Fairy Hands

“The Trouble With Disney’s Teeny, Tiny Princesses,” written by Philip Cohen, brings up some interesting points and factual evidence comparing male and female characters in Disney fairytale movies. The article is written with logos appeal, providing picture proof from fairytale movies along with statistics comparing men and women’s body sizes to prove how Disney exaggerates male and female bodies. The pictures reference Frozen, How to Train Your Dragon 2,Gnomeo and Juliet, Hercules, Tangled and Brave and all show male hands being overwhelmingly large compared to female hands. Cohen “checked a detailed report that the Army commissioned to design its equipment and uniforms. In real American adults, for example, men’s wrists are on average only about 15% larger in circumference than women’s.” This statistic proves how outlandish Disney’s characters are in terms of size. This research comes from the Army, a credible source, and furthers the logos appeal. While the statistics prove Cohen’s point, at the beginning article he states: “A culture populated by absurdly small princesses and hulking male heroes can change the way men and women see themselves.” I found no evidence of this argument being expanded in the article. It is very interesting and I would like to see research and opinions on the topic but none of those could be found in this article. I was looking forward to more evidence in the end of the article but it wasn’t present. One of the final paragraphs began with questions: “Can men warmly nurture children and work as nurses? Can women successfully lead families and companies?” I was hoping to find answers rather than questions. Other than this, I found the article to be informative and I will think about Disney movies differently in the future.