Conclusion

In conclusion, I am a firm believer that gender is socially constructed. I believe that at a young age society drills gender into your mind and from there on we reenact it in every aspect of our lives. I thought it was an interesting approach to look at gender through cartoons. We don't realize how early on gender is introduced as well as policed in our society. I was obsessed with Disney movies as a child and didn't realize until I got older that the ideals that go along with Disney movies aren't ideal. I don't believe anymore that girls needs to find their prince charming . It is now ok for a woman to have a career and her own sense of self.

 In the two shows I compared, "Sofia the First" and "Jake and the Neverland Pirates"  I found that my theory was proven correctly. Princesses are geared towards girls and pirates are geared towards boys. However, I did notice that Disney cartoons today are different than cartoons when I was growing up. Disney promotes that you should believe in your dreams and anything is possible if you wish for it. Now cartoons such as "Sofia the First" focus on a traditional character who challenges societal norms of gender. 

Here is an article that recently stirred up trouble within the Disney community. The inclusion of Merida from the movie "Brave" as a new Disney Princess prompted Disney to make her beautiful.

http://money.msn.com/now/post.aspx?post=9de440c4-1f83-4d08-a41d-cd6c5c1f3379