Transgender villain

           Although villains in Disney comes from different imaginations, they always have similar characteristics and appearance: harmful, deviant appearances, and abnormal actions. However, many similarities are under the same category, transgender behavior.

           As Putnam stated in Mean Ladies, many Disney villains exhibit transgender identities, or lack of gender identifications. For example, Anastasia in Cinderella as a young lady seems over masculine with her large feet and lady Tremaine’s facial features and behaviors mark her as both unfeminine as well as unmotherly.

                                     

                 Sometimes, females that are overly feminine are also marked as villains. Ursula in the Little mermaid is an example of overly feminist with large breasts and abnormal body appearances.

                                 

          However, male characters that are overly masculine are rarely criticized in Disney’s films. In Beauty and the Beast, the Beast is portrait as a character that is a hero in its heart; however, such quality does not apply to female over-feminist characters. One may conclude that sexism is at present in early Disney’s films.

I found Putnam’s passage to be effective and her viewpoint seems unique to me. Her analysis on Disney villains is able to identify the ill relationship between gender identity and morality. I am surprised at how clear Putnam showcased Disney’s strategy in villain building and it certainly brought a refresh experience to me.

            Do I blame that Disney characterized villain as people who have transgender identity? It is a hard question to answer because transgender is a minority in society and for Disney it just seems to be the easiest way to signal audiences who the identification of characters in movies. Human are based on value appreciation from society and the more qualities that are similar, the easier to be appreciated. On the other side, minority identity group are not at advantage in modern society because they have less in common with the majority.

                             

            I can understand Disney’s motives behind its approaches, but they do not necessarily present accurate messages. People have different genetics and Disney’s ideal of perfection is a misleading information for younger generation. As Putnam discussed, creating villains that are based on heroines is irresponsible. Even more, with constant reinforcements, such messages will eventually become a natural reflexes for audiences not only in movie watching but also in real world interactions.

            However, Disney is an enterprise that focuses on the interests of the majority. It is to their interest to maximize revenue by creating films that reinforces public opinions. As time passes, it is clear to see through Disney’s films that they follow the trend of society instead of breaking it. Its first African princess film Moana, is a result of gradual equalization between races in US. Disney produces entertainment by creating a world of perfection and magic, will it gain as much success by challenging the currents of society?

                     

               It is hard to break off a negative moral spiral, and it is even more so when financial interests are involved. Disney has massive cultural power considering its impact toward children and its earlier recipes of villains should be carefully amended to entertain and instruct younger audiences. And base on its recent progression, I am certain that Disney is able to achieve this goal.

               Information on new Disney movie can be seen here, and let us hope that Disney can constantly improve its message toward the youth