In this section of my analysis I will be looking at: the
roles of the genders, the appearance of the genders, treatment of women, the
concept of masculinity, and how explicitly sexuality is portrayed in each of
the texts. This will then be linked to the context of each text in order for us
to see how ideas of gender and sexuality have changed in accordance to history
and culture.
Roles of the genders
The roles of the genders have always seemed to differ in
both media texts and everyday life. One of the common roles of women is to be
the damsel in distress, as seen in the story of Snow White. This is established
in the original story by the Brothers Grimm. Snow is dependent on the male
characters of the story in order for her survival. For example, it is the
dwarfs who take her in and protect her, and it is the Prince and his men who
save her from her sleep in the end. The Disney remake encourages this role even
further, with Snow pleading for her man to come save her (as seen when she
sings “One Day My Prince Will Come”). In this version Snow would be completely
helpless without the male characters. This also highlights, in turn, the role
of men as being the hero. However, in the more contemporary remakes of the tale,
Mirror Mirror, and Snow White and the Huntsman, we see a shift in these gender
roles. For example, despite the men always trying to protect and take control
of dangerous situations in the film, Snow in Mirror Mirror realises her full
potential and fights her own battles. She even states how she has read lots of
stories in which the prince saves the princess but she does not want to follow
that path – she believes it is time for change. Similarly, in Snow White and
the Huntsman, despite that at the beginning Snow relies on the Huntsman to keep
her safe and alive, she later becomes a figure of empowerment and acts as ‘the
chosen one’ who saves the kingdom. In addition, this retelling goes against the
traditional ending of the tale of Snow White as rather than getting married,
Snow is crowned Queen and no mention is made of a male partner.
Another gender role which is portrayed in the tale of Snow
White is women as mothers and housekeepers. Although in the original story Snow
does not necessarily fulfil these roles (we have to keep in mind that Snow was
only 7 years old in this telling of the tale), in the Disney version, Snow not
only takes on her forced role of a maid with a song and a dance, but then takes
care of the dwarfs as if they were her children. She also cooks and cleans for
them, which is actually the opposite of the original plot, in which Snow is the
one who puts their house in a mess. This role is partly taken on in Mirror
Mirror, as Snow, although she becomes an empowering figure, stills cooks and
cleans for the dwarfs, as though it is just an expected role. The only
retelling that does not go down this route is Snow White and the Huntsman, in
which Snow does not take on any of these roles. She is kind and gentle but also
appears to go against this traditional gender role.
Contextually, this shift in gender roles is no surprise. In the
19th century and even in early 20th century society,
women were not independent. Women were brought up to be mothers and wives, and
the women who dared to give their opinion or stray away from their expected
roles were shamed and punished. However, the feminist movement changed this. By
2012, the year in which the two contemporary remakes of Snow White were
released, gender roles were no longer set in stone. Women are free to be
independent and take control, and men are not expected to always be the hero. However,
there are still underlying ideals of patriarchal society which still exist,
even in the present day. Sometimes women, who do not wish to be mothers and
strive to be successful in other areas, are judged and shamed. They are often
the women who are referred to as ‘bossy’ or as a ‘bitch’. This may also explain
the role of the Queen/Evil Witch in the tale of Snow White, as it is this
character who is the woman with all the power and it is also this character who
is created as the villain. This is compared to Snow, who, in Mirror Mirror for
example, breaks away from some gender roles but also remains a motherly, kind
figure, and is therefore loved and cherished.
Appearance of the genders
The importance of image/appearance is a central theme to the
tale of Snow White as it is this which drives the story forward. The appearance
of both men and women in films are often stereotypical and even unrealistic in
some circumstances. How attractive and feminine a woman is tends to relate to
how other people view them. The same applies to men, but with masculinity. In
all versions of Snow White, Snow is very beautiful, fair and youthful. These
are her main character traits and they determine how the other characters respond
to her. She is hyper-feminine with a high-pitched voice, gentle movements, blushing
cheeks and pretty dresses (in the Disney version and in the first half of
Mirror Mirror). However, in Snow White and the Huntsman, and in the second half
of Mirror Mirror, Snow is not as extremely feminine and is dressed more
appropriately/practically for the situations she is in. In these remakes she
becomes more than her appearance: she becomes a warrior, a saviour and a figure
of empowerment. They challenge the most well-known version of Snow, the Disney
princess, and give young children a more meaningful role model to look up to.
