SEX TOY STORY. SEXUAL innuendos in DISNEY animations
We will find a number of juxtapositions that attempt to expose the hidden omnipresence of the word “sex”, erect and resting penises, “asses”, “tits”, vaginas and even sexual acts. It is not my intention to argue with the legitimacy of these interpretations or to try to settle accounts with conspiracy theories. However, it is worth remembering that the alleged allusions were smuggled in by adults for adults. You have to have a reference point to see something so direct. Children’s brains are sensitive to subtle symbolism and ignore crude literalism. The child will not see the word “sex” in the churning seeds of dandelions against the dark sky, and will not start masturbating furiously in the cinema, succumbing to subliminal programming and becoming a puppet of deviance to the delight of sinister Disney.
Hidden meaning
It is the adults who will find a penis in the drawing of Minnie Mouse’s dress and they will laugh at the ambiguous jokes inserted on the margins of the action. Perhaps this is the key to the studio’s success – joy for children and comedy for adults in one. However, in the face of so many reports about the alleged harmfulness of sexual themes in Disney fairy tales, my curiosity was aroused by the opposite question – can it be useful? It should be remembered that sexuality is not only organs and sex, but also gender identity and partnerships.
Bruno Bettelheim, a child psychoanalyst, in his book The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales, he formulated interesting theses regarding the educational functions of fairy tales, distinguishing them into those of folklore origin, i.e. originating from oral traditions and written down after time (e.g. by the Grimm brothers), and those being a product of modernity, which he distinguished as “Children’s Literature”. Bettelheim argued that fairy tales, originally derived from folk wisdom, offer the depth of educational values, smuggling them in on the basis of meaning given as parables. Meanwhile, modern children’s literature would be characterized by superficiality, and thus – an exclusively entertaining dimension. Although there are some controversies associated with the character of the author, his considerations suggest a direction that also seems appropriate for the analysis of the problem of sexuality in Disney animations. Especially the studio’s classics, i.e. adaptations of fairy tales, provide interesting conclusions. Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast are titles whose interpretation in terms of sex education seems to be justified and even natural.
The first time archetype - Snow White and Sleeping Beauty
Archetypes as elements of both the collective and individual subconscious provide us with primal patterns, unconscious rules of behavior that have been consolidated in the psyche as part of the wisdom of the species through the experiences of many generations. Children’s perception is particularly sensitive to these subliminal messages, due to the trance-like frequency of waves on which their still-developing brains operate and the high neuroplasticity that characterizes them. Therefore, the suspension of disbelief comes naturally to them, and the enthusiastic fun of time travel and experiencing all the emotions resulting from it are possible. For the same reason, fairy tales in the layer of given meanings can smuggle educational values hidden in the symbolic sphere by shaping a given story for many generations. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty seem to hide stories of healthy sexual initiation.
Snow White sings about wanting love at the beginning of the film, but when the prince shows up and shows her favors, the girl runs away in embarrassment. Meanwhile, the evil stepmother, jealous of Snow White’s youthful beauty, orders the servant to take her to the forest and kill her. The servant fails to carry out the order and tells Snow White to run away. Deep in the forest, the princess discovers the neglected house of the seven dwarfs, thinking that orphans live there. With the help of friendly forest animals, she cleans the cabin and cooks. Discovered by the dwarfs, she asks for shelter, promising to do all the household chores in return. Snow White begins to mother the dwarves: she cleans, cooks and even takes care of their hygiene. From the feminist point of view, one could be outraged at the propagated model of the social function of a woman, but I think that this would be a selective and biased interpretation. Yes, the princess takes care of the house, and the dwarves toil in the diamond mine, which clearly shows the traditional division of roles, but taking offense at the reality of 1937, when the fairy tale premiered, does not lead to anything. Especially when we take into account the figure of Grumpy, who mediates surprisingly modern solutions. Grumpy is a chauvinist, he also reveals an attitude that today we would describe as anti-gender. She does not want to listen to Snow White ordering washing before the meal, and even comments that the “new” will soon braid the rest of the beards and perfume. Meanwhile, the other dwarfs have more distance. They trick Grumpy into bathing and braiding him braids as a joke, and even putting a wreath on his head. In this view, Snow White, although reflecting the spirit of the times, remains quite progressive at the same time – Snow White is not only a housekeeper, but also a housewife, the dwarfs show her respect, and the xenophobic Grumpy eventually also takes to her. Above all, however, the fairy tale seems to be about the fear of the first time.
