Comment:
The film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, created in 1937, I believe needs no explanation. For most people, it is what they have already heard about when they were very young; it is what made Disney a household name. Snow White seems like a perfect woman image: she is white and beautiful, sweet and elegant. However, she is also too good to be real, too perfect to be of character; and her innocence actually makes her weak.
Snow White’s story of waiting for her prince, being saved by his kissand living a happy life ever after seems too ideal yet too meaningless. Let’s see what her life story before she marries the prince: she cleans the room, sings, talks to dwarfs and animals, but she barely has any other things to do. And when she is in danger, she needs a man to save her. To be fair, she almost has no ability to live and confront her stepmother by herself.
This domestic and weak image indeed fits with what role the male-leading societywanted women to take in 1930s. Though feminist movement has begun back then, the overall situation in the society of women’s status has not changed much. Men tended to put women in a less important social status and make them feel marriage is the most meaningful, or even the only goal in their life. However, important as marriage is, women play a quite passive role in it. It seems that they will marry whichever prince shows up, and whoever loves them.They were like belongings of men. On the contrary, in 1930s, male images were often built powerful, this indicates men’s wish of having control over women. They wanted to set morals and social places for women, they created this “perfect” women image which only about superficial staff like beauty.
Snow White is not the only example;Cinderella from 1950 and Aurora from 1959 are all the same weak and innocent type of princesses who need men to save. Thus this distorted social recognition and image of women are description of the society in the time period from 1930s to 1960s where men took total control and decided the standards of a perfect woman.