The initial portrayal of women as individuals in the Disney film is a positive one. Snow white in one of the earlier Disney films is portrayed as pure and loving, she takes on a mother role and looks after the dwarfs, and she also shows her bravery when she goes off by herself into the woods. The film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is about a young princess whose wicked step mother wants killed because she is too beautiful, however the huntsman cannot kill her so she is left in the woods where she finds a cottage belonging to the seven dwarfs. She stays with them until the queen realizes she is still alive and tries to kill her by giving her a poisoned apple, but Snow White is saved by loves first kiss and lives happily ever after.
Firstly, as the film is the oldest (the first) film of Disney, women are portrayed under the stereotype of traditional gender roles of the time (1937). Throughout the film, she is seen cooking, cleaning and looking after the seven dwarfs, which are portrayed as hopeless little men who can't take care of themselves. Therefore, they need a woman, Snow White, to take care of them, saving these slovenly adults from their pigsty by doing the tasks of the house; tasks that the dwarves apparently never learned since it is a women's duty of the time to be a housewife.
Firstly, as the film is the oldest (the first) film of Disney, women are portrayed under the stereotype of traditional gender roles of the time (1937). Throughout the film, she is seen cooking, cleaning and looking after the seven dwarfs, which are portrayed as hopeless little men who can't take care of themselves. Therefore, they need a woman, Snow White, to take care of them, saving these slovenly adults from their pigsty by doing the tasks of the house; tasks that the dwarves apparently never learned since it is a women's duty of the time to be a housewife.
Moreover, we find out at the beginning of the film that Snow White is looking for ‘prince charming’ as she sings, “I’m wishing, for the one I love to find me today” and this is one of the problems which lies in every Disney film: the power that men and true love have over the female characters. The best thing that can happen to a Disney heroin, shuch as Snow White, is to marry her "prince charming". Does this ending have to be, so that the woman can live ‘happily ever after’?
So, in light of the previous analysis, we can see that Snow White is a bad representation of women because of gender stereotypes. Despite the fact that this was the typical representation of women in Disney films of the time: young women who are naturally happy homemakers and who wait until a man comes along and gives them life; nowadays, this is seen as a gender stereotype.
After Snow White, Disney used other fairy tales for his movies, for example Cinderella (1950) and Sleeping Beauty (1959). The heroines and their stories were very similar to Snow White.
So, in light of the previous analysis, we can see that Snow White is a bad representation of women because of gender stereotypes. Despite the fact that this was the typical representation of women in Disney films of the time: young women who are naturally happy homemakers and who wait until a man comes along and gives them life; nowadays, this is seen as a gender stereotype.
After Snow White, Disney used other fairy tales for his movies, for example Cinderella (1950) and Sleeping Beauty (1959). The heroines and their stories were very similar to Snow White.