includes a weapon, she can be counted more accurately as an action figure. The

other dolls, with their crowns, hairbrushes, purses, gloves, mirrors, etc. cannot be considered

such, which sets Merida apart from them as she is meant to be identified with action rather than

beauty.

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Because earlier dolls in the line, such as Mulan, are different from Merida as they include

no weapon or joints even when such features would have been appropriate, this indicates that the

shift within Disney’s toy industry is fairly recent. The other dolls all wear big ball gowns and

pose like the ever-familiar Barbie. I continue to mention Mulan because she is the most similar,

in character, to Merida, as they are both warriors and much of their stories have to do with

fighting; and yet, her doll does not reflect this at all. This implies that the change in the toy line is

quite recent, and also points to possible further changes in the future. If two dolls in the same toy

line, which are based on similar characters with similar focuses in their stories, have such

completely different features, then perhaps Disney is indeed progressing further in their efforts to

take down gender role barriers in their media.

If Disney is truly trying to reflect more gender progression in their work, then the change

is slow. Returning to Mulan, it may be noted that her character spends half of the film cross-

dressing (that is, wearing clothes of the opposite gender and/or disguising herself as a member of

the opposite gender). None of her dolls reflect this part of her character; in fact, most of the

Mulan toys on the market feature her in some sort of variation on the “matchmaker” dress from

the very beginning of the film. This is odd and even inappropriate, as anyone who has seen the

film knows well that Mulan is the least comfortable and the least happy in the garish pink dress,

and spends the rest of the film coming into her own. And yet, each and every Mulan doll features

her long black hair, pink dress, and flower hair clip. Not one chooses to feature her short hair, or

put her in her armor, or the everyday outfit we first see her in, or even the outfit she finishes the

film in. No, they choose the most “feminine” and “princess-y” of them all, even though it means

exactly the opposite to the character herself. Because it is apparent that the producers of the doll

completely missed the point of Mulan’s character, it is interesting that they have shifted to

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correctly characterize Merida as a doll. Mulan came out less than twenty years ago, and was a

progressive film considering its subject matter; it is notable that only now does a gender-role-

defying princess emerge, and is treated as such by more aspects of the Disney company.

Disney is shifting toward a more gender-progressive stance by allowing their princesses

to be strong, instead of just pretty, and by correctly reflecting their characterization in their toy

lines. Most Disney princess media focuses on the “princess” aspect of the characters, rather than

the other features such as personality and quirks. More princesses coming out today, such as

Rapunzel and Merida, are spunky, adventurous, and stubborn, which are traits that older Disney

media would have balked at, considering how Cinderella, Aurora, and Snow White were

portrayed. This can even be noted in the facial expressions of the dolls. Where the older

princesses tend to have blank smiles with their perfect white teeth showing, Merida has a playful

smirk, and her eyebrows are furrowed. She actually “expresses” with her expression, and is

better related to her character by doing so. Rather than allowing the focus to be on how “lovely”

or “beautiful” Merida is, they allow her stubborn spirit to shine through the doll. Even such a

small gesture is a huge step for Disney, and indicates change from within.

A vast majority of the media in America is controlled by six companies, and Disney is

one; therefore, it is incredibly important and significant when one of those companies takes a

step in a more progressive direction. The six companies are Time Warner, Viacom, News

Corporation, CBS Corporation, NBC Universal, and, of course, Walt Disney. Because Disney

controls such a vast amount of the media that we consume, it is incredibly important that they

begin to recognize and reflect the progress made in gender of the past fifty years. If so few

entities control so much material and have such a strong grip on the scope and focus on that

material, it is remarkable and very big when one of those groups makes a step in a better

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direction—and it can be counted on that others will follow in their footsteps. If one of the giant

corporations does something, then so will the smaller ones. More people will see gender

progression in the media they consume, and it will surround them. Maybe someday, gender roles

will no longer be enforced by media, and will instead be broken down by it. If one step is taken,

then another can be taken too.

If media in American culture is changing, then so, too, must American culture be

changing. It can be said that what happens in the real world is influenced by what is seen in the

media; but, also, what is seen in the media is influenced by what happens in the real world. It is a

cycle of reciprocation between society and the media, and oftentimes it leads to unfavorable

outcomes such as heavy stereotyping, subconscious racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia,

imperialistic views, and so on. But that does not mean that the cycle cannot be broken, or that it

cannot at least be shifted in a better direction. If society continues to move forward and unlearn

its stereotypical habits, then it will begin to demand media that reflects fewer inappropriate and

outdated ideals. And if the media can follow through, then society will begin to see less sexism

and enforcement of gender roles and racism and it will stop attempting to utilize those

philosophies in the real world. That is what is happening in Disney. Sexism is far from over.

Gender roles are still enforced. But with more princesses that are less “princess” and more “hero,”

there are more female role models wandering into the American market for kids to look up to.

Soon there will be even more. And perhaps someday, it will no longer be seen as an anomaly

when there is a strong female character on the screen, or a doll that can wear a dress and shoot a

bow at the same time.

When it becomes socially acceptable for a little girl to play with an action figure of her

favorite character, perhaps it will soon be acceptable for a little boy to play with an action figure

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of the same character—even if she wears a dress. If big media companies can recognize the need

for more empowered female characters to be present in their media, and to fully reflect the

broken gender stereotypes portrayed in that media with their toy lines, then perhaps American

culture will see that broken stereotypes are good and acceptable. Perhaps something as simple as

letting a little girl play with a toy that can shoot a bow and arrow can change how this culture

perpetuates gender roles. After all, there is no problem with offering a girl the rainbow and

having her choose pink. The problem is when she is only offered twenty different shades of pink.