On the other hand, the Queen is portrayed as beautiful but
arrogant and vain in all the takes on Snow White. Therefore, she is less desirable
and viewed as evil. The Queen is a strange character in relation to her
appearance though, as she is presented as beautiful but not in the
traditionally feminine way in the original tale and the Disney remake (due to
her dark clothing, striking features, etc.), but is rather feminine and ‘traditionally
beautiful’ in both Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman. However, the
latter portrayal of the Queen is no better than the former, as in these films
the Queen uses her beauty to manipulate and get her own way. She becomes a femme
fatale.
When looking at the male characters of Snow White, the
Prince is always a handsome, strong, masculine figure, apart from in the
original tale in which none of the male characters have much of a description
of their appearance. The same applies to the Huntsman in Snow White and the
Huntsman, who takes the male lead in place of the Prince. Furthermore, the
dwarfs are mainly portrayed as old, unattractive and not that masculine. In the
same way as how the treatment of female characters comes down to their
appearance, male characters seem to go through this too. The Prince, and the
Huntsman (in Snow White and the Huntsman), are taken a lot more seriously and
seen as more desirable than the dwarfs in the all versions of the tale. I will
be looking into this idea further in my sub-section: ‘the concept of
masculinity’.
Linking this to context, the shift of Snow from
hyper-feminine to opposing the feminine tradition, reflects the idea that in
modern society a woman does not have to conform to the ideals of femininity,
nor be traditionally ‘beautiful’ in order to be respected. An empowered woman,
whether she chooses to be feminine or not, is now accepted. However, with both
men and women, there are still damaging ideals of beauty, just as there was in
the 19th century. Image, like in the tale, is of high importance in
society, and it does still affect the way you are treated. If you look at
advertisements and magazines from the 20th and the current 21st
century there is little difference in the expectations placed on society.
Therefore, similarly to the story of Snow White, even though we have moved
forward there is still a long way to go if we are to rid of the notions of
beauty and its importance.
Treatment of women
For this sub-section, I am focusing specifically on the
treatment of women by men. I noticed, in particular, three ways that men treat
women in the tale of Snow White. These are: taking pity on women, feeling the
need to protect women, and having possession over women.
In all versions of the tale, there are at least two scenes
in which male characters take pity on female characters, usually Snow. For
example, in the original story and the Disney adaptation, when the dwarfs find
that an intruder has entered their house they are angered until they lay eyes
upon Snow and her beauty. They then take pity on her and allow her to stay. Likewise,
in Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman, after capturing Snow, they
then take pity on her, feeling sorry for her in her situation and subsequently wanting
to help her. A similar pattern follows with other male characters, e.g. the
Huntsman, who in each remake goes against his orders because he sympathises
with Snow and allows her to be free instead (apart from in Snow White and the
Huntsman in which he joins her fight rather than just letting her go).
The male characters also seem to have to need to protect females.
The dwarfs care for and love Snow, and due to this they always make an effort
to try and protect her. Some examples of this are: in the original tale they
constantly advise Snow to not open the door to anyone for her own safety; in
the Disney remake they literally chase the Queen away and she falls to her
death; in Mirror Mirror they try to follow Snow when she goes to fight the
beast alone; and in Snow White and the Huntsman they are willing to fight to
keep her safe. This same idea applies to other male characters, such as the
Prince. It is the Prince who ultimately comes to save Snow with a kiss, yet in
the modern remakes, it does not really go his way. In Mirror Mirror there is a
role reversal as it is Snow who has to kiss the Prince to save him from the
Queen’s spell. Also, in Snow White and the Huntsman, William (who is the equivalent
character to the Prince) attempts to save Snow with a kiss but fails as she
does not awaken. The idea of men feeling the need to protect women also applies
to how they underestimate the power and strength of women. This is shown
especially in Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman. In the former, in
one scene the Prince refuses to fight Snow because she is a girl, but when they
do end up fighting, she beats him. In the latter, during the dialogue when the
Queen is ordering the Huntsman to capture Snow, the Huntsman states that “he”
who has ventured into the dark forest is dead, when the Queen corrects him and
informs him that it is a “she”, the Huntsman replies “she is definitely dead.”
However, when he finds Snow she is alive and more powerful than he ever expected.
Snow is also seen as a possession by many male characters in
the films, especially the early versions. In the original tale, the Prince sees
Snow asleep/supposedly dead in her glass coffin and asks the dwarfs if he can
take her away so he can keep her. Similarly, the Disney version sees the Prince
take Snow away to become his wife, even though they only met once before, very
briefly. In Mirror Mirror, the concept of Snow as a possession is presented in
a light hearted way as if the director was making fun of the concept. For
example, one of the dwarfs, Half Pint, has a clear infatuation with Snow and
often makes comment how she is his and even refuses to allow Snow to kiss the
Prince because she is not allowed to kiss other people. However, this is not
meant in a serious fashion.
