Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Media Literacy...

I am so disappointed that we don't have class on Thursday.  I was looking forward to discussing Christensen with you!!

In lieu of our class time, think about this, and leave me a comment below...

CHRISTENSEN:

“I ask students to watch for who plays the lead.  Who plays the baffoon? Who plays the servant? I encourage them to look at the race, station in life, body type of each character.  What motivates the character? What do they want out of life?  What’s their mission?  If there are people of color (in the cartoon), what do they look like? How are they portrayed? How does the film portray overweight people? What about women other than the main character? What jobs do you see them doing? What do they talk about? What are their main concerns? What would young children learn about women’s roles in society if they watched this film and believed it?  What roles do money, possessions, and power play in the film? What has it? Who wants it? How important is it to the story? What would children learn about what’s important in society?” (129-130).


Watch one (or more if you want!) of these, and think about what it TEACHES us.  What "secret education" does it offer?  Use the Christensen quote above to guide you as you think about all the questions she poses above...





Or if you would rather take on a more complex text to read... think about the secret education in this one.  What is the main message that Madonna (and director Guy Ritchie) is getting at here?  How do the words and images tell a story about their major argument?  What does it "mean?"

15 comments:

  1. I took FYS Disneys Mickey Mouse Monopoly with Professor Zornado last semester. I never really looked at disney movies with a critical eye before this class. I always though that disney was the best way for children to understand things in life better. As soon as I started looking into articles and movies with a critical eye like Cinderella, Aladdin, even Frozen & more I started to see gender stereotypes, Disney's lesson of teaching little children vs the "real" critical eye lesson of teaching. In the movie Beauty and the Beast Belle is singing a song called "belle". She sings a line in the song that states "There must be more than this provincial life" Belle wanted more than that life. Christensen asked many questions. I think when little girls watch Beauty & The Beast they would think of Belle as a good person. Little girls would realize it is not how someone looks on the outside but how one treats you on the inside that matters. In the movie the towns people are there cleaning and singing most of the movie. I believe they really love Belle as there own daughter. I believe the movie has some overweight people in it who are the townspeople. No one is black in this movie. Everyone is white. I believe Gaston starts to take over and play the lead over Belle, but by the end of the movie Belle come backs to take the lead and ends up with the Beast. I think Gaston wants to take over and have the power in the story over Belle but does fail. I think children would learn how they should act in society. Some of the lessons learned would be beauty isn't everything,"Life can be scary, we get it. But pushing yourself out of your comfort zone makes you a better person." There are plenty of lessons learned from this clip along with the movie!

    I found this article someone had written more about the gender stereotypes in the film
    here is the link:
    http://christinesaliba8.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/the-beauty-and-the-beast-an-analysis-of-stereotypes/

    Here is also a youtube link where you tubes pauses and asks you questions to think about what just happen and what really is going on in the film.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUmT-T6n4PA

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  2. I visit Walt Disney World frequently in Orlando. In my opinion I feel you either enjoy Disney or you don't. I was brought up watching the Disney classics such as the Lion King, Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and so on. Now did these movies affect or blur my views on people growing up? I don't think so. I do by all means understand the message Christensen is trying to say. When Belle is making her way into the little town she is admired by the people for her looks, and calmness with everyday life. Within the town it is very busy, you could almost say mayhem is happening. Then townspeople are white, working manual labor, overweight, bald, and just overall scraggly looking. Pretty much the complete opposite of Belle. I do feel Belle admires the people in the town. She doesn't show any feelings of superiority because she is seen interacting with them. We should never be afraid to interact with others just because they might look different. I feel that is the ultimate message a young viewer should walk away with. Never judge a book by its cover.

