Reconciling feminism and children’s entertainment

Many of us — I’d venture to say that the vast majority of us — grew up enjoying the media and entertainment of popular culture. The commercials, toys, TV shows, movies, and books of our childhood socialized us in a way that was enjoyable. This explains why people get so defensive when popular culture comes under fire for being subtly sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, ageist, etc. With all the problems in the world, can’t we at least have our entertainment? Aren’t there bigger fish to fry than Disney movies and Barbie’s?

Well, yes, there are, but in my opinion, while we work to improve the lives of people suffering all over the world, we must also be cognizant of the ways inequality is reinforced in our own homes and schools. We should strive to apply feminist critique to all areas of our lives, because the inequalities that lead to tragedy all over the world are the same ones that are subtly reinforced in our popular culture.

As someone who grew up on Disney princess movies, Barbie’s, toy kitchens, vanities, and everything pink, these things hold a special place in my heart. I become nostalgic thinking about my favorite dolls, costume dresses, and toy baking oven. Is all of that bad? I don’t think so, but I do know that the culture I grew up in is problematic.

Because while I grew to love makeup, clothes, and all things feminine, I also learned that boys were the ones who were brave, strong, and adventurous. Little girls learn from their peers and from adults that “girl” things are domestic and appearance based (toy kitchens, dolls, dress up clothes, toy vanities). Boys, on the other hand, learn that “boy” things are constructive and destructive (building blocks, trucks, action figures, superheroes).

Gender roles are also reinforced in children’s movies, books, and TV shows. Every movie I watched as a little girl involved a woman finding her “prince.” Even if the story seems to center around the female protagonist and her actions, the story was never complete until she found love. There’s nothing wrong with sending the message that true love is beautiful and worth striving for, but I doubt my brothers grew up dreaming of their wedding day, when their wife would complete their narrative.

I’m not saying that gendered toys and media geared towards children are malicious or evil, but they are extremely problematic. They are a reflection of our culture’s underlying values and beliefs, and when these values and beliefs are presented in a way that is meant to be entertaining to children, the impact is extremely powerful.

So as feminists, how do we reconcile our childhood favorites with our feminist consciousness? I’m still trying to figure that out. Hopefully in the future I’ll have a better idea, but for now, I appreciate them for what they were but stay aware of the social inequality they reflect. I’ve since watched movies that I loved as a child, but can now see all of the sexism and racism embedded in them. When I’m much older, I will still hold memories of my childhood favorites, but only as relics of a different time. I am hopeful in our ability as a society to change, and only when we change our values will our entertainment change too.

Motherhood is still in the distant future for me, but I imagine that when I have kids I will be very careful as to what they are exposed to and what they are encouraged to like and dislike. Children growing up today are still bombarded with messages of inequality, but if we are diligent in teaching our children that their gender, race, religion, ability, etc. do not define their potential or their place in society, maybe we can combat some of those messages.