Beat Our Guest: True Love Old As Time

In the original Disney Beauty and The Beast, there is a very clear issue: domestic abuse and stockholm syndrome. This story is held up as a romantic beacon of hope. However, there is nothing loving about locking someone in a castle and being extremely aggressive. The beast becomes kind later on and 'allows' Belle to leave... there is nothing generous or kind abou someone giving you a basic human right they originally took from you. This message to little children is that perhaps your perfect partner is mean and nasty, but that's romance, and hey, over time, they might change and become nice to you! This is abuse being romanticised. ​

In this painting the rose is symbolic of true love and the hand so desperate to be near it is beaten badly. 
Obscene and Not Heard-maid

In The Little Mermaid, Ariel has her voice removed. Yet somehow the prince still falls desperately in love with her in a short space of time (as in all the classics). For me, your voice is one of the most important parts of you. You use it to communicate you and all about you. It's your personality and soul. This message, in my opinion, suggests what's important is your looks, not what's inside. A man will fall in love with your looks, not your truth, opinions or values.

​A Whole New Happy Ending

In Aladdin, Disney chose to dress Jasmin in rather 'sexy clothes' some argue. They say it is completely incorrect for the culture and the time etc so they made a choice to give her skimpy clothing. Part of me agrees with this. The final nail in the coffin came when Jasmin attempts to seduce Jafar. I'd highly doubt we would see a male Disney character trying to 'seduce' anyone.

This picture is to challenge this objectification of Jasmin and the dramatic addition of the barcode can elude to the sex trade which always heavily links to the consistent objectification of women.
Sweet 16 Seduction

Another painting focused on Aladdin and the absurd sexualisation of Jasmine. Another representation of how sex sells even in a children's film. 
Mer-Maid to Measure: A Tail of What Matters (1 and 2)

In The Little Mermaid, Ariel changes fundamental parts of herself in order to meet and be with the prince. Giving up her singing voice, swapping her tail for legs and even gives up her home and identity for good. For me, it uncomfortably mirrors our plastic surgery world, in the name of beauty and often for the purpose of appearing attractive for a mate. Ouch.
 Mer-Maid to Measure

This was my initial sketch idea before I created the idea with acrylics. The mermaid pieces were some of my favourite pieces, drawing a lot of attention from viewers online.
The Perfect Fit

To the left, this painting is predominantly using the Cinderella story to highlight another societal problem. This constant need for perfection as a woman and the messages in the media, films, books, adverts etc that constantly tell women to be more perfect, which nearly always comes at a detriment to yourself!

In Cinderella you see an entire town of women desperately trying to fit into this one shoe in order to be the prince's future wife. It certainly can send a message to little girls of what is important, finding love and being the 'special' woman that can achieve this perfect man... every woman in the town was at it... pretty strong message for a little girl to see about what the priorities are for a woman. ​

In China, traditionally, it has been seen as attractive if women have small feet. So thousands and thousands of women have actually been bounding their feet which has created deformities and serious pain... all to be attractive for a mate.
Tangled in Ageing

This piece is inspired by Tangled but also this message is given in a couple others. In Tangled it highlights the trauma of the imposter 'mother' goes through trying to turn back ageing and creating her as an evil character. 

​This just sadly adds another message to an impressionable little girl (who's already heard this from so many influencers) ageing for a woman is terrifying and their downfall. Don't age.
Ageing: Defying The Fairest Of Them All
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This painting is questioning an undertone in a few Disney movies which suggests that the worst thing to happen to a woman is to age and lose her beauty.
The two most obvious films where ageing is an issue is in Snow White and Tangled. 
In Snow White the Queen is outraged that someone is prettier and more youthful than her so she poisons Snow White. In Tangled the old woman imprisons a child for many years to use the girl’s magic hair to keep herself young.
I’ve used an hourglass to symbolise the time creeping down as women age and the Poisonous Apple as a symbol from Snow White building at the bottom. A woman is screaming in frustration and anger at the inevitable fate: Ageing.
Beauty-ful Consent

In Sleeping Beauty (and a couple of others, see if you can guess!) it is acceptable that the prince kisses the princess to wake her up. What a hero! This may seem pretty minor, but in a world where sexual consent is constantly disrespected, this is another stitch to that painful tapestry so many women have to come to terms with. The message is subtly suggesting an unconscious woman can be touched sexually, and thats ok. 
Picture

Snow Wait: Someday My Prince Will Come 

This painting is all about Snow White (but also the message can be compared to a few other Disney classics - again, see if you can find which ones!) where the main purpose and focus for Snow White is to wait for a prince. There's no proactive nature, she just waits. There's no other ambition, drive or purpose other than wanting her love! Subtly (or not so subtly) sending a message that desires of women tend to be about love. There's no other aspirations. And not only that but the entire "hero's journey" in the story is by the prince. She just sits there: passive.

Thank goodness this has begun to change with some of the later Disney films. Either way, if this is what your little girl is watching, along with a few of the other classics.... and hell maybe even you are watching - many of the films aimed at women in the film industry are still focused on love. Just luckily, women aren't as passive anymore.
Jane The Fragile Damsel

In Tarzan, Jane plays the traditional pathetic female that traditional films have played on for years: Damsel in distress. The woman couldn't protect or look after herself and needed a man to save her many times.

I have created her in this painting as porcelain, cracked and the head of a doll that has fallen off... damaged.

How very fragile a woman is!
Heterosexual Ever After

Throughout Disney we don't have any same sex romance. I once asked a load of gay men when they first knew they were gay... all of them said between 6 and 8.

A friend of mine shared (and broke my heart) that when he was a little boy he just knew he was different. And "knew he would be alone". He couldn't consider the notion of having a relationship because as a child, from stories, TV, parents.. same sex relationships didn't exist.

If we are to truly give equality to LGBT it means the notion of being LGBT is just as normal as being heterosexual... which would mean kids films, books, tv etc should have a range of same sex relationships. 

Imagine how differently my friend would have thought if he saw a Disney film of two princes (I say princes for the cliché) falling in love. 
Brave Your Size

In the Disney movie Brave, Disney purposely created a non stereotypical 'perfect' female- they give her a body that’s less anorexic and wild hair. This is a good move.

​HOWEVER, it was even more depressing then, that when the merchandise came out that they once again made her terribly skinny, and made her hair less crazy and more sexy. They did this in order to sell more. Backtracking on their morals.
Diversify A Little Deeper

This one is aimed at The Princess and The Frog and Disney. They had one black Disney “princess” film. To me, it felt like a tick box for diversity. And then they continued to make white Disney films. 
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It was fantastic they did it of due to the gross lack of black characters in the past, but Disney are here to lead the way for children’s films. They can lead the societal changes. So we need more multicultural mixes together in Disney - to lead the way as “the norm” not an occasional tick box. 
Starving To Perfection 

This painting is depicting the ludicrous beauty standards all the protagonist females set. To any young girl wanting to identify with the princess it’s going to be hard to not notice the totally unattainable bodies they all have. 
So for me, this painting shows a classic Disney princess (Belle) stuffing her face with cake in desperation- as if a starving model that has finally lost it and binges in a rage!