I won't lie: The Little Mermaid was one of my favorite movies. I had a mermaid barbie, and my mom and I always jammed out to the soundtrack in the car. But what did I learn from this movie? Despite the "feel good" message of "being a good girl and winning a prince" I also got the message that the only way to be a good girl is to lose your voice, attract a man through good looks, and be an obedient adolescent.
"What?!?" you say. Well, take a look at what transpires between Ursula and Ariel as they make a deal to change Ariel into a human:
"( [Ursula:] Have we got a deal?
[Ariel:] If I become human, I'll never be with my father or
sisters again.
[Ursula:] But you'll have your man. Life's full of tough choices,
innit?
Oh - and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the
subject of payment.
[Ariel:] But I don't have any -
[Ursula:] I'm not asking much. Just a token, really, a trifle.
What I want
from you is . . . your voice.
[Ariel:] But without my voice, how can I -
[Ursula:] You'll have your looks! Your pretty face! And don't
underestimate
the importance of body language! Ha! )
The men up there don't like a lot of blabber
They think a girl who gossips is a bore
Yes, on land it's much preferred
For ladies not to say a word
And after all, dear, what is idle prattle for?
Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation
True gentlemen avoid it when they can
But they dote and swoon and fawn
On a lady who's withdrawn
It's she who holds her tongue who gets her man"
Now, as a child, I never realized what these lyrics truly meant, I just thought that the witch was an evil. no good villain. But as an adult, I see the error of my ways. The message is clear without all the bright colors and neat music. Women are meant to be seen, not heard. If you're heard, you'll lose your man because he doesn't want to hear what you have to say anyway.
So, this is the message I was being taught through a wonderful movie about "true love." Funny, huh? A movie that was supposed to inspire me, was really teaching me to be quiet and really forget that I had any type of intellect at all.
Carroll, Pat, and Jodi Benson. "Poor Unfortunate Souls Lyrics." 5 May 2007 <http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/thelittlemermaid/poorunfortunatesouls.htm>.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment