Do Animated Disney Characters Portray and Promote the Beauty–Goodness Stereotype?

ASU Author/Contributor (non-ASU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Doris Bazzini Ph.D, Professor (Creator)
Lisa Curtin Ph.D., Professor and Clinical M.A Program Director (Creator)
Denise M. Martz Ph.D., Professor and Assistant Chair (Creator)
Institution
Appalachian State University (ASU )
Web Site: https://library.appstate.edu/

Abstract: The films of Walt Disney have served as icons of childhood over the last century. The Disney Corporation’s success is evidenced in its financial fortitude. In 1995, Walt Disney Company had the biggest market share, relative to the number of releases, at 19% (Smith & Thompson, 1996). In 1997, Disney had sales of nearly $24 billion. This made Disney the world’s second largest media firm behind Time Warner. As of mid-2007, Disney was a Dow 30 company, with annual revenues of nearly $34 billion in its previous fiscal year (“Disney Acquires Club Penguin,” 2007). Films for children contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to Disney annually (Robertson, 1998). One researcher suggested that Disney films inspire at least as much cultural authority and legitimacy for teaching specific roles, values, and ideals than more traditional sites of learning, such as public schools, religious institutions, and the family (Giroux, 1995). Their popularity among children and adults has led a handful of researchers to assess character portrayals within these films. For instance, Robinson, Callister, Magoffin, and Moore (2007) recently evaluated Disney’s portrayal of the elderly.

Additional Information

Publication
Denise Martz, Doris Bazzini, Lisa Curtin, Serena Joslin, Shilpa Regan (2010) "Do Animated Disney Characters Portray and Promote the Beauty–Goodness Stereotype?" Journal of Applied Social Psychology Volume 40 Issue 10 pp. 2697-2709 Version of Record Available From (www.wileyonlinelibrary.com) [DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2010.00676.x]
Language: English
Date: 2010
Keywords
Disney Characters, social psychology

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