“Damsels and Heroines: The Conundrum of the Post-Feminist Disney Princess”
Stover, Cassandra (2013) “Damsels and Heroines: The Conundrum of the Post-Feminist Disney Princess,” LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 29.
Available at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/lux/vol2/iss1/29
This article looks at the relationship between Disney’s representation of women and post-feminist ideology, as well as exploring the change in the films popularity over the years. This is closely linked to the relationship between Disney’s representation and the current women’s movement of the time. The article also examines the anti-feminist criticism of the films.
In her writing Stover draws on scholarship from cultural studies, gender theory, as well ideological analysis of disney films, so her writing is supported by a range of background knowledge across many fields. Stover also references articles that i’ve also come across in my research which indicates her writing is relevant to our topic.
Stover’s article creates a concise timeline of Disney princess films in relation to womens social standing of the time the films were released. This is very helpful to contextualise the films and gain a more in-depth understanding of why women are represented how they are in each specific film. Unlike other articles I have read, this one contains some praise for the films which is intriguing as it broadens the perspective on the films. The article manages to do this while also raising concerns I haven’t read about before such as the negative role of father figures in the films.