How the Representation of Queer and Communities of Color in Animation Break the Binary and Empower Feminism in Society
From a young age, the building blocks in identity and expression starts with our parents, peers and television. The cartoons that we watch have influenced the way we view the world before stepping foot into it. To many, animation are films that advocate happpiness and lessons for children. Throughout history, some of life lessons instill messages that are not healthy for life long development because it restricts children from embracing their own individuality as well as being aware and open to others. Two examples of this would be the way Gender Binary Constructs and the lack of women of color in animation. Due to this, children do not feel as welcomed by their peers and do not welcome differences because of subliminal messages in early socialization. However as the world is progressing, animation as a collective has been advocating for diversity, intersectional and change in their characters and storylines.
What a Hero Should be
England, Descartes and Collier-Meek (2011) speculate that “children certainly seem to be conscious of gendered portrayals” (24). Not only that, but Oliver and Green (2001) [specifically] “suggest that animated content for children is often targeted toward one gender, and that children are well aware of the gender classifications of such media” (557). With this mentioned, future impact on adolescents are analyzed by “…children who recognized more gender stereotyping in cartoons had similarly gendered expectations for themselves and others” (Thompson and Zerbinos: 1995). Furthermore, “So-called wishful identification-the desire to be like or behave in ways similar to the character-is particularly suited to heroic characters because their unique (and unattainable) qualities are especially attractive to the audience” (Hoffner and Cantor:1991).
On that note, adolescents do understand and process indentity at a young age. On mainstream films such as Disney, most of the princess, such as Snow White and Cinderella, are associated with domestic roles. In addition to this, they are rescued by a man during some point in the movies. These instances demonstrate that girls are responsible for house work duties and are not capable of being independent as well as solving their own problems. Feminist power fall short because at the beginning, princesses are set up to be strong, but despite this, their circumstances still need a man for resolution.
According to Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, and Tanner, in most Disney films, “women are helpless and in need of protection” (31). Although the princesses were portrayed as independent at the beginning of the films, the male heroes always had to rescue them despite their strong build-up. For example, “In Aladdin, Jasmine regularly stands up to her father, but in the end is rescued by Aladdin” (Towbin, Haddock, Zimmerman, Lund, and Tanner: 31). Disney has a tendency of creating inconsistent stories where the heroines fall short in their plot as a direct result of plots such as Princess Jasmine’s story.
Instead of this system, shows like “Kim Possible,” paved the way to better dialogues about expanding hero roles. Kimberly Anne Possible is a multi-faceted character. A straight A-student, a top notch cheerleader and a talented crime fighting vigilante. Kim is a great role model and disrupts the flow of misogyny in cartoons because she is not one- dimensional. Rather, all these skills prove that being a woman doesn’t stop her from achieving anything in life. Her motto, “She can do anything,” fits her the most. She balances her role by being shown that she has flaws yet she constantly tries to improve herself which is an excellent message to young girls who are trapped in sexist stereotypes.
Similar to girls, boys can also be negatively affected by toxic masculinity. Boys are told to not express themselves emotionally and avoid any feminine activity or sports. Ron Stoppable is an individual that destroys toxic masculinity and has overcome it through multiple occasions. He does not adhere to stereotypes. Ron cooks, cleans, and is an emotional person, but as portrayed, even though as comedic, in the series, this did not depict Ron to be any less of a man than any other hero. Ron have saved Kim, in his own special way, various times. For Ron, being a hero and a man, is just being unapologetically himself.
Intersectional Women and Female Friendships
There was a lack of women of color as well as female friendships in animation. Now, there are a variety of people of different skin tones and cultures. Disney have presented a couple of Princesses of color: Mulan, Pocahontas, and Tiana. However, those were very limited at the time. More dynamic characters with unique storylines are produced more than ever. An example of this would Korra from “The Legend of Korra.” Korra is based on the Indigenous individuals known as the Inuit as well as being Nickolodeon’s first bisexual heroine. This type of diversity allows children to feel included in narratives and other children to form coherent knowledge that there are people who are different and that is a good not bad.
Furthermore, rather than focusing on romantic relationships as the ultimate bond. Female friendships are, and if not, more powerful than romantic relationships. Love is an important message; however, girls should be encouraged to not only make good friends, but should be a good friend to other people. Friendship in role models can help adolescents with their self worth and respecting their peer’s worth. For instance, Sailor Moon’s cast has an abundance of characters. Even though they are expected to save the world, the story excelled in portraying them as flawed young, high school teens which is exactly is the message that girls should learn. No matter what the world expects of you, don’t be afraid to make mistakes because even the best of heroes do. Not only that, but because of each character’s individual strengths being highlighted throughout the series, girls and boys are taught that being yourself matters. In Disney films and other animations, there is usually a single male or female hero that children would be able to relate to. When there is a whole cast of girls with mutual respect and genuine care for one another, people recognize that they don’t need to face the world alone and follow a specific path. Children can grow up to realize that they can walk their own route and make mistakes while motivating their friends to do the same.
Queer Stereotypes and Healthy Representation
In society, LGBT+ families are not really accepted and are osctracized because parenting a child in this type of family is deemed as “toxic and not normal.” However, many researchers have interpreted Timon and Pumba as gay dads raising Simba. All different species, yet they thrived in this family like setting. Simba had just lost his biological father, Mufasa, and a warthog and meerkat were able to raise him into a great king. These depictions show that love doesn’t follow a construct. Love just happens when it is needed the most especially for our love-able lion cub.
In many of the movies LGBT+ characters are also portrayed as villains. Specifically, characters that are more feminine or flamboyant are seen as “creepy” or “malicious.” Some examples include Ursula, Scar, Jafar, and Him. They all share effeminate behaviors and have stylish clothing or makeup. These stereotypes although may be seen as toxic, but they also do add variety to people such as Drag Queens. However, being different and expressive should not be seen as villainous.
In conclusion, animation is progressing. The complex relationships with others and the individuals themselves are hard to navigate, but with animation for children, as adults, we can remember to learn or unlearn the lessons that were taught. At the end of it all, imagination and hope are powerful, so as a stepping stone, this generation’s work of art has been masterfully done. Tell your inner child that you made it this far in your journey, don’t you ever stop dreaming about the possibilities ahead.
References
England, Dawn Elizabeth, Descartes, Lara, and Collier-Meek, Melissa A. (2011). Gender Role Portrayal and the Disney Princesses. Sex Roles, 64(7–8), 555–567.
Haasch, P. (2020, August 14). ‘The Legend of Korra’ helped me accept my bisexuality when I was still a closeted teen. It also ushered in a new era for queer cartoons. Retrieved from https://www.insider.com/legend-of-korra-helped-me-accept-my-bisexuality-2020-8
Sailor Moon. (1992–1997). [DVD]. Toei Animation.
Sailor Moon. [DVD] (2014–2019). Viz Media LLC.
Schooley, Bob. Kim Possible [Cartoon]. ( 2002–2007). Walt Disney Television Animation
Towbin, Mia Adessa, Haddock, Shelley A. Zimmerman Toni Schindler, Lund Lori K. and Tanner Litsa Renee (2004). Images of Gender, Race, Age, and Sexual Orientation in Disney Feature-Length AnimatedFilms, Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 15:4, 19–44.
