Why don't I have a perfect body like a Disney Princess?

Hello future 102 Students,
Our research was based off of Disney Princesses and the impact that Disney gives to young girls on being beautiful.
Abstract
Everyone around us wants to be beautiful they all look up to role models of beauty like the Disney princesses. Although having beauty does not make us any more happy, we wanted to know the true meaning of why everyone gets so hiked up about beauty and Disney. In search for an answer we discovered that Disney might be taking a different direction in characters to be more strong and brave however Disney keeps changing a princess image to make her look more beautiful. Disney has indicated that physical beauty, the way one looks is the most important factor in today’s society. Disney combines racial features into one character like Pocahontas how does this change how a young girl will be influenced thinking that a girl could be perfect like her. Giving characters a more princess look only demonstrates how important it is to Disney to have the perfect image. We all  know that the perfect image is not possible and no female is perfect unless cosmetic surgeries are done.

Advice
1. Do not procrastinate. Choose a topic that you enjoy because you will have to do a lot of research on that topic. Start to do your research early and ask for help if you find yourself to be confused/lost. Be ready to share your research with the rest of your classmates. Find useful and credible sources.
2. The research essay is way easier then it sounds. Do not make it a big deal by leaving everything till the last minute. If you get the opportunity to find a partner researching the same topic collaborate with them. It makes things much more simpler, because you cannot let each other down and will most likely meet the deadline on time. It also makes researching much easier, because the work is separated and the writing process does not become as stressful.

 

Feel free to use any of these sources hope they guide you in the right direction

Bispo, A. (n.d) Fairytale Dreams: Disney Princesses’ Effects on Young Girls’ Self -Images

Cochrane, K. (2006)“The Dangerous World Of The Princess.” New Statesman 135.4799 : 22-23.

    Academic Search Complete.

Edwards, H. L. (1999). “The United Colors of Pocahontas”: Synthetic Miscegenation and

    Disney’s Multiculturalism. Vol. 7. No. 2 147-168

Orenstein, P. (2011) Cinderella Ate My Daughter. New York, NY: Harper Paperback.

Osborne, L. (2013) Parents’ anger as Disney turns Brave girl into curvy princess.Daily Mail.

Whelan, B. (n.d) Power to the Princess: Disney and the Creation of the 20th Century Princess

    Narrative. Children’s Media

Tillotson, K. (1995).Cartoons and Indians. Minneapolis Star and  Tribune C8.
 

Accidently a Villain- Demetria Seawood

Accidently a Villain

Abstract

             I went into this research with one question and ended up answering a few. Hyper-masculinity and gender-stereotypes are very common in our world. Boys are only considered men if they follow a certain set of rules. Superheroes, such has Captain America tend to display these attributes with ease, and go above and beyond this call of manhood. The problem is young boys have a hard time separating fiction and reality. The over-the-top actions of a boy’s favorite superhero can be confused with the everyday actions of an ordinary man. Captain America was purposely over masculine because he was created to persuade the American people to join the Army, back during WWII when people thought Hitler was going to take over the world. In 2011, when his film was released Captain America was again used as a “Go Army” commercial while American men and women were fighting in Iraq. Captain America also exposes the pressure put on the male body. However, he does not try to change the mindset of his peers, instead he conforms to societies expectations.

Advice

1.Do not panic! This paper is not as hard as it sounds. Once you choose a topic that you like the research will be interesting rather than stressful. Start early and find a source or two a day, and before you know it the research portion is done and you have way more than 5 to 6 sources for your paper.

2. You will have the option to work with a partner, only do this if you are absolutely positive and can really cut time out of your schedule to work together. I was originally working with a partner, and before we finalized topics in class I decided I wanted to do the paper alone. In class you are supposed to "marry" the topic and it was really awkward because I wanted to break up with my partner. Eventually our research paper looked like two papers jammed together and we broke the group up and turned in separate papers. However, this could have all been avoided if I really sat and thought about whether or not I really wanted to work with a partner.

 

Please feel free to steal my sources.

