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Image 1: Cover of Disneys Snow

White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Angie Holt
Ms. Hull
English 2010
2 May 2014
A Review of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Introduction:

Walt Disney Productions Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs is a movie about a young princess named Snow
White. She is pursued by a jealous queen who is after her
because Snow White is prettier than her, but ends up with
her happily ever after and her prince. It is a princess film
geared towards an audience of mainly young girls and is a
classic movie shown to many.
There are those who say that the movie Snow white
full of likeable characters and lessons children can learn
from. They believe that the Disney movie is full of good
advice and good role models for girls to look up to. However, the fact of the matter is that the
movie Snow White fails to be a good example to children because of its unhealthy ideas on
beauty, womens roles, and romantic relationships.
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The Idea of Beauty:

The first problem with the movie Snow White is what it teaches girls about body image.
Girls are easily imprinted on at a young age by things that are shown to them. This includes
movies such as Snow White in which they often look to imitate. Films like these make it harder
for children to distinguish fantasy from reality. They end up thinking stories in Disney films may
actually be how reality is. This is a big problem if the heroine of this story, Snow White, is said
to be the fairest in the land. She was said in the film to have lips red as rose, hair black as
ebony, and skin white as snow. She is thin and has small hands and feet, only encompassing
a miniscule fraction of girls in this world. All of these ideas of beauty and what is desirable are
very unlikely to find in one single woman.
The film emphasizes a lot on this so called beauty. Throughout the story, the queen tries
to kill Snow White, the dwarves are enchanted by snow white, and the prince falls in love with
her. This is all done before Snow White has shown anything about her personality and
character. This all happens because of her beauty, making it seem like beauty is the most
important thing to achieve. The heroine Disneys movie Snow White cant be considered an
example of a good role model to look up to if her most important feature is a set of qualities
that are almost impossible to achieve.
Another unhealthy view on body image is the way ugly people are portrayed in Snow
White. The wicked queen turns into an ugly old woman in order to do her evil deeds. It is
suggested that ugly old women are evil and portrayed as witches. Monika Kothari, writer for
the Huffington Post, says that she thinks a Disney show like Snow White teaches girls that
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Image 2: Snow White cleaning the
dwarves house.
there's only one type of princess, and some children easily internalize that message, like [she]
did. It doesn't help that most Disney women that don't fit the princess model are villains. Snow
White teaches children that those who dont fit the princess image are undesirable. This
negative view on body image shows that Snow White is not the good influence that it is
expected to be.

The Idea of Gender Roles:

The second problem presented in Disneys Snow White is its idea of womens roles. The
character Snow White portrays a very domestic image. The main reason why the dwarves in the
story let Snow White stay with them is
because she is good at cooking and cleaning.
This suggests to young girls that a good
majority of their worth is based on their
ability to do these sorts of domestic tasks.
Mia Towbin, Shelly Haddock, Toni Zimmerman,
Lori Lund, and Litsa Tanner believe that when it
comes to Disney films such as Snow White, Females are consistently placed in situations where
looks count more than brains and helpless and incompetent behaviors are expected. Women
in these films are not expected to do much more than clean and cook. These kinds of
expectations and views are things that young girls might try to copy in an attempt to be like the
character Snow White. The fact that Disneys Snow White portrays a heroine thats main worth
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Image 3: The true loves kiss that
awakened Snow White.
is cooking and cleaning makes the film not live up to its expectations of being a good influence
on children.

The Idea of Romantic Love

The third problem with the movie Snow White is what it teaches girls about romantic
love. In this film, the princess Snow White is saved by a prince who kisses her and brings her
back to life. This kiss is known to be true loves kiss
and Snow White and the prince ride off happily ever
after into the sunset. In this so called love story,
there seems to be a lack of content. The prince and
Snow White have just barely met each other and
they claim to have found true love. The prince
knows nothing about Snow White except for her
beauty and Snow White knows nothing about the prince except for the fact that he suddenly
swooped in and saved her. Theresa Tonn, graduate with a major in Human Development and
Family Studies, comments on this trend seen in many Disney movies similar to Snow White,
saying, Hence, the Disney heroine survives to find happiness thanks solely to the heroism and
sacrifice of male characters and without experiencing personal growth or self-empowerment.
Snow Whites beauty and the princes heroic act are both nice and all, but not enough to build a
truly strong relationship on.
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The Walt Disney Production film Snow White falls short of the expectation that it would
be a good influence on children. It falls short of this because of its negative views on body
image, womens roles, and romantic love.


















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Works Cited

Kothari, Monika. Why is Disney Still Making Female Characters With Such Cartoon-ish Bodies?.
Huffington Post., 9 Jan. 2014. Web. 25 March 2014.
Mia Towbin, Shelly Hadock, Toni Zimmerman, Lori Lund, Litsa Tanner. Images of Gender, Race,
Age, and Sexual Orientation in Disney Feature-Length Animated Films. Journal of
Feminist Family Therapy. 8 Sep. 2008. Web. 25 March 2014.
Tonn, Theresa. Disneys Influence on Females Perception of Gender and Love. October 2008.
Web. March 25 2014.
Snow White. Produced by Walt Disney. 1937. Film.