Annotated Bibliography and Matrix of Literature

Lia Gabriele A. Ballesteros

Broadcast Communication 199:

Research in Broadcasting

Eulalio R. Guieb III

Submitted to the
Department of Broadcast Communication
College of Mass Communication
University of the Philippines-Diliman
October 3, 2014

Ballesteros, BC199, Annotated Biblio and Matrix, page 2 of 9

Tonn, Theresa L. (2008) Disney's Influence on Females Perception of Gender and

Love University of Wisconsin Stout. (Unpublished thesis) Retrieved September
29, 2014, from http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2008/2008tonnt.pdf
The text is a thesis study, which employed a study of the audience. It shows
empirical and statistical data about the effects of Disney princess films on the
perception of gender and love. A survey was conducted among female college
students aged 19-30 who had adequate knowledge about Disney films.
The study focuses more on love and gender. The discussion is mainly about the
psychological effects that exposure to movies may have on children and how they
can continuously be affected by it even in their older age. Statistical data about
the exposure to television is presented in the study. There are also data that
suggests the prevalence of Disney in television and film.
The text also presents several ways by which Disney princesses are presented in
Disney movies. The movies covered in the texts are Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast,
Pocahontas and Aladdin. The author presents the specific ways by which gender
roles are portrayed and how women are shown in these specific Disney films.
Stover,Cassandra(2013)"DamselsandHeroines:TheConundrumofthePostFeminist
DisneyPrincess,"LUX:AJournalofTransdisciplinaryWritingandResearch
fromClaremontGraduateUniversity:Vol.2:Iss.1,Article29.Availableat:
http://scholarship.claremont.edu/lux/vol2/iss1/29
The text discusses the roles of women as portrayed by Disney princesses through
the passing of time. The author discusses various Disney princess movies from
Snow White until The Princess and the Frog. The text is a historical approach to
the roles of women portrayed in Disney princess movies as compared to the roles
of women in history.
The text discusses how women in Disney princess movies have always relied on
the patriarchal system of society despite its different styles. The author goes on to

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further explain that although there may be progress within the portrayal of Disney
princesses as time passes, the movies are still rooted in the female looking for
male approval.
Also, the author looks at the political-economic side of the Disney princesses. The
author suggests that the improving portrayals of women in Disney films are
because of the declining responses of the audience to traditional princesses. The
author suggests that Disney might be revolutionizing the way they portray the
princesses because the audience is already unimpressed with the traditional
portrayals of women. The author argues however, that although there might be
progress in the way women are portrayed in Disney princess movies, they are still
objectified in other means such as merchandise and other trans media forms.
England, D., Descartes, L., & Collier-Meek, M. (2011). Gender Role Portrayal and the
Disney Princesses. Sex Roles, Volume 64 (Issue 7-8), 555-567. Retrieved
September 29, 2014, from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-0119930-7
The text analyzed the portrayals of gender roles of Disney princesses namely;
Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the
Beast Aladdin, Pocahontas, Mulan, and The Princess and the Frog. The author
analyzes the ways by which the princes and princesses are portrayed in the Disney
princess movies.
The author divided the Disney princess movies into the early films (Snow White,
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty,) middle films (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the
Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Mulan,) and the most current film The Princess and
the Frog. Using a coding process, the author counted the times by which the
princes and the princesses in the movies exhibited masculine and feminine
characteristics. The data gathered from counting the times masculine and feminine
characteristics in the Disney princess movies showed how gender roles were
portrayed.

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The author concludes that the gender roles in the movies have changed from the
early films to the middle films. The authors said that the princes in the middle
films exhibited more feminine characteristics and played more active roles as
compared to the early films. Also, princesses in the middle films and the most
recent film exhibited more masculine characteristics and played an active part in
the resolution of the movies. The author also describes how the relationships
portrayed in the middle films took more time to develop than the early films
notion of love at first sight.
Stone, K. (1975). Things Walt Disney Never Told Us. The Journal of American
Folklore, Vol. 88(No. 347, Women and Folklore), Pp. 42-50. Retrieved February
26, 2009, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/539184
The author of the text describes how Disney and even the Grimm portrayals of
princesses were generally passive and how they were extremely patient, obedient,
industrious, and quiet. The author describes how the portrayals of the princesses
could mean that without these extraordinary levels of passiveness, they could not
be considered a heroine.
The author argues that not all fairy tales portrayed princesses as passive. Most
Anglo-American heroines are not described as passive but rather as strong
characters that are brave enough to destroy the villains themselves. Unlike the
heroines portrayed in the Disney and Grimm tales, heroines are able to save others
from their unfortunate fate. In addition, marriages in Anglo-American fairy tales
are to put as a conclusion to the tale rather, they are only told in passing. There is
also a difference between the portrayal of heroes and heroines in the Grimm
stories.
The author asks some respondents on how they felt regarding the portrayal of
women in Disney and Grimm fairy tales. Some said that they felt that the fairy
tales gave them an idea of how they should behave as a woman. When the author
asked a child about how she was influenced by the fairly tales, the child said that
she thought she only had to wait for a prince to come and save her. Other

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respondents felt as if the fairy tales were not meant for them, others said that the
stories made them feel that there was something wrong with them and not the
stories.
Hurley, D. (2005). Seeing White: Children of Color and the Disney Fairy Tale
Princess. The Journal of Negro Education, 74(3), 221-232. Retrieved November
9, 2011, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40027429
The text studies how childrens self image is affected by the descriptions and
portrayals of princesses in fairy tales. When children are asked to draw a princess,
white children and children of color both portrayed princesses to be white. The
first written fairy tales of princesses describe the images of princesses to be white
skinned and portrayed the villains as dark. Even though not all of the heroines
described in the fairy tales were blatantly described as white, there are always
signals to describe how whiteness is directly referenced to goodness and
darkness is referenced to evil.
When Disney created their own version of princesses, their animated
representations of the princesses depicted white or light skinned princesses and
contrasted them with dark or black villains. All princesses aside from Jasmine
(from Aladdin) is depicted as white skinned. The Disney princess movies show
the contrast of white to black as meaning good and evil. Almost all the villains in
the Disney princess movies were portrayed as wearing black, live in dark places,
or have black pets, which all pertain to the meaning of evil. These images are seen
by children and may be translated as the reality in society.
The author of the text describes how media (including books, stories and movies)
should act as teachers. Children, especially children of color will have a hard time
identifying with characters of a different color. The author argues that the media
should be more careful in portraying characters and teaching children about race,
gender and sexism. The author suggests that children should be exposed to texts
that portray heroes and heroines as those of different colors.