 

Works Cited

Baker, Kaysee, and Arthur A. Raney. “Equally Super?: Gender-Role Stereotyping of Superheroes in Children’s Animated Programs. “Mass Communication and Society, 10.0 (2007): 25-41

Berger, Maurice, Wallis, Brian, and Watson, Simon. Constructing Masculinity. New York: Routledge, 1995. Print.

Captain America: The First Avenger. Dir. Joe Johnston. Perf. Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell. Paramount Pictures, 2011. DVD.

Colombo, Gary, Cullen, Robert, and Lisle, Bonnie. Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2010. Print

Johnson, Gary V. Man Up: Perspectives of Male Masculinity Through Superhero Identification. n.p.: ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing, 2013.

Stabile, Carol. “Sweetheart, This Ain’t Gender Studies”: Sexism and Superheroes.” Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 6.1 (2009): 86-92

ThinkProgess.org. Center for American Progress Action Fund. 17 March 2006. Web. 28 May 2015.

The Hundred Acre Woods: Yay or Nay?

Hello future English 102 students,

My topic was psychology and Disney; with a specific focus on a show you might be familiar with, Winnie the Pooh. I wanted to know how fairy tales and children’s literature were similar, what kind of an impact they have on a child’s life, and people’s perspectives on the furry animals of The Hundred Acre Woods.

            My number one advice to you on this research paper that many people may have already addressed would have to be, DO NOT PROCRASTINATE on this paper!! Your lives would be much easier if you simply started researching when Professor Hicks tells you it is time. I am not kidding you will come across MANY articles that aren’t necessarily related or useful to your topic. Personally I found it much more helpful to begin looking for books first rather than looking for articles. I also recommend that you look through these blogs to see if anyone has a topic related to yours and see what kind of sources they used. One last thing, if you are having difficulty with this research paper DO NOT hesitate on asking Professor Hicks for help she can definitely help you and may even guide you to some helpful resources!

I hope some of my useful sources will be able to guide you in the right direction!

Adams, Jennifer R. "Using Winnie The Pooh Characters To Illustrate The Transactional Analysis                        Ego States." Journal Of Creativity In Mental Health 4.3 (2009): 237-248. Academic                            Search Complete. Web. 26 May 2015.

Bettelheim, Bruno. “’Cinderella’: A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflicts.” The Uses of                        Enchantment. N.p.: n.p., 1976. Rpt. in Writing and Reading across the Curriculum.                              Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosens. 11^th ed. Boston: Longman-Pearson, 2011.                   651 -57. Print.

Heuscher, Julius E. A Psychiatric Study of Fairytales: Their Origin, Meaning, and Usefulness.                   Springfield, Ill.: Thomas, 1963. Print.

Mallet, Carl. Fairy Tales and Children: The Psychology of Children Revealed through Four of                  Grimm’s Fairy Tales. New York: Shocken, 1984. Print.

Disney's Frozen: A Feminist's Dream Come True?

Abstract:

My research is mainly focused on Disney's Frozen, and how this movie emulates feminist ideals. I find this topic interesting because when I first heard about this movie, I initially thought that it was just going to be another Disney princess movie. But when I actually watched it, I was amazed at how different this movie was from the other Disney fairy tales. Frozen introduces a queen-princess duo, which is interesting because it puts a lot, if not total, emphasis on the female characters rather than the males. You have Elsa, the queen and the primary authority figure of the movie, and you have Anna, the princess and the counterbalance to this dynamic relationship. In my opinion, both of these characters are the embodiment of the ideal feministic traits; they are independent, strong, individualistic, and optimistic. And also, this movie introduces a new meaning to the concept of "true love." Prior to the release of this movie, it was a commonly held belief that an act of true is only shared between a man and a woman (a.k.a. the prince and the princess). I mean, this must have been quite a twist for the people who saw this movie; for the first time, true love is not defined by a prince's kiss, but by the love between two sisters. Keeping that in mind, I wanted to dedicate my research to finding out if this movie really is any different from the other Disney princess movies. If so, then Frozen can be a model by which feminists can use to continue to better their lives and their place in society.