Dwarfs, even though they are not children, as magical creatures remain outside the romantic sphere for Snow White, who, mothering them, can get used to the male gender in safe circumstances devoid of erotic potential, and at the same time learn a partner relationship and mature emotionally. Therefore, when the prince appears for the second time and wakes her up with a kiss, the girl is no longer ashamed – her sexuality is awakened and Snow White is ready to leave the house of dwarfs. The choice of the tool with which the stepmother puts Snow White into a coma is very interesting – a poisoned apple. Does the use of the symbol most commonly associated with the Christian religion (forbidden fruit from the tree of paradise) suggest polemics with the religious view of sexuality? A poisoned apple would then suggest unhealthy sexual restrictions, and Snow White’s dream would suggest erotic dullness as a result of artificial prudery.
Adolescence, a time of rapid and chaotic changes, is characterized, among other things, by emotional disturbances, as a result of which we experience alternating phases of extreme passivity and stagnation with unrestrained activity, and even daring behaviors that are aimed at showing off in front of peers and testing boundaries or discharging internal tension. Fairy tales of temporary imprisonment or immobility of a character who is then freed or goes on an adventure alleviate the anxiety of periods of stagnation and legitimize periods of hyperactivity. A modern example of such a Disney fairy tale is Tangled. Sleeping Beauty also explores this theme by making a cursed dream the subject of a fairy tale, unlike Snow White where apple poisoning is not anticipated by the prophecy and takes place in the final sequence. On the other hand, in the field of sex education a tool that puts the heroine into a “death-like sleep” is again important.
During the royal ball in honor of the birth of Princess Aurora, an evil witch appears curious about the future queen. She is not welcomed, so humiliated, she casts a curse on Aurora: on her 16th birthday, she will prick herself with a spinning wheel spindle and fall into a deep sleep. Even though the royal couple ordered all the spinning wheels in the city to be burned, and the three good fairies hid the girl to raise her safely, the witch manages to lure Aurora to the spinning wheel she has conjured, and the curse is fulfilled. Earlier, however, the princess meets a young man in the forest and falls in love with each other. The young man turns out to be Prince Philip, heir to the throne of a kingdom befriended by Aurora’s parents, appointed as her husband when they were both children. Filip wakes Aurora up with a kiss, and the couple live happily ever after. The act of pinpricking raises the issue of loss of virginity, possibly the first menstruation, which is the physical maturity of a woman, without any fuss. Here, however, we have a threat context. The stab is related to the fulfillment of a curse that only true love can break.
It will not be a discovery to conclude that just as Snow White familiarizes you with the prospect of an erotic relationship, Sleeping Beauty completes the message with a warning that sex without affection can lead to negative consequences. No matter what we think about casual sex as adults, as children we need a clear polarity. Only after gathering our own experiences are we able to make informed decisions. That is why the young man Aurora falls in love with is Philip, who was destined for her from childhood – the fairy tale increases the importance of the feeling that connects them with the category of destiny. However, it is also noteworthy that Aurora’s father is ready to break the alliance with Philip’s kingdom before the accidental acquaintance of the young comes to light, thinking that his daughter has fallen in love with another and will be happy with him.
The archetype of a daddy's girl - Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella
Films such as Monster-in-Law or Meet the Parents draw on the potential for comedic conflicts between the fiancé’s mother and the heroine or the fiancée’s father and the hero. The situations in which the characters find themselves are a consequence of the Oedipal imbalance between the child and the parent of the opposite sex. Or the parent is unable to let the child go, that is, to grow up by “finally” starting his own family; or the child is not able to “finally” reject safety, i.e. choose independence and responsibility by starting his own family; or worse yet, it is caused by a toxic mix of both. The nightmare of conflict with the parent of the romantic object is as old as time. It is not surprising then that the desire to adapt the child to a healthy life in the family, i.e., among other things, a healthy solution to the Oedipal conflict, is also noticeable in the oldest fairy tales. As a reminder, we deal with the Oedipal conflict at the stage of development, during which we show jealousy of the parent of the opposite sex, perceiving the other as a rival. Although the Oedipal phase is heterosexual in nature, it (supposedly) applies to each of us, and its course determines the patterns of later romantic relationships, regardless of sexual orientation. The didactic function of Beauty and the Beast, including the role of the girl’s father, is invaluable and in the field of sex education there is probably no better fairy tale, because the message it carries is complete. In the literal layer, it teaches about the superiority of noble feelings and intentions over superficiality and primitive instincts. On the symbolic level, it not only familiarizes with the perspective of sexual initiation, but also with adulthood as such – mature romantic partnership and independence within the family. Cinderella plays a minor supporting role here.
