Frozen in Time: How Disney Gender-Stereotypes Its Most Powerful Princess

Madeline Streiff and Lauren Dundes
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Madeline Streiff: Hastings College of the Law, University of California, 200 McAllister St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Lauren Dundes: Department of Sociology, McDaniel College, 2 College Hill, Westminster, MD 21157, USA

Social Sciences, 2017, vol. 6, issue 2, 1-10

Abstract: Disney’s animated feature Frozen (2013) received acclaim for presenting a powerful heroine, Elsa, who is independent of men. Elsa’s avoidance of male suitors, however, could be a result of her protective father’s admonition not to “let them in” in order for her to be a “good girl.” In addition, Elsa’s power threatens emasculation of any potential suitor suggesting that power and romance are mutually exclusive. While some might consider a princess’s focus on power to be refreshing, it is significant that the audience does not see a woman attaining a balance between exercising authority and a relationship. Instead, power is a substitute for romance. Furthermore, despite Elsa’s seemingly triumphant liberation celebrated in Let It Go, selfless love rather than independence is the key to others’ approval of her as queen. Regardless of the need for novel female characters, Elsa is just a variation on the archetypal power-hungry female villain whose lust for power replaces lust for any person, and who threatens the patriarchal status quo. The only twist is that she finds redemption through gender-stereotypical compassion.

Keywords: power; gender as social structure; Disney; Frozen; castration; emasculation; romance; masculinity; princess; Elsa; Anna (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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