Snow White the Modern Girl

Toxic Feminism is when other women criticize women who choose a traditional pathway or think they are better than men. This has been a common phenomenon in modern history where women are being portrayed as strong women and show an emphasis on not needing a man. This strong approval causes feedback reactions of young girls to think they are better than boys. This is different from thinking I am a strong girl. Disney World has been changing these iconic movies into more “modern”. Snow White seems to be a movie that promotes feminism, but it is forcing toxic feminism where men aren’t needed, and witches become the helpers. The word feminism has gone through so much evolution. The 1st stage depends on which time a person considers from ancient Greece which would be Sappho who created the form of poetry. There are many others like Christine de Pisan from 1434 and the most taught Jane Austen from 1817. Experts say the 1st wave of feminism started in the late 19th century to early 29th century. This fought for basic human rights such as a voice in our government and equality throughout every field. However, we must keep in mind this period many women suffrage didn’t consider all women just white women. This would be considered the earliest form of Toxic feminism. There was a theory going on back in the late 19th century that women were superior because if they had leadership roles then most of the problems would be solved. “Decades of studies show women leaders help increase productivity, enhance collaboration, inspire organizational dedication, and improve fairness.” according to the American Psychological Association. The 2nd stage of feminism was from the 1960s to the 90s. This stage was considered radical feminism essentially that oppression against women meant it connected to other forms of problems like racism and classism. W.I.T.C.H (Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell) Witch was associated with women who rebelled like were independent or went against their husbands. During this time many saw Miss America as oppressive since it had more influence on the idea that women are objects, leading to many throwing feminine products away. It was also when Roe vs Wade happened which allowed abortion meaning more control over their body.  The 3rd stage of feminism interpreted oppression differently, instead of throwing feminine products away they embraced it. “...it’s possible to have a push-up bra ad a brain at the same time,” said Pink Floor. Another significant thing they normalized was inappropriate words such as slut and bitch. This was to take away power from people who used it as a weapon to objectify women. This is when the change of the word takes place. Many saw the word feminist to be limiting. The 4th stage of feminism focuses on the general like equal pay, abortion rights, and sexual assault such as the Me-Too movement. Today feminism has become a movement that fights for everyone’s rights. But this isn’t being shown in the movies, instead, Disney focuses on certain characteristics like leadership and boss girl vibes for a movie (Snow white) which represents kindness and true love. One of my primary sources for this blog was Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot on Bringing a New Modern Edge to ‘Snow White’ by Variety. This was an interview done on September 10, 2022, at Disney’s D23 Expo 2022. During their interview I noticed that Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot had mentioned “...not going to be saved by the prince...” (1:51 & 1:53) was said 2 times and a 3rd time in my other primary source: Rachel Zegler & Gal Gadot on Reimagining ‘Snow White’ by Entertainment Weekly (5:28) This was suggesting that there won’t be no true love’s kiss which wins against the evil curse. This implies that The Snow White isn’t someone wishing for true love but rather someone who saves herself from her death. Leadership was mentioned quite a lot (5:17) (1:59) this suggests that women are supposed to push for more leadership roles that were taken away from them, but this repetition suggests it is rather forcing this idea of a girl boss instead of suggesting. One of the binaries was “...running for president” (2:10) it was weird because leadership does connect to being president, but it also suggests that we need a female president which is something people are talking about especially when Kamala Harris became the first vice president. This is something wrong because we shouldn’t look at gender to decide but the character. President was mentioned right after leadership this implied that was the kind of leadership they were looking for! They are not realizing that the original snow white did show leadership by showing beautiful characteristics like kindness and bravery. She is a good role model for young women and doesn’t need to be changed because these qualities are modern and significant. “...there is a lot more emphasis on raising ‘strong’ kids,” (2) said Barabara Greenberg. I think being kind in this generation is often associated with weakness. They are called pushovers, and this connects to Racheal Zegler’s words because she implies that being kind doesn’t show strength. She must be a “leader” to become a strong woman. This should be changed because there is beauty in both forms and that is feminism.  My Secondary source is A New Variation of Modern Prejudice: Young Korean Men's Anti-feminism and male-victim Ideology by Han Wool Jung. He is part of the Psychiatry department at Hallym University Medical Center in South Korea. He based his research on the recent drama going on the rape laws in South Korea and how non-consensual sexual activity isn’t considered rape. “This plan was an attempt to change the current rape law, which considers only violence or intimidation as requisites for rape or sexual assault...” (2) I found this article showing a different perspective on how South Korean society is becoming an anti-feminist and male-victim ideology is being used. These males think they are victims because society favors women over them. They use this to justify their bullying towards feminism. One of the examples was a survey that showed that being rejected because they identified as a feminist was a fair evaluation. It did a deep historical background of this male-victim ideology. But I wanted to focus on the non-consensual part which connects with snow white’s true love’s kiss and how people see that as bad teaching for children because it isn’t showing consent. It depends on how one looks at the situation because the context was a life-threatening situation. It could also look as if it was CPR.  Snow White is a beautiful story and many generations have considered Snow white a part of their childhood which represents the timeless essence of these fairy tale stories. Also, Snow White built the Disney which we see. It is about time that Disney showed true feminism which is to respect everyone's wishes whether to be a leader or to want a charming prince.  

 

 

Citation:

Primary Source:

Variety “Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot on bringing a new modern edge to ‘Snow White’” 10 September 2022 Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot on Bringing a New Modern Edge to 'Snow White' - YouTube   

Environment Weekly “Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot on Reimagining ‘Snow White’” 26 September 2022 Rachel Zegler & Gal Gadot on Reimagining 'Snow White' | Entertainment Weekly - YouTube 

Secondary Source:

Han Wool Jung “A new variation of modern prejudice: young Korean men's anti-feminism and male-victim ideology” 

Frontiers | A new variation of modern prejudice: young Korean men's anti-feminism and male-victim ideology (frontiersin.org) Accessed November 20, 2023 

Other:

Disney, Snow White, May 04, 2021, Disney, Orlanda, https://wgntv.com/news/trending/disneylands-snow-white-ride-criticized-for-kiss-without-consent/ Accessed 20 November 2021. 

Amy Novotney “Women leaders make work better. Here's the science behind how to promote them” https://www.apa.org/topics/women-girls/female-leaders-make-work-better Accessed 20, 2023 

 

Martha Rampton “Pacific University” https://www.pacificu.edu/magazine/four-waves-feminism Accessed November 20, 2023 

Jennifer Lea Reynolds “Why is kindness sometimes associated with weakness” Why Is Kindness Sometimes Associated With Weakness? | Psychology Today Accessed November 20, 2023