Traditional Masculinity in Disney's The Little Mermaid - Essay Sample

Introduction

Male is represented in The Little Mermaid film to have the characteristic of traditional masculinity. The concept of masculinity shows that there is a difference between men and women that is inherent. It also depicts men to be reliable, robust, violent, active, and aggressive, among others, compared to women (Meyer, Anneke & Katie 115). A man holds to these beliefs due to their physical strength, having a muscular, healthy, and fit body, and also possessing a resilient mental attitude. Also, traditional masculinity shows a man to have all the information and knowledge that enables him to solve difficult mental challenges and think logically. All these characteristics of conventional masculinity are shown in The Little Mermaid displayed by King Triton over Ariel. A lot of trust is put on male companions by Ariel due to the look and physical fitness possessed by male characters in the film. The essay will elaborate more on the Subconscious Influence of Masculinity in the Media

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Men on the land and under the sea have all the positions of power in the whole film. King Triton is authoritative, reliable, and influential, mostly when dealing with his most troubling and youngest daughter Ariel (Meyer, Anneke & Katie 119). The communication between King Triton and the daughter is usually made of him dominating her, who is typical for a father toward her daughter. However, the body language of the father is upright, confident, and secure while the body language of the daughter is slouched and weak. Moreover, King Triton shows a lack of compassion and understanding toward 'Ariel's feelings in the area where he shouts at her for missing her first performance. This is the similar dominance portrayed in the traditional masculinity.

In accordance with the traditional masculinity, men are believed to think logically, know what is suitable for everyone, and possess knowledge. This is clearly shown in The Little Mermaid film, where Ariel goes to find instruction from a male friend, Scuttle, on the human object she found in the ocean (Meyer, Anneke & Katie 124). Ariel believes what Scuttle tells her because he is a logical and wise man. Despite Scuttle claiming the fork to be dinglehopper, it was used by people to acquire aesthetically pleasing looks. Ariel believed fully in Scuttle, which demonstrates the way women trust in men, also known as world knowledge. Furthermore, this scene makes Ariel seem to be unintelligent, thereby legitimizing male dominance and supporting their intellectual superiority.

Another knowledge that is seen to be possessed by men in the film is seen where King Triton shout again to Ariel since she went to the surface. The anger comes to King Triton because he believes that Ariel might get hurt by one of the barbarians on the show. However, Ariel attempts to explain herself, but King Triton could not listen to her because he knew he was right, and she was wrong (Meyer, Anneke & Katie 126). The idea held by King Triton that he knew what is best for her is the same concept that was held in the traditional masculinity mindset. One of the characteristics held in traditional masculinity is that man is powerful and influential, and if not, then he is not man enough. All the men having a position of power in The Little Mermaid like Prince Eric and King Triton have a masculine body with healthy and big muscle (Meyer, Anneke & Katie 129). However, secondary men in the movie, such as Flounder, are emotionally weak and scared while Grimsby seems to be physically weak and lacks any position of power in the film. This shows the idea that; man has to be physically healthy and fit for him to acquire a position of strength.

Moreover, traditional masculinity holds that men must be physically strong and fit for their sex drive to be satisfied. This is demonstrated well where Ariel is tried to be convinced by Ursula, and she needs to be assisted in the song, Poor Unfortunate Souls. One of the lyrics says that one wants to get a girl, and what can be seen in him is a weak, slouched, and sad merman (Meyer, Anneke & Katie 131). The lyrics go on that such man needs assistance. Ursula is then seen to use magic so that merman can become active and significant, and he becomes happier, and he acquires the girl's affection. Hence, this clearly shows the Old Man masculinity is that one has to be physically healthy and fit to win girls' love and acquire power.

Gillam defines alpha males to be similar to power, dominance, and leadership in human social organizations. The alpha male refers to the stereotypical believes, such as social dominance, physical strength, and unquestioned authority, among others (Gillam, Ken & Shannon 33). Alpha male does not share his feeling nor ask a question. An alpha male portrays bravery, courage, strength, and analytical in all steps and moves he takes. An alpha male understands that each decision or action he makes affects others, and therefore, he is cautious in his decision.

Alpha male and toxic masculinity have various similarities. Jackson's speech shows that big boys should not cry as it shows a sign of weakness, and they are not men enough (Jackson 13). Wooden and Gillam look at the way Disney shows alpha males within their films. Disney portrays male characters to have ideal ways of finding solutions to fix problems and coming up with ultimate happiness. In the movies by Steve Martin, George Banks deals with the daughter's wedding as an overprotective father. Mr. Bank is seen to be unsupportive, insensitive, cheap, lacking common sense, and unreasonable. He seemed unable to deal with his emotions as his daughter joins adulthood. However, his perception ultimately changed his feeling and came around later.

Conclusion

Masculinity has the roles, behaviors, and attributes that define a man. The media and society define masculinity to be how a man expresses his characteristics, behaviors, and functions. Both the media and society expect masculinity from the male gender. A man cannot portray signs of weakness, negativity, uncertainty, bad behaviors, and indecisiveness (Jackson 15). The Little Mermaid clearly shows this behavior through male characters in the film like Prince Eric and King Triton. Their dominant position and dominance, as well as physical strength, are qualities used in Old Man masculinity (Meyer, Anneke & Katie 132).

However, society is shifting from this belief of men being better in the promotion of gender equality. Nevertheless, due to the popularity of The Little Mermaid among children, it still influences gender roles. It is harsh for the children to deny them watching a film like The Little Mermaid as they are entertaining and enjoyable to see. Therefore, girls and boys should be educated from the young age on gender representation and equality in movies. Hence they will be able to watch Disney classic without being negatively influenced by the gender stereotype films. Also, values and behaviors may determine to be manly like the values that come with marrying result to every man having the desire to marry, such as Heck. Finally, toxic masculinity has been identified in the film. In a scene, King Triton appears to be a poor listener and unsupportive to his daughter. Therefore, the film and the book represents being a man within a society to mean having power, knowledge, thinking logically, possession of manly behaviors, and values.

Work Cited

Gillam, Ken and Shannon R. Wooden. Post-Princess Models of Gender. From Inquiry to Academic Writing: A Text and Reader. 4 th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2018.30-36

Jackson, Eldra, directior. How I Unlearned Dangerous Lesson About Masculinity. TEDNovember, 2018, 12-18

Meyer, Anneke, and Katie Milestone. Gender & Popular Culture. 113-145. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2012. Print

The Little Mermaid. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, Walt Disney Pictures, 17 Nov. 1989.