By Abby Lass
Editor-in-Chief
This past week, an in-depth study (available here) was released that detailed the gender breakdown of lines spoken by female characters versus male characters in animated Disney films, among other data.
There are some people who claim that this study, which demonstrated that men speak far more often than women in the majority of these films, demonstrates an inherent sexism in these movies– many of which are primarily watched by small, often female, children. Some people claim that it points to a lack of empowerment among the female characters in these films, or to an unfair depiction of women.
While this might be true of some of the films (I’m not going to attempt to defend Cinderella as a feminist feature), I believe that judging a film’s progressiveness solely on the number of words that each character says is an inherently flawed method, and a poor measure of how fairly women are portrayed in the movie.
First, let’s examine two films that fell into the “Men Have 60%+ Lines” category: The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Mulan.
The former film features only two prominent female characters: Esmeralda, a gypsy woman, and Laverne, a talking gargoyle. Though these women only speak about 20% of the lines in this film, they greatly influence the story, helping an entire culture break away from the shameful and unfair treatment it has received at the hands of Judge Frollo.
I’m not going to sugarcoat it, Esmerelda is a force to be reckoned with. She duels with a trained warrior (all the while rolling her eyes at his flirtatious advances), constantly evades capture while simultaneously demanding equality and liberation in highly public settings, and, perhaps most surprisingly, is incredibly sexually liberated.
In a scene that I didn’t entirely grasp as an eight year old, Esmeralda dances in a low-cut red dress for a crowd of onlookers, taunting Judge Frollo seductively after he makes it clear how much he disapproves of her performance. This scene is so demonstrative of her attitude towards others’ expectations: She will do what she wants, when she wants, how she wants, because she wants to, and won’t be bothered by anyone who doesn’t like it. If that’s not the attitude of an empowered individual, I don’t know what is.
I’m not pretending that women don’t need better representation in film and television. It’s no secret that we lack access to interesting characters with complex struggles that go beyond wanting a boy to like us or trying to manage a job and a small child, but to insist that the way we get there is by only giving women more lines is as petty as insisting that your character doesn’t matter because you aren’t a lead.
In terms of Mulan, I don’t think anyone would dare to say that this warrior (who saves all of China, let’s not forget), is not an empowered figure. In order to protect her aging father, the title character joins the army, disguised as a man, and proceeds to use her brains, dedication, and courage to defeat a national threat, both on and off the battlefield. Even people who think that Disney princess films will ruin their daughter’s chances of ever growing up to be a strong, independent woman can stand by this film.
This study, however, does not take her actions into account. Over 70% of the lines in this movie are spoken by men, so clearly Mulan can’t be all that consequential, right?
Not to nitpick, but men speak over 70% of the lines in this film because historically, the army was all male. A huge part of the reason Mulan is so inspiring, and is in so much danger, is because she is breaking that patriarchal tradition– a standard without which this film probably would not exist, or be nearly as exciting.
Conversely, with the structure of this study, Sleeping Beauty almost appears progressive, considering that women speak 64% of the lines in the film. This is also misleading, considering that the film is based on a sorceress being petty enough to cast a curse for not being invited to a party, three semi-capable fairies who spend most of their time arguing about the color of a dress, and one prince that is apparently the only one willing to step up– not to mention the fact that Aurora, supposedly the main character of the film, speaks fewer lines than any other Disney princess. Really empowering, huh?
It should also be noted that only the highest grossing films (the top 2,500 in the US Box Office, according to the site), were studied. This means that movies like Lilo and Stitch, Treasure Planet, and Zootopia, three films that show incredibly hard working, respected, empowered, multidimensional women, were not included in the study. Though their lack of financial success might mean that their reach was not widespread enough to be notable, these films still exist and should not be discounted.
I’m not pretending that women don’t need better representation in film and television. It’s no secret that we lack access to interesting characters with complex struggles that go beyond wanting a boy to like us or trying to manage a job and a small child, but to insist that the way we get there is by only giving women more lines is as petty as insisting that your character doesn’t matter because you aren’t a lead.
The key here is not for screenplay writers to write more, but to write better. Create characters that leave an impact, characters who embody every facet of the human experience– not only whatever they believe the “female experience” might be. Show us characters that seem like fully realized individuals, not a cardboard caricature thrust awkwardly into the production to give people something to look at. Write a character who speaks when she has something to say and acts when she can make a difference, or even when she can’t.
Whether the character never stops talking or never says a word, make her someone that can be on a poster in your daughter’s bedroom without you feeling guilty as a parent.
We’ll all buy a ticket, I promise.