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  3. Beauty in the Beast is a movie that I have watched countless times as a child. I even know the words to Belle (Little Town) by heart. Although, after examining Christensen's quotes before watching the scene again, I was able to view it in a new light. My eyes were opened to the underlying stereotypes and messages that Disney Movies send to children. From the opening seconds of the song it is obvious to see that Belle fits the media’s description of “beautiful” in comparison to the town folks. She is seen to be thin, flawless, and breathtakingly gorgeous. Perhaps why the towns folks are all so curious about her in comparison to the rest of the more overweight or not as physically "perfect" women in the town who receive no male attention. Belle's looks are also consistently mentioned in the song as to say, "she is so beautiful... too bad she's a little odd." Her nickname is even Beauty, to stress how important her looks are. The town’s people are all portrayed to be short or overweight and not as attractive, also all seen to all be white. They all play roles like book-keepers or bakers, none of these less-attractive characters have any powerful roles in this society. The only real motive for the women is grabbing the attention of a handsome man. Belle claims to be different from these other girls and appears to want more to life than just being someone wife, however the book that she describes is her favorite details the story of a prince who scores a princess. Quiet a contradiction to say the least. Also the other women who are shown to be overweight and less attractive in the town seem to only be concerned with being jealous over Belle's beauty. While the other women who are portrayed to be thin and beautiful with smaller features (other than their breasts) are shown only to be fawning over the handsome and muscular Gaston. Gaston can be seen to have the same motive as the women in the scene, he is only interested in finding a beautiful wife. He clearly admits that he knows nothing about Belle, he shows no interest in her thoughts or her personality. Only that she is the best looking, and he deserves the best. His servant on the other hand who is much less attractive than him, is portrayed to be short and overweight and is illustrated to be the fool. Numerous times in the scene he is shown as the target for jokes, the skinny "beautiful" women cannot even recognize his existence because they are too busy drooling over Gaston. It would seem that this scene would send the message to children that being attractive plays a huge role in how successful you are in society. If you are pretty, you can get whoever you want, as well as that a woman's main goal should be to land a man. It teaches children that the word "beauty" only includes the definition of someone who is skinny and flawless, and fails to show that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Also it teaches children that a woman's mind doesn't matter, as long as they are beautiful that means that they are the best. It can also cause those who don't fit the media's description of attractive to feel inferior and that they will be set up for a life of failure or to be the butt of everyone's jokes. After watching this clip again I was able to see the stereotypes and corrupt messages that it sent. However, I cannot lie and say that I am now a Disney hater and that I will not watch Disney movies in the future or not allow my children to watch them. However, I think it is important to keep children aware of the flaws in Disney movies as well as vocalize them so that companies like Disney can make strides to correct them in future films.

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  5. Belle illustrates a dreamer. She unlike the other woman in the town wanted more out of her life. The last thing she wanted was to get married, have children and settle down. She wanted excitement. She loved to dream in color. Every book she would read she would imagine her life in that way. The other woman in the town would often ignore her or question why the men found her attractive. They were jealous of her and found her to be crazy not to find Gaston attractive. Throughout the movie, she was criticized for being a loner and staying to herself. But she refused to let other peoples comments bother her. She was true to herself and found beauty in everything. It is very apparent that a persons outer appearance plays a significant role in how the townspeople will be treated. Belle was treated like royalty due to her outer appearance. The other people in the town were fat and were either book keepers or bakers. While "handsome people " like Gaston held all the power. If little girls were to watch this movie, I believe it would deliver a negative message to them. That message would be men will only give you attention if you are appealing to the eye. Your personality and intelligence would go unnoticed. This would lead some girls down a dangerous path in order to be noticed by a guy. Everything from a loss of self respect to plastic surgery. This movie displayed an all white cast. Which I find to be very odd for a movie that was produced in an era where there was a lot of diversity.
    I found the following clip from Beauty and the Beast to be very helpful and enlightening: http://youtu.be/vIbkrBjdteM

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  6. In this clip, Belle (Beauty) is shown as a girl who is "odd". She unerringly strolls through town with her nose in a book, dodging obstacles as they come without flinching. She doesn't fit in with the other women in town who are portrayed as either slutty women who only care about catching the handsome man or paupers working from sunup so she does appear to be odd in comparison -while this could be viewed as negative and demeaning, I think it also presents the positive message that through the main character that there is more to life than simply swooning over men-. However she doesn't appear to be affected by her oddities or differences in class, she is confident, and kind to everyone. She isn't portrayed as some hermit book worm with thick glasses that would fulfill a stereotype, but rather a beautiful woman who happens to use the brain in her head. I think this is sending out a positive message to girls, encouraging them to be who they are and be confident in themselves, even with their differences. However the fact that Belle is so much more beautiful and leads a more leisurely life than all the other townspeople in this scene demonstrates the negative idea that beauty alone makes her better than them. I think these negative connotations are slightly diminished by the fact that Belle doesn't appear to view herself as better. It does stand out that while the townspeople are mired in their everyday routine of labor, Belle dreams about getting out of her little provincial town and going on an adventure. Gaston is portrayed as a misogynistic jerk who sees Belle for nothing but her form and face, not the person inside. He is very superficial, and thinks logically he and Belle should get married, because they are the two most attractive people in the town. His boorish behaviors are intentionally portrayed in later scenes as completely repugnant and the audience turns against Gaston, cheering when he doesn't get the girl. I think this also portrays the positive message to not marry someone for looks alone, and on the flip side, that whoever you are with should appreciate you for your mind, not just for your face and should not try to mold you into who they want you to be. While this clip does have a lot of negative stereotypes embedded, I believe it also has some positive ones too.