The value of Bella that we are supposed to identify with is her personality. External beauty is not its most important feature for us. Three almost identical beauties always appear together to emphasize that beauty is not everything – the lack of personality makes them banal and boring, one of many.
Unlike most fairy tales, Beauty and the Beast also addresses the male gender separately within one story. At Disney, the fairy tale begins with the story of a prince (not a princess!), turned into a monster as a consequence of his inability to see true inner beauty. It is him who is cursed, which can only be broken by true love, and the rose received from the witch marks his time – it will bloom until his 21st birthday, but then it will start to wither. The beast must fall in love with each other before the last petal falls. Then his entire castle will be disenchanted, declining for the duration of the curse, shrouded in darkness, with servants enchanted into animated objects. Bella, on the other hand, is a beautiful, but also extremely smart and good daughter of an inventor. She lives in a small town where both her father’s visionary nature and her intelligence are seen as aberrations. Bella’s passion for books and her lack of interest in Gaston, the local hottie (and boor), are considered eccentric. One day, Bella’s father accidentally ends up in the Beast’s enchanted castle. The hostile host considers this an invasion and imprisons the old man in the tower. Bella goes on a search and finds her father, but the Beast discovers Bella. The girl decides to take the prisoner’s place to save him.
Although at first the Beast is … a beast, a rough and violent type, when Bella tries to escape and is attacked by wolves – he saves her life at the risk of his own. The girl returns the favor and instead of leaving him unconscious to his fate, she decides to take the Beast back to the castle and treat him. He stays, and thanks to the girl’s kindness and wisdom, Beast has a chance to reveal his gentle and caring face. A feeling develops between them, which matures when the Beast lets Bella go. The implications of the relationships presented in the fairy tale are salutary for the Oedipal phase of the child’s development. It shows the positive aspects of attachment to the parent of the opposite sex and the healthy process of maturation, including transformations – transferring these feelings to a life partner. Bella does not seek marriage, rejecting Gaston’s proposal regardless of his physical attractiveness and the possibility of gaining a certain social status. Her actions are not motivated by romantic elation, but curiosity about the world, her own passion and attachment to her father – she is not yet ready for male-female relationships. The Beast, on the other hand, embodies her fear of sexuality, the physical aspect of the relationship between a woman and a man, perceived by her as bestiality. Deciding to take her father’s place in the tower, and then staying with the Beast of her own free will, i.e. agreeing to separate from her parent, Bella takes a step towards independence and resolving the Oedipal conflict. Under the influence of love, the Beast turns out to be a beautiful young man – again only the feeling legitimizes the union of the couple. Consent to a sexual relationship occurs as long as it is a derivative of love – then the man does not turn out to be a brutal animal. The supplementary interpretation in the context of psychoanalysis is also adequate: the relationship between Beauty and the Beast is subjecting the id (our animal drives) to humanization and socialization through the superego (moral compass). It is also in line with Freud’s thesis: as long as a child shows Oedipal attachment to the parent, he must feel aversion to the opposite sex, which excludes incest and strengthens the stability of the family. The literary prototype preceded Freud by centuries.
The main theme of the symbolic layer of Cinderella is the rivalry between siblings. The escalation of negative emotions in a child who feels that parents favor a sister or brother is disproportionate to reality, which does not diminish their severity. Such a child can find an outlet by identifying with the figure of the pushed around Cinderella, and feel relief and satisfaction when the heroine is finally exalted. It gives him the feeling that the lowered self-esteem is temporary. The source of jealousy is usually not the behavior of the siblings, their skills or positive qualities, but the parents, their positive valorization of the “rival”, which does not necessarily mean favoritism. When we add to this the hardships of the Oedipal phase, the beneficial processing of the situation becomes immeasurably more complicated for the child. On the subject of Oedipal attachment, Cinderella offers a salutary release of shame and guilt. The heroine of the fairy tale lives in unworthy conditions of poverty and dirt, hence her nickname, and the cruel stepmother and her mean daughters constantly humiliate her. Therefore, it is closer to the child who, unable to understand that his feelings for the parent of the opposite sex and antagonizing the other, feel ashamed and dirty. However, with Cinderella finally becoming a princess, the little viewer understands that their well-being will also improve, because they deserve it and are valuable no matter what.
