Despite Emma Watson portraying the latest 2017 fantastic Beauty and the Beast film as a feminist film and even going to extremes by asking the famous feminist writer Gloria Steinem to watch it and make sure it conforms to feminist principles, there is no denying that the foundation of Beauty and the Beast is actually far from a feminist function. The stark reality is that the beautiful Belle is held captive by a formidable beast and forced to fall in love with him, in the style of Stockholm syndrome. Watson portrays Belle as an intelligent, independent woman, yet is captured by an angry man with a curse.
Old original Disney fairy tales like Beauty and the Beast are still loved to this day, even when turned into live action movies. In any case, they are often a lot of fun, which actually makes it quite difficult to sit back and see the story from a different angle. But if we manage to do this, we realize that some of them, especially Beauty and the Beastare actually quite confused, and the story doesn’t work.
Beauty and the Offensive Beast
While Belle is a highly regarded princess among young girls who dream of their fairytale ending, Beauty and the Beast may not be the story you want your daughter to go for. The storyline follows a prince who is imprisoned and cursed to be in the form of a monster for his selfish behavior, and the only way the curse will be broken is through real, true love. When Belle visits the castle, he seeks the most perfect opportunity and holds her captive until she falls in love with him. Of course, eventually she does, and the spell is broken. Is this different from the recent controversial film on Netflix, 365 dayswhere a man kidnaps a woman, essentially rapes her and waits for her to “fall in love” with him?
Disney’s fairy tales are often incredibly messed up, probably due to men writing about what romance means to a woman. Cinderella shows a girl who is abused and mistreated for years (like a real slave), and the only way to escape is by a big strong man; The little Mermaid shows that you have to lose your voice and personality to be loved and meet certain beauty standards. Clear, Beauty and the Beast shows that it’s all well and good as long as he’s handsome and rich in the end. Disney’s fairy tales really don’t give children a good impression of love.
Disney has always shown Beauty and the Beast like an incredibly romantic story about true love and not judging a book by its cover, that love comes from within, not from the outside. But maybe Disney fans should explain exactly what happens to Belle during the movie. First, to point out the obvious, she is held captive, locked in a room against her will and her father is mysteriously nowhere to be seen. She is criticized and harassed by almost every male character, and a big giant ugly beast throws a table at her and literally growls at her.
The portrayal of true love
While this magical fairy tale is actually quite traumatizing, it could also serve as an important lesson. No matter how young girls dream of a fairytale ending like Belle, it’s not always reality. In real life there are people who suffer from abuse that they think is true love, and behind closed doors we never know what happens. Perhaps Beauty and the Beast should be a warning sign for us, and a lesson that we as a society should speak up more about domestic violence and shed light on the trauma many people go through. Unfortunately, many women grow up thinking that this kind of abusive behavior is acceptable, and they have a clouded image of what love can be.
The biggest problem in Beauty and the Beast is that Belle is convinced too easily. Suddenly, the Beast’s behavior is easily forgotten, or even forgiven, and suddenly Belle is charmed and decides she loves him after all. It could be argued quite easily that throwing tables at people is not a good sign that their behavior has changed and that the Beast should have kept its hideous appearance.
But no matter how many times we yell at the TV or question this weird and confused storyline, it’s not like it’s not quite realistic. It can even be a pretty perfect representation of abusive relationships; while abuse is not limited to throwing tables or forcing people towards you, it can take many forms and if anything, Beauty and the Beast is a warning sign of how confused the idea of ”love” can be. Maybe Disney fairy tales need some serious modernization and could use a story of a woman who notices the abusive nature of a man and confidently and proudly turns the other way.