For my Disney class our final paper requires us to ask people what their responses are to various aspects of the Disney brand (characters, merchandise, parks, films, etc.). I created a survey that focuses on how ND seniors think of Disney animated films, princes and princesses. The questions are as follows:
1. What is your gender?
2. What is your racial/ethnic background?
3. What is your favorite animated Disney film?
4. Which animated character do you best identify with?
5. Which prince/princess would you most like to date? (list provided)
6. Why?
7. If question 5 was changed to “which prince/princess would you most like to marry?” would your answer change and if so why?
The answers so far have been amusing, ridiculous, provocative, and extremely interesting. So far 80 people have taken the survey (48 female, 32 male). As I predicted, Aladdin and Jasmine are thus far the most popular choices. Among the male responses 17% changed their answers in the “date” to “marry” question, and among the female responses 32% changed their answers. The male reasons for their changed answers show a preference for Sleeping Beauty because she cannot talk, Jasmine because she has a rich father, Jane because she is classy and wealthy, and Belle because she is the smartest. The female reasons vary much more but generally show a preference for a greater maturity, social standing, financial situation, and idealized perfection in those whom they would choose to marry instead of date.
Yes, I understand that these are animated characters and do not exist past the 2D medium on which they are preserved. But that’s not the point. The point is that by asking people to use their imaginations past the limitation that one simply cannot date or marry a cartoon character it is possible to explore the way in which people think about relationships in the real world. (I would like to add that animal characters are included, such as Simba and Nala, for purposes of their portrayed personalities) For example, both males and females placed a HUGE degree of importance on physical attractiveness in selecting who they would date/marry. Money and wealth were also significant factors. Some responders even blatantly said they would choose Prince Charming because he is the “prototypical perfect man.” Yes, a lot of people commented on personality as well, and in fact I was impressed by one male response that said he would choose Belle based on her personality and the potential for growth in a relationship with her. Such a response stands in major contrast to “she’s the hottest princess.”
I have yet to decide what my paper is actually going to be about based on my research thus far, but it is definitely revealing to see how some people still draw on the fairy tale ideal of perfection in choosing their mate while others have a much more down-to-earth view that focuses more on if realistically/based on personality they would get along with their selected character.
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At first I thought your survey would be pretty easy to answer; once I saw the list of prince characters available to choose from though, I was a little stumped. It's interesting, because I feel like I would have answered that question differently at different ages. When I was younger, maybe 8-10, I thought Peter Pan was THE coolest. If I had to guess, it was the sense of adventure attached to him as well as his refusal to give up what he wanted: freedom and childhood. Later, probably around 12 years old, I probably would have said Shang from Mulan...mostly because he's a BAMF (yeah Dustin, I used BAMF), and he wasn't a weenie like a lot of the other princes kind of are in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteSo I had to sit there for a couple minutes pondering my choice for the survey. I haven't thought about what Disney prince was my ideal date in a while (that sounds funny, but think about it, everyone did it at least a little when they were a kid, right? you're watching the movie and you're like, "i like this guy, he's cute") I ended up choosing Phoebus. I had actually completely forgot about him until I saw him on the list, but he has that dry sense of humor, he's a BAMF, and he's a little bit rough around the edges... To me, all generally appealing qualities. Maybe if I watched all of the Disney movies again and was keeping the dating thought in mind, my answer would change, but that was the best choice I could make on a whim.
The thing is, each Disney prince figure has appealing qualities. Peter Pan and Aladdin are both "charming," cute, and adventurous. Very cool, but I feel like I've grown out of them; they're like boys, and I'm at an age where they seem too young now. Characters like the Beast, Prince Charming, Prince Eric...all of them have good qualities, but the princes tend to be flat, and honestly, the Beast loses some of his charm when he turns into a regular dude. He's almost like a completely new character, I feel like you don't know him at the end of the movie.
Ok so I just put way too much thought into that, but I wanted to point out that the two-dimensionality and emphasis on particular qualities in Disney characters only adds to the complexity of your survey. But it's definitely still fun to think about. :)