My Advice:

1. Utilize your resources. Learn how to use the library database, or how and where to find books and other sources. 

2. Pace yourself. Don't rush into the research paper without planning it out first. But most of all, don't put off planning you research paper till the last 2 weeks. Plan ahead once you know your topic and Professor Jenny confirms it. Don't procrastinate!

3. Collaborate. Work with your peers and see what they have to say. Maybe, they might even point you in the right direction.

4. Have fun! Remember, your research paper should be about something that's interesting to you, or something you want to share to other people. The research paper is not really tedious work if you make it into something you enjoy. 

Work Cited:

Schanoes, Veronica. Re-visionary Fantasies: Feminism, Fairy Tales, and Myth. n.p.: ProQuest, UMI Dissertations Publishing, 2007.

Greenhill, Pauline. "'The Snow Queen': Queer Coding in Male Directors' Films." Marvels & Tales, 29.1 (2015): 110.

Press, Andrea L, and Tamar Liebes-Plesner. "Feminism and Hollywood: Why the Backlash?." Media Report to Women, 32.1 (2004): 14.

Andersen, Hans Christian. The Snow Queen. Denmark. 1844. Print.

Munford, Rebecca, and Melanie Waters. Feminism and Popular Culture: Investigating the Postfeminist Mystique. Illustrated ed. I.B. Tauris, 2013. 240. Print.

"Disney's Frozen--A Lukewarm Attempt at Feminism." 5 Sept. 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.

Feder, Shira. 

"COLLEGE FEMINISMS: Slamming the Door: An Analysis of Elsa (Frozen) - The Feminist Wire." The Feminist Wire. 16 Oct. 2014. Web. 8 May 2015.

Ross, Deborah. “Escape from Wonderland: Disney and the Female Imagination.” Marvels & Tales, Vol. 18, No. 1 (2004), pp. 53-66. Published by: Wayne State University Press. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41388684

When Did The Princess Start Wearing Cleats?!

Abstract: My research was on women’s soccer. Women’s soccer history is not actually known to most people. It has just recently started a few years ago. I tried figuring out women’s soccer in the past and compare it to how it is today. Tucker talked about how “women are just now discovering it is not exclusively a men’s game”. In the books it says there was a movement of women from “the terraces” to “the stands” which emphasized their growing change of wanting to be free and more themselves instead of waiting passively in a terrace like princesses do. So then when the princess wanted to play the sport and wear cleats, “authorities saw the rise of women’s football as a threat to the male game”. There were many questions as to the beginning of women’s soccer like how and when did soccer start for women and wanted to know why weren’t they able to play sooner? Then again did women’s soccer begin intentionally or accidentally? An important law or regulation that led to girls and women to become “entitled” athletes was Title IX. Not only was Title IX important to society and to women but this struggle to be able to play greatly influenced women to strive for what they deserve. The women’s movement into the sport shows the quest by women for equality, control of their own decisions and what to do with their bodies, self-identifying themselves and represents the challenge to males and the larger society.

Advice:

1.      You guys might hear this a lot but let me tell you one more time… DO NOT PROCASTINATE! Do you know why it’s called a research paper? Because you need to do research. And research takes a lot of time. I only discovered that until I took this class. Another thing I think would be important is that she is giving you the option about what to write about. This made it easier to write this paper. Choose something you are really interested in, even if it isn’t something normal. It’s even better and more interesting if it isn’t normal!

2.      My topic was women’s soccer. My research question was: Did women’s soccer start intentionally or accidentally? Why did it take them so much longer for an official start? Why was it considered a “man sport”? I was surprised to find so many books on my topic in the library. I would say that the library is the place to go.

Some sources: Giulianotti, Richard. Football : A Sociology of the Global Game. Cambridge, UK : Oxford ; Malden, MA: Polity Press ; Blackwell Publishers, 1999.

Kane, Basil. Soccer for American Spectators: A Fundamental Guide to Modern Soccer. South Brunswick: A. S. Barnes, 1970.