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  7. From this part in the film, Beauty and the Beast, young children are learning that looks are the most important thing in life. Belle is thin and pretty unlike most of the women portrayed in the town. Most of the other women in the town are heavier than Belle and they aren't pretty. They are overwhelmed mothers, working women, or older women with white hair.

    The men are overweight and most seem to own or work in the shops. These men help Gaston stand out in this movie. Gaston is handsome and strong unlike the other men in the town, and every girl is falling for him. Disney is making it seem like women have to find a good-looking man in order to be happy in life. Gaston's sidekick is the heavy buffoon who drools over the women but ends up making a fool of himself. The men in this town are always looking at Belle implying once again that looks are everything. The only reason Gaston wants to marry Belle is because she is the most beautiful girl in the town. The three blond women want to make it their life goal to marry Gaston because he is the most handsome man.

    Throughout this entire clip there are no other races besides white that are represented, which shows the dominance of white people. This movie also tells young girls that looks are everything in society. If you are pretty and skinny you will be noticed by everyone and it will make life a little easier. This isn’t a good message to be sending to young girls. They should know that looks aren’t everything in life.

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  8. In the first video about Belle, it is clear that she is different from the people in the village. Some obvious things that I picked out where that all the towns people where wearing dark or dismal clothing that made them look dull. While Belle was the complete opposite of that with bright vivid colors. As well they were singing about her being odd for reading books. Which to me might be a subliminal message about reading books and educating your self to be out of the ordinary. As well I noticed that overweight people where looked at as happy or comedic, and the elderly as crude or even uptight. As well another main point I would like to point out is that the main male character that shot the duck out of the sky says that Belle is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and that he was the most handsome man in the village. He went on to say that they both belong together pretty much based on their looks alone. This gives off a message to children that reading to educate on your own is an oddity and beautiful people belong with beautiful people. But like Anthony said in his comment, watching Disney movies didn’t change the way I looked at people. It didn’t make me think any differently of the people around me. Although I cannot discredit what Christensen has stated in her writing because I see it to be true; that there are hidden messaging through out and that it could possibly effect the mind of a young impressionable children. Like in the video shown a child might take away from the movie that the most attractive people belong together and reading for fun is odd and looked at as weird.

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  9. In this clip of the Disney movie “Beauty and the Beast”, the character, Belle, is shown. Belle is a young, thin, beautiful girl who is into reading many different books in such a short amount of time. Within the small town that Belle lives in she is seen as the girl who is “different” simply because she is not like the rest of the women figures that are portrayed in this town. The way Disney portrays these women in the town is different than how they portray Belle. Belle is dressed in a simple dress with long sleeves and a long skirt, nothing is revealed. The younger women, along with the other citizens in the town, are seen as having their cleavage out and wearing darker clothing. Belle is shown with wearing a brighter color than all the other women characters. The men in this town are also either very heavy or have a dumb look on their faces and through their body language. The women in the town idolize Gaston because he is the most attractive one out of all the men. But little do the women of this town know that Gaston has his eyes on one girl, Belle. When watching this video as a child I never realized the messages that I see now. The messages of how a person, specifically female, should look are how they are viewed in society. Women are viewed as oblivious when being compared to men. I think that this is why Belle is seen as “odd” in her town because she is trying to break the norm of the typical women stereotyping, which is a woman who is not as smart as a man and is only viewed for her looks, not her brain. This is just teaching young girls in our society that they need to focus on their looks more than having brains and being successful in their lives. It also shows that men are supposed to want a woman to be there to fight over them. Not only is this not a good message for young girls but also for young boys too.

