The Influence of Cartoons

Quotes:

Quote#1: "Then students started to notice patterns- like the absence of female characters in many of the older cartoons. When women do appear, they look like Jessica Rabbit or Playboy centerfolds- even in many of the new and "improved" children's movies" (Christensen 130).

Reading this quote really shocked me. Beforehand, I was a little confused on what the author meant by women being portrayed different in cartoons than men. After reading this, I totally understood and was kind of disgusted on what that really meant. This is part of the reason why so many young girls have problems with the way they look and sometimes drive themselves to eating disorders and depression at such a young age. These are just cartoons so it's pretty obvious that no one looks like that but it still gives young girls a false image of how they should look.


Quote# 2: "Both of these tales leave young women with two myths: Happiness means getting a man, and transformation from wretched conditions can be achieved through consumption- in their case, through new clothes and a new hairstyle" (Christensen 133).

This quote really caught my eye because I always found it gross when girls thought they needed to have a boyfriend. I have honestly never had a boyfriend and its not because I'm against it, I just feel that at this point and time in my life, I'm not mature enough to handle a relationship so I never did. I know many people feel that once you get to a certain age, it's like a law that you need to have a boyfriend or girlfriend and I don't think that way. I'm not the kind of person to have a boyfriend, just to have a boyfriend. I feel like the author of this article agrees with me in saying that it's disgusting that these cartoons for young girls are sending the message that you are only happy if you have a man.


Quote# 3: "Turning off the cartoons doesn't stop the racism and sexism. They can't escape, and now that they've started analyzing cartoons, they can't stop analyzing the rest of the world" (Christensen 134).

Here the author is saying that just because you don't let your kids watch cartoons, does not mean they won't be exposed to the racism and sexism that society teaches our kids. You will still find it the news, movies, other television shows, and even in commercials. It's not about keeping your kids away from it because racism and sexism will always be there, but it's about teaching your kids that racism and sexism is wrong and that we are all equal.


Going farther into the topic of sexism and racism in movies, here is link that explains some more interesting and surprising messages: http://racismandsexismstartyoung.blogspot.com/2011/12/racism-and-sexism-in-disney-movies.html