Encanto - Breaking Gender Roles/Stereotypes

    Saying that I love the movie Encanto is an understatement. Although there is a large room for improvement, in all of Disney’s 98.5 years of existence, I have never seen Disney female protagonists break gender roles/stereotypes to this extent. To answer question prompt #6, which asks to “examine a popular movie in terms of gender roles,” I will be analyzing some of the main female characters in Encanto - Abuela Alma, Mirabel, Isabela, and Luisa - from a gender perspective.

    There has been a significant pattern of male supremacy in former Disney movies. Most of the time, a male individual is the head of the family. Take Chief Tui from Moana and Hua Zhou from Mulan as examples. They are both perceived as the backbone of their families - their wives are rarely present. Additionally, in the 13 main Disney princess movies, the company chose to leave six mothers off the screen, leaving the male in charge of the family (other than in Cinderella, where the woman in the lead of the family is an evil stepmother). However, in Encanto, Abuela is the head of the Madrigal family. She is a strong, strict, and uptight woman who dedicates her life to looking after her family after her husband dies. The gender role of men keeping their families in place has finally changed.

    Mirabel, the youngest daughter of the family, breaks many damaging female beauty standards that Disney has frequently implemented in previous films. These princesses have always had curvy bodies with a larger bust and hips than waist ratio. This exclusion of other body types impacted many girls’ body image - they did not grow up with a role model that looked like them. Instead, they saw these body types being glamorized and being portrayed as perfect, making them think they had to look like that too. Additionally, Mirabel is the first female Disney protagonist with glasses! She shows leadership, empathy, and courage as she tries to put her family back into place - something society has drilled down as the male’s role in a family.

    Isabela Madrigal’s gift is to make beautiful flowers bloom - she is “a perfect golden child.” However, this is where I see some backlash. She is a thin yet curvy girl with a clear complexion and long, straight hair. I am slightly conflicted about my opinion of her character. Part of me is upset that her traits are portrayed as “perfect,” making others think they are not perfect if they do not look like her. However, I also think the purpose of her character is to show that you do not need to fit a certain beauty standard to be perfect. So, if anybody reading this has watched Encanto and has an opinion about this, please enlighten me! Women have been expected to submissively marry whoever and whenever their family desires. Isabela was about to marry to please her family, but Mirabel helped her realize she does not need to if she is not happy with the situation. In this way, Disney helps break typical gender roles and shows that women serve a larger purpose in the family than to marry.

    Luisa Madrigal, highly deserving of more screen time, is one of the main reasons Encanto has received so much praise. Her gift is super-strength and she makes even Gaston look weak. She keeps the village running smoothly by fixing whatever the people need. No other female Disney character is as muscular as her. You would think perhaps Mulan would be somewhat muscular - she trained on the battlefield and fought in a war for goodness sake - but she is very slender. Luisa overworks herself to make sure that her family and the village gets everything they need. Although she is incredibly strong, she still feels empty and weak. Through her song, “Surface Pressure,” she expresses her vulnerability and shows that it is okay to feel this way. However, in the song “Family Madrigal,” Mirabel sings about Isabela and Luisa in the same verse. In the last phrase of that verse, she says, “the beauty and the brawn do no wrong.” This sentence is quite problematic - it implies that you cannot be strong and beautiful, although the opposite is true. The dictionary definition of “brawn” is “physical strength in contrast to intelligence.” Luisa feels worthless without her gift but she does not realize she is incredibly knowledgeable, hard-working, and caring. I wish there were a better word choice to describe her great character. Through her strength, she breaks the stereotype that men are stronger than women. Through her vulnerability, she shows everyone that it is alright to feel weak and express it and to take a break from stressful responsibilities once in a while.

    Needless to say, Encanto is ground-breaking compared to previous Disney films in terms of breaking gender roles and stereotypes. With the the inclusion of characters that many individuals feel a strong connection to, people can learn to accept themselves for who they are. The diversity of characteristics, body types, and culture allows people to see themselves represented on the screen, showing that they are not alone in their struggles. Moral of the story: you should watch Encanto. :)