Fishwick, Nicholas. English Football and Society, 1910-1950. Manchester ; New York : New York, NY, USA: Manchester University Press ; Distributed exclusively in the USA and Canada by St. Martin's Press, 1989.

The Truth Comes Out: Representations of Homosexuality in Disney

Abstract: In my research, I set out to learn the representations of homosexuality in Disney films. The most notable and recurring representations of LGBT characters are villains, who show obvious signs of gender transgression. However, such representations have negative effects on young viewers, because it teaches children to associate LGBT people with evil. While this representation of “gay villainy” has improved over time, Disney films’ depictions of the LGBT community still remain stereotypical. However, the present-day LGBT rights movement has given birth to more positive representations of homosexuality in Disney films. This is important because it may lead to a new generation of tolerant children, and alleviate some of the negative prejudice that LGBT people face today.

A Message to Future English 102 Researchers: I had a great time writing this research paper, and that was for two reasons: a) I chose a topic that I actually knew nothing about b) I started my research early. Choosing a topic that you don't have any preconceived ideas about will really help to make this project interesting, because you will actually be learning new things. Learning, I know, a crazy concept right?? Secondly, I know you have probably heard this at least 20 times already, but start your research early. That does not mean you should be stressing about research during Week 2, but you should try and start your research at least a week and a half before the first draft is due. Not only will you not be stressing about finding sources and evidence, but you will also get better feedback during peer review. Also, when conducting your research, write down any quote that you think might be useful, and remember to add the full parenthetical citation. This will make the actually writing process a whole lot easier.

Works Cited

Bell, Elizabeth. “Somatexts at the Disney shop: Constructing the pentimentos of women’s animated bodies.” From mouse to mermaid: The politics of film, gender, and culture. Ed. Elizabeth Bell. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995. 112. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Best, Joel, and Kathleen S. Lowney. "The Disadvantage of a Good Reputation: Disney as a Target for Social Problems Claims." The Sociological Quarterly 50.3 (2009): 431-49. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Caulfield, Keith. “5 Seconds of Summer Debuts at No. 2 on Billboard 200; ‘Frozen’ Still No. 1.” Billboard Biz. Billboard, 9 Apr. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

Cheu, Johnson, ed. Diversity in Disney Films : Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability. Jefferson, NC, USA: McFarland & Company, 2013. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 3 March 2015.

Li-Vollmer, Meredith, and Mark E. LaPointe. "Gender Transgression And Villainy In Animated Film." Popular Communication 1.2 (2003): 89. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Luttrell, Gina. “7 Moments that Made ‘Frozen’ the Most Progressive Disney Movie Ever.” Arts. Mic. n.p., 20 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

Morgan, Joe. “The 14 Disney characters you had no idea were gay.” Gay Star News. n.p., 5 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

Price, Rob. “Disney’s ‘Frozen’ is not a ‘gay’ film (but I wish it were).” The Daily Dot. n.p., 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

Putnam, Amanda. “Mean Ladies: Transgendered Villains in Disney Films”. Diversity in Disney Films. Ed. Johnson Cheu. Jefferson, NC, USA: McFarland & Company, 2013. 147-155. Web.

Skaggs, Kathryn. “Frozen: Not Gonna “Let It Go” When Movie Advocates Gay Agenda.” A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman. n.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

Sweeney, Gael. ““What Do You Want Me to Do? Dress in Drag and Do the Hula?” Timon and Pumba’s Alternative Lifestyle Dilemma in The Lion King”. Diversity in Disney Films. Ed. Johnson Cheu. Jefferson, NC, USA: McFarland & Company, 2013. 130-136. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Zarranz, Libe Garcia. "DISWOMEN STRIKE BACK? THE EVOLUTION OF DISNEY's FEMMES IN THE 1990S." Atenea 27.2 (2007): 55-67. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Zipes, Jack. “Breaking the Disney Spell.” From Mouse to Mermaid: The politics of film, gender, and culture. Ed. Elizabeth Bell. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995. 21. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.