Passive and Active Masculinities in Disney\u27s Fairy Tale Films

Disney fairy tale films are not as patriarchal and empowering of men as they have long been assumed to be. Laura Mulvey\u27s cinematic theory of the gaze and more recent revisions of her theory inform this analysis of the portrayal of males and females in Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. This study reveals that many representations of males in these films actually portray masculinity as an object of female agency. Over time, Disney\u27s representations of masculinity have become more supportive of male agency and individuality, but this development has been inconsistent and much-delayed. While early films generally show princes who lack character and ability, later films present men as more individuated and active, and eventually present men with more options and powe