Looking at context, all the ways that men treat women in the
tale come down to the idea of women being inferior. When the original tale and
even the Disney remake were made, women were viewed as lesser than men. They
were mothers, wives, housekeepers, and ultimately the possession of men. Like children,
they were there to be seen but not heard, and to be controlled. Despite the
increasing rights for women in the early 20th century, Walt Disney
did not seem to move forward with the progression of society, some may say he
was retrogressive in the values he portrayed in his work. When comparing the
early versions with the contemporary adaptations of the story, you can see how
the culture of modern society shines through in the most recent texts. Despite
the fact that Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman include some of the
treatment I have highlighted, they come from a more progressive, gender
equality stand point. These texts as feminist statements, came at a crucial time
in society. In 2012, it was highly debated whether feminism was dead and buried
or whether we still needed it. In my opinion, these films showed how gender
equality had progressed greatly but also presented that we still had a long way
to go.
Concept of Masculinity
With the concept of masculinity, I am going to look at the Prince/male
lead and the dwarfs. These roles are very contrasting in terms of masculinity.
The prince/male lead is always presented as handsome, strong
and the prime example of masculinity. In the modern day the Prince in the
Disney adaptation may not fit the notions of masculinity but in the animated
fairy tale world, he is the height of masculinity and charm. Likewise, the
Prince in Mirror Mirror, and the Huntsman and William in Snow White and the
Huntsman, are traditionally attractive, physically fit, and may as well be the
poster boys for what society considers to be a masculine man. However, there
are times in the films when the male leads are ‘emasculated’ and made to look
silly. This especially applies to Mirror Mirror. As it is a comedy film lots of
gags are incorporated by playing with the Prince’s masculinity. He is beat a
couple of times by the dwarfs, meets his match when fighting against Snow, and
when under the Queen’s puppy love potion, he cries and begs for his Queen after
the dwarfs kidnap him.
On the other hand, the dwarfs are mainly portrayed as silly,
comedy characters. They are not traditionally attractive, strong or ‘masculine’.
I believe this is one of the factors in why the dwarfs were made to be the
comedy aspect to the tale from the Disney remake onwards. They are not taken
seriously and are not always successful in their actions. For example, in the
Disney version the dwarfs fail to save Snow from the Queen, it is the Prince
who saves her instead. This shows how the less ‘masculine’ a man is, the more
inferior he is presented, which is very problematic. This is also portrayed in
Mirror Mirror in relation to relationships. One of the dwarfs, Half Pint, is
clearly infatuated with Snow but this is made into a gag and not taken
seriously, a situation which does not apply to the Prince.
These concepts of masculinity link to context,
as the representations of masculinity in the tale reflect on those in society,
both 19th century and today. Gender roles are a two way street and
men are put against the unrealistic standards of masculinity. This enforced,
unrealistic idea of masculinity is problematic in the same way femininity can
be problematic for women. It has created barriers in many aspects of society, e.g.
men are expected to hold in their emotions and those who do not carry this out
are shamed and judged. Barriers, such as the one I just mentioned, can then
lead to bigger, even more problematic issues. This relates to the feminist
movement of today which puts more emphasis on the problems men face as well as
women’s problems.
How Explicit Sexuality is Presented
As a fairy tale aimed at a family audience, the story of
Snow White does not present sexuality in an explicit way. For example, the
original tale has no reference to sexuality at all. The Disney remake includes
only very innocent expression of sexuality, such as the Prince and Snow kissing,
and the Dwarfs blushing when Snow kisses them on the cheek. Mirror Mirror and
Snow White and the Huntsman are slightly more open to sexuality, especially the
former which incorporates innuendos and jokes about sexuality, yet it does so
in a way that allows it to remain family friendly. In some scenes of Snow White
and the Huntsman sexuality is implied or explicitly presented, especially with
Ravenna. For example, we see the King and Ravenna on their bed on their wedding
night and the King is kissing her neck before she kills him. Ravenna uses her
sexuality to manipulate and get her own way. Apart from those scenes, sexuality
is not expressed explicitly.
The explicitness of sexuality in these texts may
be linked to context but it is difficult to give an analysis of this due to the
fact that Snow White is a family story and therefore, remains child friendly. However,
society is a lot more open to the expression of sexuality in the 21st
century compared to the 19th century, which could explain the
inclusion of sexual references in the contemporary remakes compared to the
original tale.
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