IntroductionA. Defining Gender Roles A gender role consists of characteristics that refer to a set of social and behavioral norms widely considered appropriate for men or women. Gender roles are different depending on society and cultures. We acquire gender roles unconsciously, consciously or genetically due to cultural rules (Princeton).B. How Movie Characters Are Perceived by AudiencesMany people view women as weak in desperate films and men as strong and heroic in films. Male characters are seen as more physical, functional, sexual, intelligent and independent. Female characters are seen as dependent, weak, quiet, graceful and innocent (Planned Parenthood). For example, in the film Tangled (2009), Rapunzel is seen as a woman trapped in her house where she paints, cleans and reads; when her prince arrives, she hits him with a frying pan. In the movie The Little Mermaid, Prince Eric is considered a tough man and a hero for saving Ariel and taking control of a ship during a violent storm at sea. Disney and Gender RollsA. Article One: “Disney Princesses Are Not the Role Models They Seem to Be” By Cassie Schmidt The author of this article argues that classic Disney princesses are not great role models for young children. “Children learn by example and Cinderella teaches that it is easy to find love, which is far from the truth.” What the author means is that as children grow up, they play "follow the leader" every day. What children see is what they will do and apply in their daily lives. Cinderella finding true love at a ball is completely fictional, but it can teach girls to be hopelessly romantic. Another statement from the author of this article concerns Snow White: "After being thrown out of bed... middle of paper... they made components, I believe equal research needs to be done on male and female gender roles in Disney films. We need to better understand how children themselves interpret each princess and prince. Works Cited England, Dawn and Lara Descartes. “Welcome to Human Development and Family Studies.” Human development and family studies. Gender Roll Representation and Disney Princesses, February 2011. Web. December 19, 2013. England, Dawn, Lara Descartes and Melissa Collier-Meek. “Gender Representation and Disney Princesses.” Np, February 10, 2011. Web “Gender and gender identity”. Gender identity. Planned Parenthood, nd Web. December 16, 2013. “Gender Role.” Gender role. Princeton, nd Web. December 19, 2013. Schmidt, Cassie. “Disney princesses are not the role models they seem.” http://www.familystudies.uconn.edu/, January 21, 2010. Web. December 19. 2013.