THE PLEASURES OF PAIN: Disney's Masochistic Princesses in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast, and The Princess and the Frog

This dissertation focuses on the analysis of the female protagonists in three animated Disney films. Each film represents a pivotal decade in the history of feminism, namely the pre-feminist era in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, second-wave feminism in Beauty and the Beast, and lastly postfeminism in The Princess and the Frog. Using the theory of masochism, I argue that the three Disney princesses display masochistic tendencies to affirm the relations of power arranged in the patriarchal structure of American society mirrored in the films. The quality and quantity of masochism present in the protagonists provide an indication of the disproportionate distribution of power between genders. Due to very limited access to power, Snow White enjoys instances of suffering and debasement and even recreates situations of suffering to maintain a stable image of the self. Belle in Beauty and the Beast consciously uses masochism to manipulate men in order to acquire power vicariously. And Tiana, the protagonist of The Princess and the Frog, has sadistic tendencies to preserve her masochistic behavior. To underscore my arguments I inserted scenes from the three movies in the PDF-file.