The archetype of sexism?
Doubts about the beneficial impact of some fairy tales are also raised by the difference in addressing genders and the physical representation of women, which would perpetuate stereotypes. It might seem that girls are mainly told about finding love, and boys about looking for adventures. With some exceptions, of course, such as, for example, Pocahontas (the heroine chooses her identity instead of a relationship – I deliberately ignore the sequels that ruin this solution), Mulan (saves China), Tangled (the curiosity of the world pushes Rapunzel to escape from the tower in search of adventures), well and above all – Beauty and the Beast, an exceptional example, a complete fairy tale. However, there is no denying that wherever we are dealing with a romantic thread, the heroine is a real chick (Pocahontas, Mulan and Rapunzel too, and Bella is even predestined by her name), with some examples of actual exaggeration, such as the highly coquettish Megara (Hercules) from impossibly narrow waist.
Meanwhile, Bettelheim argued that fairy-tale images cannot be read literally also in terms of the gender of the characters, while he considered the extraordinary beauty of the princesses to be a deliberate tool to reach the child’s subconscious. Apparently, regardless of the gender of the main character, the situations and solutions offered by fairy tales remain universal and equally didactic in the symbolic layer for children of both sexes, and the male and female gender represent, above all, the duality of human nature. On the other hand, the attractiveness of the protagonists would serve to easily identify with the appropriate character, because ambivalence could distort the message. Therefore, the characters are either good or bad (hence the unequivocal atrocities they commit, which also aroused some controversy); either wise or foolish; either virtuous or wicked; either industrious or lazy; either beautiful or ugly. Filling the story with opposing characters is not intended to indicate which one is better, but to emphasize the difference between their attitudes and the child’s unconscious identification with the one who unequivocally evokes sympathy. It is allegedly too early for the ambiguity and complexity of human nature, because the child’s personality is not yet relatively integrated and it needs positive role models.
I honestly admit that the arguments for the attractiveness of the characters appeal to me only moderately, and the belief in the universality of identification regardless of gender – even less so. The greatest opposition to these theories is the case of the Beast and Gaston, i.e. two opposing male characters: a good monster and a handsome monster (Gaston wanted to throw Bella’s father into a madhouse and murder the Beast). It is the monster, not the handsome man, who is the hero here, designed to identify boys with a specific attitude towards women – only respect, tenderness and understanding make a beautiful prince. The example of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is also puzzling. Quasimodo is ugly and good, nevertheless Esmeralda is beautiful and the knight Phoebus is handsome, and it seems that behind these characters there is an intention to identify with their attitude towards Quasimodo. The Hunchback… teaches tolerance and empathy, but it also poses a risk of not addressing the possibility of identifying with Quasimodo – the hunchback deserves a decent life, respect and friendship, but Esmeralda, for example, is beyond his reach. I remember the overwhelming sense of injustice when, as a child, I expected a beautiful gypsy woman to choose the bell ringer. In addition, the desire for eternal beauty and youth has often been a distinguishing feature of the antagonists. Again, Bettelheim’s arguments seem more like biased opinions that fit his thesis than analysis. I don’t think it’s possible to take a conclusive position here. All the more so because there is a lack of fairy tales about love with heroes outside the scheme that could be subjected to a comparative analysis.
The educational values of more contemporary Disney titles, which are less based on classic fairy tales, are not so deep, and their symbolic layer – if it exists at all – is usually poor. They are therefore the equivalent of Bettelheim’s category of “children’s literature”, offering mostly superficial entertainment. Nevertheless, it seems reasonable to conclude that in considering their impact on the young viewer, first of all, one should reject the adult’s point of view and make efforts to understand the differences between the two perspectives. While the statement that every Disney fairy tale with a dominant romantic theme brings added value in the field of sex education would be false, the belief that the sexual subtext contained in them is harmful is also incorrect. The layer in which messages about sexuality are adapted to the child’s psyche carries positive content. On the other hand, the layer in which adults look for alarming allusions does not carry them at all for the child. There are games between adults as to whether fairy tales should be more politically correct or more “decent”. Fortunately, children will get the best out of them.
Weronika Lipińska