Sleeping Beauty Reflection

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As I watched sleeping beauty I realized very quickly that I never watched this movie as a child. I do not feel as though my childhood was any less magical and exciting because I watched one less Disney princess movie. It was interesting to watch it for the first time as a 19 year old college student. I was able to objectively view the film because I did not have any previous attachment to it or love for it. From the very beginning of the movie there were several scenes that portrayed ideas that we have discussed in our writing class. There we many instances where I had to question if they had really said what they said or acted the way that they acted. But I had to keep in mind that this film was made a long time ago and that what was considered okay then is most definitely not okay now. 
The most alarming part of the movie were the gifts that were presented from the fairies. There were three gifts given to Princess Aurora on the day of her birth. The first was the gift of beauty, the second was the gift of song, and the third was a true kiss to break the cursed spell from Maleficent. I would hope that it would go without explaining why these gifts are somewhat worrisome, but I will still elaborate. The first two gifts are things that will enhance Aurora’s physical appearance and desirableness. And the last gift can only be granted by a man. The message that these gifts are sending to young girls could be very negative. For instance, they cannot control how beautiful they are or how well they can sing. But this movie is placing a lot of importance on those two things. Disney portrays these two characteristics as what makes Aurora so special and easy to fall in love with. The third gift sends the message that it does not matter what danger or harm comes her way as long as she has her prince charming to save her. They could have given her the gift of kindness and generosity and curiosity but instead stuck to physical appearances that will make her appear dreamy. On the bright side she did seem to be a kind young woman but her personality was not what was highlighted about her. 
The fairies also gave two gifts to Prince Phillip. They granted him these gifts as he prepared to save Princess Aurora. The first gift was a shield of virtue, and the second gift was a sword of truth. These gifts were things that represented strength, courage, and fearlessness. Are these characteristics only fitting for a man? Just by the gifts that the fairies gave, women are made to appear frail and dependent while men are hard core and independent. Men can stand on their own but women need a man to save them or at least to love them and give them worth. 

I am not fully convinced that children can be corrupted by Disney but I do believe that the visual media that we intake can have a great effect on our minds. Watching this movie now, I was honestly pretty frustrated at times. I have always believed that girls are strong, independent, adventurous, and can accomplish whatever they want on their own. This film failed to inspire me to be courageous but rather inspired me to find a man and let him take care of me for the rest of my life. To say the least Sleeping Beauty is not my kind of movie.

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