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  10. The "secret education" behind Beauty and the Beast is essentially how women are perceived in society. The stereotype of women is tested in this movie.. In Beauty and the Beast, everyone finds Belle very odd because of what she takes interest in. This musical scene shows that Belle finds enjoyment out of reading. All of the townspeople do not believe that a young and beautiful girl should be spending their time this way. It's as if the townspeople believe her intelligence is wasting her beauty. It's evident that the other women that are perceived as beautiful are accentuated. They are thin with a small waist and a bigger bust. At one point in the film, a woman with these characteristics was flaunting herself to a man. He was almost hanging out of his stand to talk to her. The women that fit this mold are meant to embody perfection and beauty. And men will fall to their feet. It teaches girls that if you look a particular way that is valued in society then you will get things handed to you much more easily. When the overweight women carrying her babies asked for six eggs, the man claimed that it was too expensive. But surely if the young attractive woman had made this request she would have ended up with what she wanted. This movie also brings attention to the idea that a woman's happiness is dependent on a man and marriage. Gaston claims that he wants to marry Belle but his only reasoning is that a handsome man must marry a beautiful girl. He has no emotional attachment to Belle; his admiration is based purely off of looks. Most women in this movie would have accepted Gaston's hand in marriage but Belle wants more "than this provincial life". She knows that her happiness is not dependent on a man. Especially a man that is so misogynistic as Gaston. You can tell by the end of the film that Belle does not believe love is based off of looks when she falls for the Beast.

    This movie is teaching young children how to treat women. Girls will take notice that women that fit a particular mold will be more accepted into life. If you have beauty then you need nothing else. Intelligence is not needed in the role that women play. Even though Belle is pushing the boundaries of this stereotype, the townspeople are having a difficult time accepting her- you need to conform to society to be respected.

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  11. Last semester, I was able to take the course, Mirror Mirror: Masterplots of Gender with Professor Janice Okoomian. In this course we analyzed numerous classic Disney stories such as Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, The Little Mermaid, Snow White and so much more. In all of the Disney classics we looked at, I saw just how these movies and stories are so gender stereotyped. All of the movies have an idea of how women should be and if they do not fit the perfect mold, they are looked at as odd. For example, even though all of the towns people think that Belle is the most beautiful girl in the village they think she is odd. I believe this is because she enjoys to read and isn't so focused on her looks and vanity. Belle is more of a bookworm and doesn't want to live a "provincial" life where she just gets married and is just a wife. Which just as Erika, I though this was extremely odd considering her favorite part of the book she was reading was when the girl met her prince charming. Though she is odd for this, she is still the most beautiful girl and Gaston wants her based on her looks and innocence. As she walks around town we get introduced to many towns people. The women, mostly with ample amounts of cleavage and others whom are overweight and with children or doing "domestic" type chores. These girls aren't looked at as beautiful or a hot commodity as Belle is because they aren't stick thin and just the right amount of innocent. The men in the town, with the exception of Gaston are of a heavier build and seem to be very hard working - again, not traits that are looked at as desirable to the women in town. It is just fascinating and disappointing that the women in the movie admire a guy like Gaston and not the hardworking men in the town. It just kind of teaches young girls that they should go for the guy with the best looks and not the man that will be able to financially support you. Though these message are harsh, I feel as though I was not affected by them. I grew up watching all of these Disney Classics and today I am not at all like the girls in the movies. I understand that the movies probably don't set the best example of what a respectable woman should be, but I don't think its as serious as some people make it out to be. The professor that taught the seminar I took last semester was absolutely against Disney and really hated it, and didn't even let her child watch the Disney classics. I think that is so drastic and unnecessary. I may not agree with some of the underlying messages in the movies but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop watching them or in the future prevent my children from watching them.

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  12. “I’m afraid she’s rather odd,” one of the many gender stereotyping quotes said in Beauty and the Beast. Belle is portrayed as a character that loves to read and is not interested in marriage, as she refuses to marry the handsome and masculine, Gaston. Belle is looked at as “odd” because every woman in the town was worried about getting married and finding a husband, Belle was worried about getting an education and supporting her father. Throughout the movie, it is implied that women should not spend their time reading; instead they should be focusing on their roles as a married woman which includes cooking and cleaning. As for males, in order to be "popular" and well-liked by people, it is implied they need to have masculine bodies and attractive faces. These stereotypes are teaching young children that beauty is more important than having brain.

