Relevant Nerd Credentials
- Grew up watching and loving this movie
- Took an introductory sociology class in college
There are a lot of complaints about the “classic” Disney princess movies, but one of the most oft-maligned is Sleeping Beauty. Princess Aurora spends half the movie doing the titular sleeping, has little personality other than being vaguely charming, and is generally shuffled about the plot by other people. When compared to rebellious Ariel, adventure-seeking Belle, or even prince-awaiting Snow White, Aurora seems even more passive.
That artwork though. And Aurora’s design is so unique among all the princesses.
However, I submit to you that Sleeping Beauty is miles ahead of these movies and many later ones that get a lot more credit for being feminist (or just interesting). How can I say this, you ask?
Let’s start by talking about the Bechdel test. There are a couple variations, but I like this one. Essentially, for a movie to pass the Bechdel test, it must meet three seemingly-simple requirements:
- It must have at least two named female characters.
- These characters must have at least one conversation.
- This conversation must be about something other than a man.
Seems straightforward enough, right? Let’s apply it.
The Little Mermaid: Nails #1 & #2 right away with Ariel and Ursula and their bargaining, but that bargain is only struck because Ariel is in love with Eric, a man. No pass.
Beauty & the Beast: #1 & #2 are passed again with Belle and Mrs. Potts and their little chats, but all of those chats center around the Beast or her dad. No pass.
Pocahontas: #1 & #2 pass with Pocahontas, Grandmother Willow, and Nakoma (bet you couldn’t remember her name though, ‘cause neither could I) and they all have plenty of conversations throughout the movie. However, in every one, John Smith, Kocoum, or Pocahontas’s dad is brought up or is the complete center. No pass.
Mulan: #1 is dicey since apart from Mulan there’s her mother and grandmother, but blink and you’ll miss hearing their names. There’s also “the Matchmaker”, but she doesn’t have a name. For #2, Mulan talks with all of these women, but again, all of those conversations are about her dad or about a potential future husband. No pass.
I could go on and on, because it’s honestly shocking how many movies—aka, most—can’t pass this test. It’s not exclusively a Disney problem either. Think of your favorite action, adventure, mystery, sci-fi, or thriller movie, and it probably doesn’t pass.
Sad face at you, Lord of the Rings.
How about Sleeping Beauty, this 50’s-era animated princess film, though?
Sleeping Beauty: Passes #1 with Aurora, Flora, Fauna, Merryweather, and Maleficent (Aurora’s mother does actually have a name, but it’s never mentioned in the movie itself). Passes #2 with the many, many conversations between our fairy ladies. And whooo! Grabs that elusive #3 with those conversations centering around Aurora and her well-being and how to defeat Maleficent (or kill Aurora, if we’re in a Maleficent POV).
The thing is, the Bechdel test is just a baseline, a bare minimum to meet. Sleeping Beauty soars past that minimum since all of the main characters are women. All of the people making choices, stirring things up, solving problems—they’re all women.
What about Princess Aurora? That bland but beautiful main character? I would say that while the plot revolves around her, she’s not actually the main character. The fairies are.
Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are the important arrivals at the baby-party ceremony that opens the movie. They’re the ones offering solutions once the Maleficent has laid her curse, first with Merryweather mitigating the effects with her blessing and then all three brainstorming once King Stefan insists on doing something more. They’re the ones who hide Aurora and raise her and try to rescue her once Maleficent steals her away at the castle. They’re also the ones who rescue Prince Philip, arm him, and guide him to his victory against Maleficent.
People like to say that Philip rescues Aurora. That’s kind of true; he’s definitely the one wielding the sword and riding the horse. But that rescue would have been impossible without our fairy ladies leading him to his goal. Without them, Philip would living a sad life in Maleficent’s little prison, listening to her taunt him every few years.
Speaking of, that brings us to Maleficent. Our cunning mistress of all evil is just that—a mistress! A woman! She plots, follows through on promises, takes precautions against loopholes in her curse being exploited, bosses around armies of minions. She loses in the end, but it’s not for lack of commitment or action.
What’s even greater about all these characters is that they’re not trying to be men. Disney didn’t make them women with an axe to grind or women who need to prove that they’re better than men or women who are basically men with different anatomy. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are definitely little old fairy ladies doing their best, and that best is laudable. Even Maleficent is distinctly female.
I feel that that femininity is also acknowledged in Flora and Fauna’s gifts to Aurora. They don’t tamper with her mind by making her a great strategist or philosopher. They leave her personality and desires alone, instead giving her unquestionably advantageous physical attributes for a woman. She’s free to be her own person, her own kind of ruler, with a minor leg up in the world. A beautiful face and voice are probably more useful gifts than whatever golden spoons King Hubert brought.
All of these women are allowed to be themselves and it’s their very personalities that drive this story. It’s delightful to see a movie where there’s such variety in femininity and personality, where we don’t just have one woman to represent all possible perspectives.
Isn’t it wonderful?
I could ramble on and on about this movie, but I’ll stop here. This movie is a masterpiece and deserves a lot more credit for its efforts.
But that’s just how I feel about it. What do you think?
Other Spiffy Articles
- The Last of the Classic Disney Greats: Sleeping Beauty
- How Sleeping Beauty Is Accidentally the Most Feminist Animated Movie Disney Ever Made
0 comments:
Post a Comment