Ever since we were little children, certain ideas have been taught to us. These ideas may not have been as direct as a parent explicitly telling us what is right and/or wrong, but more often on the backs of movies, television shows, video games, and magazines. Since we were little, we have been taught a few things that still stick with a majority of society today:
Women are to be constantly searching for their man, and once he is found, life is worth living.
Yeah, this idea, while sounding ridiculous, is one that is being taught in pretty much every single Disney princess film ever. Cinderella, for example, ties into both points I feel like making. In this respect, she helps to further that idea because her life was simply miserable and full of chores until she met the rich and handsome prince, with whom she later lived happily ever after (or so they claim...) And, the other point?
It is better to be too small as opposed to too big. Also, ugly people are evil.
Cinderella is a prime example of this. Why? The Stepsisters of course! In fact, they were even called the ugly stepsisters! They were the ones whose gigantic feet made them realize that it was Cinderella's dainty feet the prince was after. These were the two that made Cinderella's life a living hell. What sense does it make that the ugly ones would be the evil ones? You would think that "adorably dainty" Cinderella would have the immediate upper-hand... But then again, when was the last time you saw someone who was ugly and made fun of in a children's movie? Oh yeah, uhm, maybe once or twice? Ever? Let alone someone who is fat in a movie! Example using Disney again: URSULA. You know, the evil woman beneath the sea in the Little Mermaid (and does that name not imply everything you need to know about small>big?) who tried her best to screw her over? Yeah, she was definitely quite big, and there she was, being the bully while the little mermaid struggled to get to her man. Honestly, it's this society in a nutshell, and I don't think that's because of society forming what our entertainment is, but rather, shaping what society is to/did become. Movies such as Surf's Up, about a small penguin trying to make it in a world for bigger penguins, television shows such as Hey Arnold! where the only fat kid is stupid, overeats, and is a bully, and even the character Piglet, whose mere existence as a tiny piglet implies someone who is caught behind where they are supposed to be, all only add to the idea that it's better to be too small and helpless than be big and helpless because, hey, if you're big or ugly you're just plain mean. Maybe we should just start issuing warnings to children instead of using subliminal messages in films/etc: WARNING TO CHILDREN- If someone is fat or ugly, they will be mean to you, so beat them to it! Also, if someone is dainty and helpless, be nice to them because no one else will be nice to them unless you are!
By the way, today was my last day of high school. EVAR. I'm t3h excited :)
Here I am, pondering...
