Deeply reflective and analytical blog exploring identity, film, race, gender, and queerness through a sociological and personal lens.

When I was a child growing up in a poor household in Guyana, I remember a particular day when my parents took my older sister and me to a local shop. The shop was owned by a woman whom I would name Jean¹, a close friend of both my mother and grandmother, and they are still friends today. It was 2008, and I was 7-years-old while my sister was about 12.

As we entered Jean’s shop, I looked around at all the toys, including cars, trucks, candy, and DVDs of Disney movies. I remember being drawn to the covers of those DVDs, which featured various Disney characters. As a 7-year-old, I didn’t know anything about Disney movies; I wasn’t even familiar with what Disney was until I came to the U.S.

Nonetheless, there we stood in Jean’s shop, looking around. My dad noticed how my sister and I were taken aback by the DVDs featuring Disney characters. I was particularly captivated, as I had always been drawn to those characters. Eventually, my dad asked my sister which DVD she would like to rent, and at that time, she was really into Cinderella. So, my dad rented that DVD for her. When Jean came to the front counter, my dad asked if we could borrow the Cinderella DVD for one night and promised to return it the following day.

As we left Jean’s shop and headed home, I remember how excited my sister was. I was excited too, and I asked my dad if I could see the back of the DVD. I distinctly recall seeing the Disney characters Jaq and Gus with the pumpkin, the Fairy Godmother, and Cinderella (Figure 1). This was the original Cinderella (1950). That night, my dad let my sister and me bring out our sheets and pillows into the hallway of my grandmother’s old house while he set up the movie on the DVR. I remember watching the film as my dad disappeared to the veranda, probably to smoke a cigarette. I watched Cinderella marry her prince and saw all these white characters on screen.

Figure 1. Cinderella character image from the Disney Princess website. Source: Disney Princess, Disney, https://princess.disney.com/cinderella.

At the time, my understanding of relationships was limited to heterosexual² ones, where the girl (Cinderella) falls in love with the boy (the prince). Fast forward 18 years, and I can now reflect on that childhood experience of watching Cinderella with my sister. I find myself questioning certain aspects: Why were all the characters white? Why were there no Black or Brown characters? Why was the dynamic solely heterosexual, and where were the queer characters? When I look back through a sociological lens, it’s clear that Disney films rarely depicted queer characters or characters of color.

There have been some changes, like the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel in the 2023 remake of The Little Mermaid (Figure 2).While this is a positive step, there is still a need for greater diversity and more characters of color.

Figure 2. Promotional poster for The Little Mermaid (2023) from the Disney Movies website. Source: Disney Movies, Disney, https://movies.disney.com/the-little-mermaid-2023.

While on the other hand, queer characters are still lacking in Disney films for children. When they are portrayed, they often take on the role of villains. For example, the original version of The Little Mermaid (1989) featured Ursula, a character commonly associated with a drag queen, but she is ultimately depicted as an evil witch (Figure 3). This portrayal highlights the persistence of stereotypes and biases in the way Disney represents characters like Ursula.

Figure 3. Ursula’s character profile from Disney Fandom Wiki. Source: Disney Fandom Wiki,  Fandom, https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Ursula. 

On the other hand, when it comes to race, in the drama/indie film Madea Goes To Jail (2009), the character Madea is depicted as a middle-aged Black woman who often gets into trouble with the law (Figure 4). Similarly, many films portray Black characters in negative roles that can have harmful effects on Black culture. These portrayals do not accurately represent Black people and can reinforce racial stereotypes regarding how they are viewed in movies.

Figure 4. Promotional poster for Madea Goes to Jail (2009) from the Lionsgate website. Source: Lionsgate, Lionsgate, https://www.lionsgate.com/movies/tyler-perrys-madea-goes-to-jail.  

Looking back to 2008 in Guyana, I remember being unaware of many things regarding sexuality at the time. One afternoon, I overheard my dad talking to his friends about their week. I distinctly recall his friends asking my dad, So you let your son watch Cinderella? But that’s a girl’s movie! My dad laughed it off, but I felt uneasy. At that moment, I began questioning my sexuality and feared being labeled as gay by his friend or even by my dad. 

Disney movies like Cinderella resonated with my emerging sense of sexuality and gender. From a sociological perspective, I now see how gender and race intertwine in these films. For instance, Cinderella falls in love with the her prince, but it raises the question: Why does it have to be exclusively heterosexual couples? Isn’t it okay for two boys or two girls to fall in love? Isn’t it okay for two queers couples to fall in love? These questions constantly cross my mind.

Furthermore, the depiction of only heterosexual couples and the absence of characters of color in Disney movies illustrate how the company and society reinforce biased ideas about gender and race. 

On the other hand, Madea Goes to Jail focuses on the story of an elderly Black woman. While some critics argue that this portrayal oversimplifies or exploits the real struggles within the Black community for entertainment purposes, others view Madea as a symbol of recognition and representation in film, reflecting cultural expression. However, while Madea Goes to Jail aims to provide humor, it often relies on stereotypes, cross-dressing, and mockery of Black women. As a result, despite being intended as a comedy, the drama/indie can present negative depictions of the Black community for viewers.

In conclusion, while I was a 7-year-old living in Guyana, my understanding of race was limited. However, looking back now as a 23-year-old, I can clearly grasp that the original Cinderella was made for a white audience. As a young boy of color, I was captivated by characters like Jaq and Gus, even if my little imagination focused more on them than on Cinderella herself.

When it comes to films, Cinderella  is undoubtedly a movie aimed at young girls, yet as someone who consumed it, I remember feeling that my cousin, dad, and his friends would label me as gay for enjoying it. I lived in a household in Guyana that was composed entirely of heterosexual individuals., I found it challenging to reconcile my enjoyment of films like Cinderella with societal expectations around masculinity. I recall one of my uncles telling me that I was supposed to watch sports like wrestling instead.

Ultimately, I’ve come to conclude that there is absolutely nothing wrong with a boy watching Cinderella. On another note, I never realized until we discussed it in my SOC257 class that Ursula in The Little Mermaid could be interpreted as a drag queen. While Ursula plays the role of the evil witch who pursues Ariel and Eric, the reality is that the film doesn’t accurately reflect the experiences or representation of queer individuals.

¹Jean is a pseudonym.

²In this blog, I used the term heterosexual to refer to a person who is attracted to individuals of the opposite sex.

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF IMAGES:

• “Cinderella.” Disney Princess, Disney, https://princess.disney.com/cinderella.
• “The Little Mermaid (2023).” Disney Movies, Disney, https://movies.disney.com/the-little-mermaid-2023.
• “Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail.” Lionsgate, Lionsgate, https://www.lionsgate.com/movies/tyler-perrys-madea-goes-to-jail.
• “Ursula.” Disney Wiki, Fandom, https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Ursula.