Social Justice Event

For my social justice event I too had gone to see Beauty and the Beast (a few days before Mike) at the Providence Performing Arts Center. I was so glad that this counted because I was going to see it anyway. Though I was pre warned that the play would be ruined for me now that I'm taking this class, it didn't end up being too bad. If anything it made the play more interesting because I had already seen Beauty and the Beast, except this time I would get a whole new perspective on the play.

It ended up being more than easy to pick up some examples of sexism. I mean right off the bat they play the song that we listened to in class. It was re-enacted on stage of course in a much more explicit way (seeing as its not a Disney movie). Obviously as you can tell Belle does not fit too well into the towns "culture of power". Instead of being obedient and appealing to men, Belle does what she enjoys and seems to show no interest in them at all. In fact, Gaston, whom most of the women dream about, flirts constantly with Belle. Eventually he proposes saying "this is the day your dreams come true" and yet that couldn't be further from the truth. He is just appalling and you can tell by Belles face that it is hard for her to even bare his presence. Though this scene is different from the play, this scene clearly shows Belle's complete uninterest in Gaston, and shows Gaston's repulsiveness and how he acts (as a steryotypical male) throughout the play. (Other steryotypes include the small and slightly deformed guy is Gastons servant more or less, girls druling over Gaston, and the women are expected to please the men while the men work and hunt.)

Later on during the play, I felt that there was also a Rodriguez moment, when Belle moves into the Beasts castle. As everyone may know the Prince is cursed to an outer apperance as terrible looking as his soul. Only when he can truly love another will he transform back to his origional self. So when Belle moves in, the Beast is forced more or less to drop his ways of life that he used to have, and adapt to become more like a romantic gentlemen in order for anyone to accept him. He was pretty much forced to because otherwise he would be a Beast forever, plus all of his friends/servants were basically forcing him into love as well so that they could be cured too.

It ended up being true, the way I had once loved and percieved Beauty and the Beast was shattered. It turns out that there is a lot of "secret education" to even Disney cartoons than I would ever expect. There was so much sexism, and in almost like every scene. So though my view of these movies have been ruined with what I have learned in this class, it's good that I can see the "secret education" and understand what sort of messages are being taught to the younger minds as being acceptable.