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  13. These two clips are showing us that looks are the most important thing in life! First off, Belle is shown to be thin and pretty unlike most of the women in the town who were overweight. Everyone in Town seemed to know her. The ladies in town talked about her being strange because of her love for reading. The townspeople think that she is wasting her beauty. It wasn’t much better from the guys in this clip when Belle would open her mouth and talk about the great book that she had just finished the guy stopped listening, which shows that the men in this town aren’t interested in but instead looks. Is this why today in society girls need to act dumb around guys? Which goes back to today, when girls think they need to act dumb around guys to impress them.
    Madonna’s video showed that “Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short, wear shirts and boots. 'Cause it's OK to be a boy. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading” This video made me think of Beyonce’s song If I were a boy and how much easier guys have it. This video shows how girls are seen to be the weaker sex and how guys over power them. One image that really stood out to me was the bruises on the girls body and how torn up she was that guys have that power overgirls which was why she transformed, and broke those stereotypes of what a girl should be like. She stood up for herself by attacking a man and even giving money to the waitress.
    Over all both these videos showed the girls not worried about what society thought of them. Belle refused marriage because she wanted to focus on education and the end of the video ended with a car crash which I thought meant that she was breaking free.

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  14. As children we do not realize the many stereotypes that are within the many Disney movies we watch. In this clip from the Beauty and The Beast, Belle is singing a song along with the people in her town. The song lyrics tell about how beautiful Belle is, but the townspeople also sing about how "odd" she is because she likes to read. It is as if they are trying to say that you cannot be pretty, skinny, and flawless and also read. I also noticed the difference between Belle and the townspeople. It is obvious that Belle is beautiful, tall, and skinny while the townspeople are shorter, not so skinny, and working the entire length of the song. Next we are introduced to Gaston, the tall handsome man that wants to marry Belle. He says things like, "She is the lucky girl that I will marry", "the most beautiful girl in town, that makes her the best!" and "she is as beautiful as me." Listening to Gaston speak is shocking actually. To hear him say that she will be the lucky one if he marries her is really sickening considering the way some men act in today's society. He then proceeds to say that Belle is the best because she is the most beautiful girl in town. Yet again a stereotype that is still within our society today. Gaston thinks that because she is beautiful, she is automatically the best when in reality he knows nothing about her. He just looks at Belle and decides he will marry her for her looks. This happens frequently in today's society. Girls think they need to starve themselves for days, buy the best clothes, and wear makeup just so a guy will like them. Within just five minutes we saw several examples of stereotypes portrayed in Beauty and the Beast.The "secret education" behind this movie is about the way you should treat women. Belle wants more than a handsome man. She wants love like she reads in her books. "She wants more than this provincial life". In the end, Belle does not pick egotistical Gaston, but falls in love with the Beast.

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  15. In the clip about the well known disney movie, "Beauty and the Beast", children are being taught the wrong ideas. Many of these children, like myself, grow up with comprehending the different stereotypes and morals Disney places into their movies. "Beauty and the Beast" ties in so well with the work of Christensen. Christensen's article reflects to the reader just how aware they may be to the world of stereotypes around then. A big piece of her article was the use with African Americans being given the roles of princes or princesses. "Beauty and the Beast" doesn't include any African American characters, despite the fact it was released in 1991. It does, however, stereotype gender roles. The biggest problem I had with this clip, and the movie in general, is the role of Gaston. He is all about beauty and putting himself on top based upon a beautiful women by his side. He says, "She's the most beautiful girl in town, and that makes her the best." This right here teaches the young generation that looks are everything. If you're not pretty enough, then there is no spot in society for you. In this clip, Belle is just walking down the street with her books and she it being judged. The older ladies standing on the side of the road take one look and say, "The girl is strange no question." Without knowing her, they are judging her. The women standing in the shop says that "it's no older her name means beauty" while the man strikes back with "but she's odd and different from the rest." So while she is most beautiful, she is quite strange, and that can cancel out beauty. The underlaying messages are stereotypes that don't necessarily just stand out. Once you are able to see them, it definitely makes you think.

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