Brave From Disney Analysis

Since the beginning, there has been a specific role for females. Women have been categorized as helpless, fragile, uneducated, and needy. Girls at a young age had to educated on how to act, when to act, and what their responsibility stood. This was more so for the higher levels of class, the middle class and the upper class. This is where the stereotype of dependency and the need to get married were created. Girls, as young as 16 were getting married with a suitable match with the help of her family. Girls were taught to be respectful, nurturing, attentive, and most importantly, look their best on every occasion. In the movie Brave from Disney, Merida resists all attempts to make form her into the “normal” princess and breaks the stereotype

For example, the princesses Snow White, Aurora, and the most commonly known, Bell and Cinderella depict how the “normal” princess should look like and behave. This increases the stereotype of women needing to marry and live “happily ever after” with their prince charming. Princess Merida of DunBroch is daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor from the Scottish Kingdom in the movie Brave from Disney. Since a child, Queen Elinor schooled Merida on princess duties so in the future, she can get married and become ruler of her kingdom. As an old tradition, the princess should marry one of the lord’s sons to maintain the harmony between the people in the kingdom. Each son from one of three lords must go hit the

target with an arrow. This test is to see who is worthy to win the princess’s hand in marriage, but Merida has a different plan in

In the article "Thanks, But No Thanks: Women's Avoidance of Help-Seeking in the Context of a Dependency-Related Stereotype" Juliet R. H. Wakefield, Nick Hopkins, and Ronnie M. Greenwood provide example from a study they conducted of the common comment that men have about women. For example, "Women seem to struggle to do anything without men's help" and "Women's most distinguishing trait is their neediness" (427). During the archery test, each suitor had to hit the target with an arrow. Only one out the three suitors, Wee Dingwall, was able to hit the target. Merida trying to win her own hand in marriage hit all three targets in the middle and on the last target, splitting the last arrow with her own arrow. While doing this, Merida breaks this stereotype of needing a man help and protection by proving to her mother, suitors, people in her Kingdom she could do it better than all three suitors. The Lords were furious by this action and so was the queen. The peace in the Kingdom was broken. She is always determined to be write her path to destiny and not have another write it for