The portrayal of women in Cinderella movies

Abstract

This study analyzed how women were portrayed in the Cinderella (1950) and Cinderella (2015) films. Specifically, it answered the following questions: 1) how were women portrayed in terms of physical appearance and characteristics; 2) what roles do the women play; 3) how were these women treated by men and women; and 4) what were the differences between the 1950 and 2015 versions of the Cinderella movies based on their a. story/plot and b. set design. The content analysis design was used to analyze the objectives of the study and the Hypodermic Needle Theory was used to interpret the message that media injects into the audiences. It was found out that women were portrayed as kind, courageous, vain, and selfish. They played the roles of servants, master or lady of the house and princesses. This study recommends that the viewers should be critical on how characters are portrayed and that women should not be limited to a mother, daughter or sister role but should be given a chance to prove themselves. Lastly, exploration of roles that will lead to understanding of women should be done.